Friday, March 11, 2011

Kala Bhairava Ashtaka


॥ श्री कालभैरवाष्टकम्॥
|| śrī kālabhairavāṣṭakam||

By Adi Sankaracharya


Translated into English by: P.R.Ramachander source

देवराजसेव्यमानपावनांघ्रिपङ्कजं
व्यालयज्ञसूत्रमिन्दुशेखरं कृपाकरम्‌।
नारदादियोगिवृन्दवन्दितं दिगंबरं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे॥ १॥
devarājasevyamānapāvanāṁghripaṅkajaṁ
vyālayajñasūtraminduśekharaṁ kṛpākaram |
nāradādiyogivṛndavanditaṁ digaṁbaraṁ
kāśikāpurādhināthakālabhairavaṁ bhaje || 1||


I salute to Kalabhairava, the lord of the city of Kasi,
Whose lotus like feet is being served by Devendra,
Who is merciful and wears the moon on his forehead ,
Who wears a snake as his sacred thread,
Who wears the different directions as his cloth,
And who is worshipped by sages like Narada. (1)


भानुकोटिभास्वरं भवाब्धितारकं परं
नीलकण्ठमीप्सितार्थदायकं त्रिलोचनम्‌।
कालकालमंबुजाक्शमक्शशूलमक्शरं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे॥ २॥
bhānukoṭibhāsvaraṁ bhavābdhitārakaṁ paraṁ
nīlakaṇṭhamīpsitārthadāyakaṁ trilocanam |
kālakālamaṁbujākśamakśaśūlamakśaraṁ
kāśikāpurādhināthakālabhairavaṁ bhaje || 2||


I salute Kalabhairava, the lord of the city of Kasi,
Who shines like billions of suns,
Who helps us cross this miserable ocean of life,
Who is supreme and has a blue neck,
Who has three eyes and grants us our desires,
Who is the death to the God of death*,
Who has lotus flower like eyes,
Who has the undefeatable trident,
And who does not have decay.
* could also be translated as death to the time.(2)


शूलटंकपाशदण्डपाणिमादिकारणं
श्यामकायमादिदेवमक्शरं निरामयम्‌।
भीमविक्रमं प्रभुं विचित्रताण्डवप्रियं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे॥ ३॥
śūlaṭaṁkapāśadaṇḍapāṇimādikāraṇaṁ
śyāmakāyamādidevamakśaraṁ nirāmayam |
bhīmavikramaṁ prabhuṁ vicitratāṇḍavapriyaṁ
kāśikāpurādhināthakālabhairavaṁ bhaje || 3||


I salute Kalabhairava, the lord of the city of Kasi,
Who has a spear, a chord and a stick as weapons,
Who is black in colour and the primeval cause,
Who is deathless and the first God,
Who is free from decay and ill health,
Who is the Lord who is a great hero,
And who likes the special vigorous thandava* (3).


भुक्तिमुक्तिदायकं प्रशस्तचारुविग्रहं
भक्तवत्सलं स्थितं समस्तलोकविग्रहम्‌।
विनिक्वणन्मनोज्ञहेमकिङ्किणीलसत्कटिं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे॥ ४॥
bhuktimuktidāyakaṁ praśastacāruvigrahaṁ
bhaktavatsalaṁ sthitaṁ samastalokavigraham |
vinikvaṇanmanojñahemakiṅkiṇīlasatkaṭiṁ
kāśikāpurādhināthakālabhairavaṁ bhaje || 4||


I salute Kalabhairava, the lord of the city of Kasi,
Who fulfills desires and also grants salvation,
Who is well known for his pretty mien,
Who is a form of Shiva ,who loves his devotees,
Who is the God of the entire world,
Who assumes various forms,
And who has a golden waist thread,
On which jingling bells are tied.
* Another version mentions as Stitham –the one who is static. (4)


धर्मसेतुपालकं स्वधर्ममार्गनाशनं
कर्मपाशमोचकं सुशर्मधायकं विभुम्‌।
स्वर्णवर्णशेषपाशशोभितांगमण्डलं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे॥ ५॥

dharmasetupālakaṁ svadharmamārganāśanaṁ
karmapāśamocakaṁ suśarmadhāyakaṁ vibhum |
svarṇavarṇaśeṣapāśaśobhitāṁgamaṇḍalaṁ
kāśikāpurādhināthakālabhairavaṁ bhaje || 5||


I salute Kalabhairava, the lord of the city of Kasi,
Who maintains the bridge of dharma in life,
Who destroys paths which are not right,
Who saves us from the ties of Karma,
Who is the lord who makes us ashamed ,
When trying to do wrong things,
Who has a shining body because of golden rope ,
With bells tied in various places. (5)


रत्नपादुकाप्रभाभिरामपादयुग्मकं
नित्यमद्वितीयमिष्टदैवतं निरंजनम्‌।
मृत्युदर्पनाशनं करालदंष्ट्रमोक्शणं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे॥ ६॥

ratnapādukāprabhābhirāmapādayugmakaṁ
nityamadvitīyamiṣṭadaivataṁ niraṁjanam |
mṛtyudarpanāśanaṁ karāladaṁṣṭramokśaṇaṁ
kāśikāpurādhināthakālabhairavaṁ bhaje || 6||


I salute Kalabhairava, the lord of the city of Kasi,
Who has feet adorned by the shine of gem studded sandals,
Who is eternal and does not have any one second to him,
Who is our favorite God who bestows everything,
Who takes away the fear of death from humans,
And who grants them salvation by his terrible teeth.(6)


अट्टहासभिन्नपद्मजाण्डकोशसंततिं
दृष्टिपात्तनष्टपापजालमुग्रशासनम्‌।
अष्टसिद्धिदायकं कपालमालिकाधरं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे॥ ७॥

aṭṭahāsabhinnapadmajāṇḍakośasaṁtatiṁ
dṛṣṭipāttanaṣṭapāpajālamugraśāsanam |
aṣṭasiddhidāyakaṁ kapālamālikādharaṁ
kāśikāpurādhināthakālabhairavaṁ bhaje || 7||


I salute Kalabhairava, the lord of the city of Kasi,
Whose loud roar is enough to destroy all those created by Brahma,
Whose sight is sufficient to destroy all sins,
Who is crafty and strict ruler,
Who can grant the eight occult powers,
And who wears the garland of skulls.(7)


भूतसंघनायकं विशालकीर्तिदायकं
काशिवासलोकपुण्यपापशोधकं विभुम्‌।
नीतिमार्गकोविदं पुरातनं जगत्पतिं
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे॥ ८॥

bhūtasaṁghanāyakaṁ viśālakīrtidāyakaṁ
kāśivāsalokapuṇyapāpaśodhakaṁ vibhum |
nītimārgakovidaṁ purātanaṁ jagatpatiṁ
kāśikāpurādhināthakālabhairavaṁ bhaje || 8||


I salute Kalabhairava, the lord of the city of Kasi,
Who is the chief of the society of Bhoothas,
Who grants broad based fame,
Who is the lord who judges good and bad deeds,
Of those who live in Varanasi,
Who is an expert in the way of righteousness,
And who is eternally old and lord of the universe. (8)


कालभैरवाष्टकं पठंति ये मनोहरं
ज्ञानमुक्तिसाधनं विचित्रपुण्यवर्धनम्‌।
शोकमोहदैन्यलोभकोपतापनाशनं
प्रयान्ति कालभैरवांघ्रिसन्निधिं नरा ध्रुवम्‌
kālabhairavāṣṭakaṁ paṭhaṁti ye manoharaṁ
jñānamuktisādhanaṁ vicitrapuṇyavardhanam |
śokamohadainyalobhakopatāpanāśanaṁ
prayānti kālabhairavāṁghrisannidhiṁ narā dhruvam

Those who read this enticing octet on Kalabhairava,
Which is the source of eternal knowledge,
Which increases the effect of righteous deeds,
And which destroys grief, passion, poverty, want and anger,
Would surely reach the holy presence of Kalabhairava.