Lord Shiva, the meditative Lord of Kailasa also manifests Himself as Kala Bhairava, the dark, intense, fearsome God of Death/Time whose vehicle is the shvana – dog. After all, Lord Shiva is the destroyer god among the Holy Trinity of Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva. Kala Bhairaveshwara also happens to be our Kuladevata.
In the video, I have broken down the lyrics to facilitate proper pronunciation, just as we did while learning to recite the shloka.
As he did so often, that Hero of Hinduism, Adi Shankaracharya wrote this ashtakam, extolling the worldly and spiritual virtues of the Guardian Deity of Kashi, Kala Bhairava.
Reciting this shloka is said to ward off delusion, depression and anger, and take one close to the Supreme State of Bliss.
Meaning/significance/resources/references:
- Bhaktisudha, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, 24th Edition, 2012
- https://greenmesg.org/stotras/shiva/kalabhairava_ashtakam.php
- https://www.artofliving.org/mahashivratri/kaal-bhairav-ashtkam
- https://www.astroved.com/articles/history-of-kala-bhairava
- Background music: Tratak, Jesse Gallagher