bhairavastavaḥ

“A Lay of Laudation to Bhairavaḥ”

— MAHĀMAHEŚVARĀĊĀRYA ABHINAVAGUPTAḤ

व्याप्तचराचरभावविशेषं चिन्मयमेकमनन्तमनादिम्। भैरवनाथमनाथशरण्यं तन्मयचित्ततया हृदि वन्दे॥१॥

transliteration:— vyāpta-carācara-bhāva-viśeṣaṁ cinmayam-ekam-anantam-anādim | bhairava-nātham-anātha-śaraṇyaṁ tan-maya-citta-tayā hṛdi vande |1|

I worship Lord Bhairava, the infallible refuge of the forsaken, the Lord of all the worlds, whose very nature is imbued with the infinite light of consciousness. You are the one who is beyond the cycle of time, neither born nor destroyed—the one, the unique, who is established as the eternal witness of all creation. O Bhairava, it is by Your power alone that this unceasing dance of existence appears, which pervades the pulsating beats of sentient beings and the stillness of the material world. O Lord, who is as infinite as the sky, as violent as the storm, and as gentle as the cool moon—You are the fire hidden in all forms, the mysterious manifestation of motion and stillness. The entire universe, with its innumerable forms and rhythms, is only a reflection of Your unbroken reality, the play of Your supreme power. I worship You with my unwavering and undifferentiated mind, in the sacred temple of my heart, where no thought arises that is different from You. O Bhairava, let my soul merge in Your divine radiance, for You are the knower and the knowledge, the seer and the seen, and the formless light beyond all forms. To You, O Eternal Lord, I offer my prayers and homage with all the one-pointed devotion of my soul.

त्वन्मयमेतदशेषमिदानीं भाति मम त्वदनुग्रहशक्त्या। त्वं च महेश! सदैव ममात्मा स्वात्ममयं मम तेन समस्तम्॥२॥

transliteration:— tvanmayam-etad-aśeṣam-idānīṁ bhāti mama tvad-anugraha-śaktyā | tvaṁ ca maheśa! sadaiva mamātmā svātmam-ayaṁ mama tena samastam |2|

O Lord Śiva! By Your infinite grace, the thick veil of maculation has been dispelled, and the light of Truth has dawned upon me just as the rising sun dispels the darkness of night and illuminates all directions. I now see with unshakable clarity that the entire pulsating universe, with its ceaseless motion and vibration, is only a manifestation of Your divine consciousness. Mountains and rivers, the sky and the earth, the countless stars spread across the infinite sky—all these are effulgent manifestations of Your infinite existence.

Oh Maheśa! You have given me the vision that transcends duality. Now I see clearly that You are not different from me, nor am I separate from You. The breath that flows through me, the thoughts that arise and disappear, the joys and sorrows dancing on the stage of life—all these are only reflections of Your infinite play. Indeed, the divine knowledge has now dawned within me that You are Śiva, and Śiva is my own true nature—beyond time, untouched by the limitations, eternal and indestructible.

Thus, the universe which once appeared to me fragmented and scattered in various forms, now shines in my self-aware vision as one unbroken entity. The birds that sing, the wind that hums, the fire that blazes, the ocean that roars—all these are not different from Me, but are reflections of My glory, living manifestations of My infinite being.

O Śaṇkara, I bow to You, for You have awakened me from the deluded sleep in which I was wandering, forgetting my true nature. I shall never again wander in that separation and delusion, for I have recognized the Supreme Truth—there is nothing apart from Śiva, and Śiva is Me!

स्वात्मनि विश्वगते त्वयि नाथे तेन न संसृतिभीतिः कथाऽस्ति। सत्स्वपि दुर्धरदुःखविमोह- त्रासविधायिषु कर्मगणेषु॥३॥

transliteration:— svātmani viśvagate tvayi nāthe tena na saṁsṛti-bhītiḥ kathā’sti | satsvapi durdhara-duḥkha-vimoha- trāsa-vidhāyiṣu karma-gaṇeṣu |3|

Oh Lord of all things, the Supreme Śiva! Although Your devotees move in the unceasing flow of the wheel of karma, bearing the burden of their past actions, and affected by the incessant agitation of the restless mind, although they move in the dense forest of fate, entangled in the net of material bondage, and appear to be surrounded by the sorrows and bondages of this transient world, they remain untouched, just as a lotus leaf in the mud blossoms in water and is never affected by it.

For they have realized the great secret—that this entire universe, with all its transient joys and sorrows, rising and falling, birth and dissolution, is nothing but Your transcendental līlā, the unceasing dance of Your manifestation. The dialectics of gain and loss, happiness and misery, birth and death, which cause unceasing suffering to the ignorant, appear to them as mere ripples on the ocean of Your infinite being. How then can they be perturbed by the miseries of this mirage-like world?

Indeed, fear arises where there is a sense of separateness, where the illusion of “other” exists. But when this veil of separation is removed, when the mind sees no difference between the self and the Supreme Being, what remains for fear to arise? The fire appears to be blazing to those who think themselves separate from it, but one who knows that he himself is the flame—how can he be afraid of his own nature?

O Maheśwara! Those who have surrendered completely to You, whose vision has been opened to Self-knowledge by Your grace, move through this world as emperors of wisdom, free from the trivial anxieties that torment the ignorant. Whether they dwell in palaces or in dense forests, whether they are in the company of men or in utter solitude, they are always absorbed in the blissful experience that nothing exists apart from them, and that you alone pervade the entire universe.

So, Oh Lord, your devotees not only endure the storms of life, they rise above them. For a storm is a fear to one who thinks himself separate, but for one who has become the sky, what is the existence of a storm? For one who has become the source of bliss, suffering has no reality! Such a self-realized person, situated in the truth of his own self, moves through this world untouched by its transient shadows—just as the sun, though passing through the clouds, is never bereft of its radiance, always shining in its infinite, eternal existence—as the eternal light of your divine presence!

अन्तक! मां प्रति मा दृशमेनां क्रोधकरालतमां विदधीहि। शङ्करसेवनचिन्तनधीरो भीषणभैरवशक्तिमयोऽस्मि॥४॥

transliteration:— antaka! māṁ prati mā dṛśamenāṁ krodha-karāla-tamāṁ vidadhīhi | śaṅkara-sevana-cintana-dhīro bhīṣaṇa-bhairava-śakti-mayo‘smi |4|

Oh Lord of death, Oh Aṇtaka! Do not cast your destructive and terrifying gaze upon me, for I am not ignorant of the eternal truth—I am always absorbed in the worship of Śiva, who is beyond birth and destruction, the eternal witness of all things. Your terrifying form, which strikes fear into the hearts of the ignorant, cannot have any effect on me, for my mind is unshakeable, my soul is unmoved, and my heart is fortified by the flame of unbroken devotion.

By devoted penance, by concentrated meditation that is deeper than the depths of the ocean, and by contemplation that has consumed all separation in its flames, I have dissolved myself in the great power of Bhairava. That destructive power, before which even the gods tremble, is now pulsating in my heart. That principle, which destroys all dualities with a mere touch, is flowing through my being like a blazing fire. Oh Aṇtaka! What power can you have over a person who is already free from fear, duality and all bondage?

You, who dissolve all things in the wheel of time, stand before me in your most terrifying form, yet know this — I am neither afraid, nor will I yield. For I am one with Bhairava Himself—the electric force of Śiva’s fierce destruction, which swallows up all weaknesses, which is unwavering, and the very embodiment of the Supreme Being. Let your shadow spread across all the worlds, let your flames engulf the sky, still I stand above them, for I have surrendered myself to that fire. What is left for you to take from me now?

If you wish to cast your eyes upon me, do so without hesitation, but your monstrous form is now a mirage for me. I have crossed the limit where fear has any right. The dance of destruction, which frightens the weak and the bewildered, has now become the rhythm of my life. You are not my enemy, For where is fear for one who has become one with Bhairava Himself?

इत्थमुपोढ़भवन्मयसंवि- द्दीधितिदारितभूरितमिस्रः। मृत्युर्यमान्तककर्मपिशाचै- र्नाथ! नमोऽस्तु न जातु बिभेमि॥५॥

transliteration:— ittham-upoḍha-bhavan-maya-saṁvid- dīdhiti-dārita-bhūri-tamisraḥ | mṛtyur-yamāntaka-karma-piśācair- nātha! namo‘stu na jatu bibhemi |5|

Oh Bhairava, Oh fierce and compassionate Lord! I bow down to You, who is the very embodiment of the transcendent power, with utmost reverence. By Your infinite grace, the veils of my separation from you have been torn away, and You have revealed to me the ultimate truth—that You pervade all things, and that nothing exists apart from You. You are the primeval power hidden within the visible and the invisible, the vibration that animates creation, the fire that consumes all falsehood, and the flame that is the unceasingly shining consciousness of the undivided Bhairava.

The ignorance and delusion of my mind have been completely destroyed by the dawn of this divine light, just as the rays of the rising sun dispel a dense fog. Where before I wandered in doubt and delusion, entangled in the dream of duality, I now stand firm, fully awake in the radiance of Your infinite presence. Now there is no doubt, no hesitation, no instability—for You have shown me that I am one with You, my being has merged in the ocean of Your great being.

So then, Oh Bhairava, what fear can touch me now? Neither any army of demons, nor any dark and evil force can shake me, for I have come to know that all these are but reflections of Your infinite līlā. They arise and disappear momentarily like the waves of thoughts, but I am now absorbed in that unfathomable depth where You alone are independent and infinite.

Yama, the terrible lord of death, cannot now instill any fear in me. For death is feared only by one who is ignorant of the Truth, but for one who has experienced the Reality himself, death does not exist at all. Though Yama may come before me with his noose, though his terrible command may shake all the worlds, still I shall stand firm, for I have seen the way beyond his domain. I have drunk the nectar which comes from Your supreme knowledge.

Oh Bhairava! You who are the blazing flame of consciousness, who are the unabashed destroyer of all delusion! In Your hand is the sword which cuts the roots of ignorance, and Your fierce laughter is that which shakes the foundations of all delusions. You have broken all the bonds which bound me to the petty concerns of the world. Now I am neither shaken by the dance of life and death, nor am I shaken by the storms of fortune. I move fearlessly in Your name, for You are my final refuge, You are my eternal truth, and You are my true nature!

प्रोदितसत्यविबोधमरीचि- प्रोक्षितविश्वपदार्थसतत्त्वः। भावपरामृतनिर्भरपूर्णे त्वय्यऽहमात्मनि निर्वृत्तिमेमि॥६॥

transliteration:— prodita-satya-vibodha-marīci- prokṣita-viśva-padārtha-satattvaḥ | bhāva-parāmṛta-nirbhara-pūrṇe tvayya‘ham-ātmani nirvṛttim-emi |6|

The true nature of all things in this world is neither revealed through the senses alone, nor can be known by the fickle mind. It is only through the divine rays of this awakened consciousness of Yours that their true nature is revealed—a consciousness that is neither limited nor fragmented, but infinite and self-luminous.

In this ultimate manifestation, where forms and appearances dissolve into their original existence, I see all things as waves in the ocean of Your infinite nature. Each object, each momentary event, appears in its true nature, bathed in the glow of Your pure light. In this sacred experience, where the knower, the known, and the act of knowing merge into one unbroken reality, I find supreme satisfaction.

For You, Oh Self-luminous Lord, are that divine nectar-like manifestation—where existence is not a mere shadow, but the very essence of consciousness itself, filled with supreme bliss. Realising this Truth, I fully embrace the Divine Principle that sustains all, and attain perfection; You the Eternal Self, beyond which there is nothing worth knowing.

मानसगोचरमेति यदैव क्लेशदशाऽतनुतापविधात्री। नाथ! तदैव मम त्वदभेद- स्तोत्रपराऽमृतवृष्टिरुदेति॥७॥

transliteration:— mānasa-gocaram-eti yadaiva kleśa-daśā’tanu-tāpa-vidhātrī | nātha! tadaiva mama tvad-abheda- stotra-parā’mṛta-vṛṣṭirud-eti |7|

When the fierce fire of great suffering—born of the sufferings, doubts, and ceaseless conflicts of this mortal world—enters the sacred realm of my mind, it shakes the depths of my being. It is like a cloudy storm that pours down a rain of misery, overshadows the clarity of awareness, disturbs the ground of peace, and casts shadows on the luminous firmament of my soul.

But at that very moment, Oh Lord! before this storm can take root, before despair can weave its web around my heart, there appears within me a rain of that supreme nectar—a rain filled not with grief but with the transcendental praise of Your non-dual glory. This praise is not a mere utterance of words, nor is it the empty practice of some outward devotion, but is the spontaneous feeling that washes away all delusions as a flood of Your transcendental remembrance.

When this holy nectar pours down, the burning flames of pain are cooled, and what once seemed like a wound becomes the touch of Your infinite grace. I no longer try to escape pain by being overcome by duality, for I am drawn into the center of Your indivisible nature. In this divine union, where all dualities dissolve, even pain becomes a messenger of Your presence, drawing me deeper and deeper into the infinite ocean of Your infinite bliss.

शङ्कर! सत्यमिदं व्रतदान- स्नानतपो भवतापविनाशि। तावकशास्त्रपराऽमृतचिन्ता स्यन्दति चेतसि निर्वृत्तिधाराम्॥८॥

transliteration:— śaṅkara! satyam-idaṁ vrata-dāna- snāna-tapo bhava-tāpa-vināśi | tāvaka-śāstra-parā’mṛta-cintā syandati cetasi nirvṛtti-dhārām |8|

Oh Śaṅkara, it is certainly true that service, charity, bathing in holy water and austerities performed with devotion burn away the miseries of this mortal life, they wash away the stains of past karmas and purify the heart. These auspicious practices, like the chisel of a skilled sculptor carving out a rough rock, refine the soul and carve out the path to salvation. Yet, Oh Lord, these great acts are associated with hard work, bound in the gradual flow of time, and involved in the process of gradual waning of bonds.

But is not the mere remembrance of the supreme nectar of Your divine teachings sufficient! No, even a mere glimpse of it, even a momentary meditation, like the appearance of the heavenly Ganga water, floods my entire being. Without any effort, without any delay, it pours the nectar of cool and infinite bliss into the depths of my heart. This bliss is not a momentary pleasure, nor a vanishing delight, but the very essence of Reality itself, the unbroken current of the divine flow of Self-recognization.

For in that one moment of meditation it becomes clear that all suffering was but a shadow of oblivion, a veil covering the divine radiance of the Self. Oh compassionate Lord! Your teaching is the divine touch that lifts this veil, and reveals the eternal Truth, the ever-existing, the ever-illuminating. And when this Truth is revealed within, all striving ceases, for I am what I have been seeking—completely bathed in the nectar-like light of Your infinite grace, eternally free.

नृत्यति गायति हृष्यति गाढं संविदियं मम भैरवनाथ!। त्वां प्रियमाप्य सुदर्शनमेकं दुर्लभमन्यजनैः समयज्ञम्॥९॥

transliteration:— nṛtyati gāyati hṛṣyati gāḍhaṁ saṁvid-iyaṁ mama bhairava-nātha | tvāṁ priyam-āpya sudarśanam-ekaṁ durlabham-anya-janaiḥ sama-yajñam |9|

Oh Lord Bhairava! The moment I saw You—not as some distant deity, not as some mental conception, but as my own inner Self—at that very moment my consciousness dissolved into a celebration of ecstasy. No longer hesitant, no veil of discrimination, it danced freely, singing sweetly of the indescribable bliss of its own identity. Every movement, every note that emanates from me is a surrender at Your feet, Oh my beloved! For in You I have found the Truth, the only one worth seeking.

Vast waves of bliss overwhelm my entire being, obliterating all boundaries, and washing away the last traces of duality. Now that supreme sacrifice, which is rare even for sages and yogis through countless austerities—that is, the oblation of non-duality where the drop spontaneously merges into the infinite ocean of existence—has become a direct and spontaneous experience for me. What was hitherto hidden under the veil of effort and sādhanā has now become directly self-revealed.

For within you, Oh Bhairava, there is no distance, no attainment, no sādhanā—only one unbroken, ever-illuminating Truth, which is the light of my eternal existence itself. In this great Recognition-Festival, where consciousness is rejoicing in its own infinity, I surrender myself completely, for there is nothing left to give.

वसुरसपौषे कृष्णदशम्या- मभिनवगुप्तः स्तवमिदमकरोत्। येन विभुर्भवमरुसन्तापं शमयति झटिति जनस्य दयालुः॥१०॥

transliteration:— vasu-rasa-pauṣe kṛṣṇa-daśamyāṁ- abhinavaguptaḥ stavam-idam-akarot | yena vibhur-bhava-maru-santāpaṁ śamayati jhaṭiti janasya dayāluḥ |10|

This is a supreme Hymn, composed by the most venerable gurudeva Abhinavagupta on the sacred tenth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Pausa, in the sixty-eighth year of his age. It is not a mere collection of verses, but a divine flow—a radiant bridge that leads from the finite to the infinite. Through it, the compassionate Lord instantly cools the blazing flames of worldly sorrow by His infinite grace.

Just as the rippling clouds of water pour down upon the scorching desert and cool it, so this hymn consoles the restless soul, dispelling the mirage and revealing the ever-present Truth. Each verse is imbued with the power of realization that is the key to liberation. It reveals to the seeker that this flame of sorrow is only a dream born of forgetfulness. Whoever surrenders himself to these sacred words with reverence and understanding, there arises in him the supremely cool touch of divine consciousness, which dissolves the fatigue and toil of countless lifetimes.

This stotra is, therefore, not to be merely read, but to be imbibed; not to be merely recited, but to be experienced. For at its core is the voice of the Supreme Lord Himself, calling out to the lost soul—to His own eternal abodeless abode, where all thirst is satiated, all seeking is fulfilled, and all suffering ceases forever.

समाप्तं स्तवमिदमभिनवाख्यं पद्यनवकम्॥ Samāptaṃ stavamidamabhinavākhyaṃ padyanavakam | This hymn, consisting of nine ever-new verses, now comes to its conclusion.

Translated by Nagkumar; Inspired from My Guru Īśvarasvarupa Swāmī Lakṣamaṇajū.

listen from swamiji on youtube. listen and learn to sing from Smt. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande.