Kala Bhairava, the god of time, has the power to change destiny. Bhairava is considered as an aspect of Lord Shiva. He is the guardian deity of Kashi City. He is the ruler of Nine planets and stars. As Bhairava is the Guru of Shaniswar, if we worship Bhairava, Lord Saturn will be pleased and will not give us much suffering. So if we worship Bhairava on Saturdays then all the troubles caused by Lord Shani will be removed immediately.
Bhairava means remover of fear of devotees. If you worship Bhairava, you will surely get immediate results. Ashta Siddhi will also come with his grace. Lord Bhairava is an extremely ferocious manifestation of Lord Shiva. He is a wandering avatar of Lord Shiva. He is widely revered by Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists in India and Nepal. Lord Bhairava is the main god of the Aghori sect. He is believed to guard treasures. He is usually depicted with angry eyes resembling lotus blossoms, tiger’s teeth, blazing hair a snake around his neck or crown and a garland of human skulls. Kala Bhairava’s hands hold a drum, a trident and Lord Brahma’s severed fifth head. Another name of Kala Bhairava is “ Kshetra palaka” the guardian of the temple. Kala Bhairava is known to bestow great blessings on those who worship him. In Tantrism, he is revered as Bhatuk Bairava. As he is Rudra, he is a mantra expert- tantra.
He is said to be the frightening incarnation of Lord Shiva according to Saivism. In Hinduism, Bhairava is also referred to as Dandapani, as he is holding a rod to penalise sinners. The Version of Puranas about Kala Bhairava is that once there was a battle between Asuras and Devas. To annihilate the asuras Lord Kala Bhairava from whom Ashta Bhairavas were generated. This form of Bhairava is also called as “Swaswa” which means “ the one whose mode of commute is a dog”.
The name means he is the deity who guards his worshippers against external enemies as well as internal enemies like anger, lust, greed and several other negative emotions. “ Bha” denotes creation and “ Ra” for preservation and “ Va” stands for destruction. Kala Bhairava is regarded as the ultimate godhead who merges all the forces of the universe. His third eye stands for supreme wisdom.
According to Shiva Maha Purana, there was a debate between Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Vishnu asked who is the supreme creator. Brahma became egoistic as he was celebrated as a creator. Furthermore, as he had five heads like Shiva, he could do all that Lord Shiva could do. He then began to interfere in the works of Lord Shiva. Shiva observed patience but got infuriated after some time and removed a small nail and threw it. This nail assumed the form of Kala Bhairava and chopped one head of Brahma. This resulted in Brahmahathi Dosha and the skull stuck in Bhairava’s hands. But this action of Kala Bhairava subdued and humbled Brahma. He then promised Kala Bhairava that henceforth he would work for the benefit of the universe.
Kalashtami is a festival dedicated to Lord Bhairava. Kala Ashtami is observed every month during the Ashtami tithi of Krishna Paksha. On this day, people observe fast and offer prayers to Lord Bhairava. Kala Bhairava Jayanthi is celebrated in the Margasira month by north Indians whereas it is celebrated in Karthigai in south India. ‘Ashta’ means ‘eight’ and ‘Ashtami’ means ‘eighth’. Thus Ashtami, the eighth day after the Full Moon day is highly auspicious to worship Lord Kaal Bhairava. There are in total twelve Kalashtami in a year. Of these, the one falling on a Sunday or Tuesday is best for the worship of Lord Kal Bhairav.
Kala Bhairva Pooja frees us from the consequences of our bad karma and sins. It reduces the negative effect of Rahu, Ketu and Sani doshas. Kala bhairava pooja is believed to purify the soul with immense powers and make situations favourable to devotees. It removes obstacles in business and other aspects of life. It protects a person from enemies and helps attain success in life. It removes the effects of black magic or evil energies. It provides longevity of life. This Pooja is performed by priests who are well-versed in performing the pooja.
Let us surrender ourselves to the fierce form of Shiva, Kala Bhairava and get benefits from the Pooja.
