The Story of Bhairava

Bhairava is the fierce and fearless form in which Lord Shiva guards dharma and dissolves the pride of the arrogant. Deep of hue and simply adorned, he carries the trident and is accompanied by his faithful dog.

As Kala Bhairava he is the lord of time itself, before whom even death must bow, and he is honoured as the kotwal, the guardian, of the holy city of Kashi, where no pilgrimage is complete without his darshan.

Though his form is fearsome, his fierceness is compassion: he burns away fear, arrogance and illusion, and shelters the sincere devotee who takes refuge in him.

The Meaning

Bhairava shows that the divine wears a fierce face only to protect, and to free us from what binds us. He is the guardian of time and the sacred, the destroyer of ego and fear. His worship reminds the devotee that surrender, not pride, is the path, and that even the most terrible form of the Lord is, at heart, grace.