Kaal Bhairav Ashtakam (काल भैरव अष्टकम्)

Who is Kaal Bhairav?

Lord Shiva has several forms and avatars (manifestation of a deity in physical body form). Although his original ascetic form is widely revered, his Pashupatinath and Vishwanath avatar are also quite famous. But, one of the most fearsome avatars of Lord Shiva is the Kalabhairava. This form of Shiva, described by Adi Shankaracharya in the Kalabhairava Ashtakam, is shown to be naked, black, entwined with a garland of skulls, three eyes, weapons of destruction in his four hands, and entwined with snakes.

The depiction of this form may seem at odds with the dispassionate, calm, and meditative form that many pray to every day, but there is a deep symbolism associated with Kalabhairava.

The vehicle of Kalabhairava is shvaana (a dog). It is the most fearsome depiction of Lord Shiva. Kalabhairava is the lord of death/time. In spirituality, the words 'death' and 'time' are symbolic. Shvaana is formed from two words shva and na. In Vedic literature, the meaning of shva is tomorrow as well as yesterday, and the meaning of na is not. So shvaana means something which is neither yesterday nor tomorrow, something which is only in the now, the present moment.

So, Kalabhairava is someone who is neither yesterday nor tomorrow. He is ever-present in the now. Also, Lord Kalabhairava is the lord of the city of Kashi. This also has a symbolic meaning. In tantra, Kashi is recognized as Agya Chakra, which is located between the eyebrows..

The depiction of Kalabhairava is vikraala (large and fearsome). It signifies that time eats away everything. Anything that is present in this world will dissolve and perish with time. The kings and empires that were here thousands of years ago, the wonders that are present now, and anything that will come in the future - they will all perish as time passes.

And where is time? It is not in the past or the future. It is now. And when this realization of time and the present moment comes, our Agya Chakra (the seat of knowledge in our body) gets heightened, signifying the presence of Lord Kalabhairava in us. This leads us to the deepest state of samadhi (meditation) which is also called a state of bhairava.
In the Kalabhairava Ashtakam, where Adi Shankaracharya praised Lord Kalabhairava as the Lord of Kashi, he actually means the Agya Chakra - signifying total awareness of the present moment. This is also coveted by all the devatas (divine energies). Adi Shankaracharya says that even the lords, those divine energies, bow down at the feet of Kalabhairava, yearning for that state of bliss and samadhi.