Devi Bhairavi embodies the fierce, transformative energy of the Divine Feminine. She is not merely a symbol of destruction but of transformation. She reminds us that growth often arises from destruction and enlightenment. She is the guardian of inner strength and helps us confront our fears, and limitations to achieve our highest potential
Goddess Tripura Bhairavi is one of the ten Mahavidyas (meaning “Ten Great Wisdoms”) – a group of ten powerful forms of goddess Durga or Parvati in Hinduism, particularly in Tantric traditions. She is believed to be the goddess of creation, maintenance, and destruction. Devi Bhairavi is a goddess whose name brings fear in all three worlds and her name Bhairavi itself means “frightful,” “terrible,” “horrible,” or “formidable.” Devi Bhairavi teaches her devotees to be fearless and overcome their fears and doubts.
Goddess Tripura Bhairavi’s origin can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts, like Devi Mahatmyam and Bhairava Tantra.
Born from the wrath of Goddess Parvati, Devi Bhairavi represents destruction, fearlessness, and the power to overcome obstacles. She is depicted with a dark complexion, dishevelled hair, and wide-open, glaring eyes. It is believed that Devi Bhairavi took this fearsome form to fight the forces of evil and show that destruction is sometimes needed to restore normalcy and balance in the world.
Devi Bhairavi is worshipped throughout India, particularly in Bengal, Assam, and Odisha. Her cult gained significant popularity during the medieval period, with the rise of tantric practices and the emergence of various Bhairavi-centered traditions.
Even though she may not be as widely known as Goddess Durga or Lakshmi, Devi Bhairavi has a vital role in Tantric traditions and is considered one of the most powerful Tantric goddesses. Devi Bhairavi is worshipped as a symbol of divine energy, compassion, and cosmic balance.
Devi Bhairavi is considered a form of Shakti, the source of all creation. Bhairavi is associated with the primal and raw energies of the universe. She is both a destroyer and a creator and is considered a manifestation of the divine will to purify the mind, body, and spirit. While she is often portrayed as a terrifying and wrathful goddess, her objective is not mindless destruction but transformation that dismantles illusions and falsehoods, clearing the path for new creation and spiritual growth.
She is believed to be a catalyst who helps her devotees break free from the material world and discover their higher selves.
The 10 Mahavidyas
Each of the Mahavidyas represents the different powers of goddess Mahadevi the embodiment of cosmic feminine energy. These include:
- Kali – The goddess of time, death, and transformation, often depicted with a fierce and dark appearance. She represents the destructive force that makes way for creation.
- Tara – the goddess of compassion, associated with protection and overcoming obstacles. She helps her devotees navigate through the difficulties of life.
- Tripura Sundari – the “beautiful goddess” represents supreme beauty, divine love and energy of the universe.
- Bhuvaneshwari – the goddess of the physical and metaphysical universe, is often depicted as a benevolent and nurturing force behind the cosmic creation.
- Chhinnamasta – A fierce and independent goddess often depicted as decapitating herself and offering her blood to her followers — represents self-sacrifice, transformation, and liberation.
- Tripura Bhairavi – A fierce and powerful goddess – symbolizes the power to conquer and defeat negative forces. She represents both terror and transcendence.
- Dhumavati – The goddess of death, widowhood, and despair represents the wisdom that comes from accepting the inevitable and facing the harsh realities of life.
- Bagalamukhi – is the goddess of power and conquest. She is associated with controlling and subduing enemies.
- Matangi – The goddess of intellect, wisdom, and knowledge embodies the energy of speech and communication.
- Kamakhya – The goddess of desire and fertility represents the ultimate longing that sustains life and sexual energy.
Worshipping these Mahavidyas bestows many blessings on devotees – ranging from spiritual liberation, prosperity and protection.
Tripura Bhairavi is the fierce and powerful goddess behind destruction and transformation. The name “Tripura Bhairavi” is formed by two words:
Tripura – is associated with three lok or three worlds. It implies the goddess’s dominion over the — physical, mental, and spiritual realms of existence.
Bhairavi: – a fierce, terrifying and awe-inspiring goddess capable of destroying evil forces, transformation, and liberation.
Tripura Bhairavi is often portrayed in red colour, wearing a garland of skulls. She is seen sitting on a lotus or a lion and holding a sword or other weapons representing her power to annihilate negative forces and protect the universe against ignorance and evil. She is sometimes depicted with three eyes symbolising perception and wisdom.
Bhairavi is a fierce protector. She removes all obstacles and protects her devotees from negative influences. However, her intense and terrifying form also implies the destruction of ego and attachments – essential for spiritual growth.
Devi Bhairavi’s significance in Tantric Worship
Tantra a spiritual and philosophical system has often been misunderstood or misrepresented in popular culture. Unlike devotion (bhakti) or knowledge (jnana) the mainstream path of spiritualism Tantra focuses on self-realization or direct experience of the divine. It views the physical world not as something to be renounced but as a vehicle for spiritual awakening and focuses on the integration of both material and spiritual experiences.
In Tantric practices, the divine is often approached through the worship of female deities, known as Shaktis, who represent the dynamic and transformative aspects of the cosmos. As one of the most potent manifestations of Shakti, Devi Bhairavi is a central figure in Tantric rituals and practices. She is invoked for spiritual liberation, removing obstacles, empowerment of the practitioner, and destruction of negative energies or karmic debts.
In Tantric rituals, Devi Bhairavi is often depicted as a goddess who can help practitioners break free from the limitations of ego and attachment. Her transformative power is believed to destroy the obstacles to enlightenment, including ignorance, fear, and attachment to worldly desires. By invoking her energy, practitioners aim to experience the ultimate truth of the universe, transcend dualities and realise their true nature.
Also Read: The legend behind the 51 Shakti Peeths
In Tantric tradition, Tripura Bhairavi personifies the powerful cosmic energy (Shakti) behind all destruction, preservation, and creation.
She is associated with the transformative and purifying forces of fire and light, including Agni (the god of fire), Vidyut (the god of lightning), and Surya (the Sun god).
- Agni (the God of fire): Represents the power of purification and destruction, linked with sacrifice and transformation. Bhairavi shares this fiery and transformative nature.
- Vidyut (Indra – the God of lightning): Represents a sudden, powerful, and illuminating force. Similarly, Bhairavi can do both — destroy and illuminate the truth.
- Surya (Surya- the Sun God): Symbolizes the light that removes darkness. Likewise, Bhairavi can purge ignorance and the negative forces in the universe.
Tripura Bhairavi is a goddess who represents both destruction and regeneration — removing the old and the unwanted to make way for new beginnings, enlightenment, and the ultimate realization of the self.
She is believed to be the goddess of Kundalini – a form of Shakti, or divine energy lying dormant at the base of the spine in the Muladhara or root chakra. It is believed that worshipping Devi Bhairavi can help in awakening the Kundalini. Tantric practitioners seek to awaken Goddess Bhairavi’s profound transformative energies through rituals, meditations, and yogic practices.
Her consort is Kala Bhairava an aggressive form of Lord Shiva associated with death, and change. Together, they represent the dynamic interplay of destruction and creation. Hence she is also known as Kala Bhairavi – a form of energy (Adi Shakti) or Goddess Kali. This is the reason why she shares many characteristics with Goddess Kali and is one of the most feared goddesses. Though fearsome, her only motive is to continue the cycle of destruction and creation in the world like a mother who unconditionally loves all her children and can go to any limits to protect them.
Unlike Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who control one form of life be it creation, maintenance, or destruction — goddess Bhairavi controls all three aspects of life. She dissipates the negative forces that can curb spiritual growth.
Tripura Bhairavi plays an important role in Tantric practices and is associated with deep meditation, mantra recitation, and rituals to invoke spiritual awakening, transformation, and liberation. Devotees often recite mantras to seek goddess Tripura Bhairavi’s blessing to transcend the limitations of the physical world and experience the higher dimensions of spiritual consciousness.
Devi Bhairavi is always worshipped with great respect and devotion in Tantric practice. Her worship involves an elaborate combination of mantras, yantras (sacred geometric diagrams), and rituals to seek her blessings. The rituals involve burning a lamp (fire), incense, chanting mantras, and offering fruits and flowers. In some traditions, devotees perform Homa (fire rituals) and puja (worship) in which offerings are made of ghee, and sacred substances like wine and meat to please the goddess and seek her blessings for worldly and spiritual success.
A key aspect of Tantric worship is the use of yantras, which are sacred geometric designs that represent the goddess’s energy. The Bhairavi Yantra is a specific diagram used in her worship and is thought to serve as a focal point for meditation and visualization. By meditating on the yantra, the practitioner can align their consciousness with the goddess’s energy and invite her transformative power into their lives.
Devi Bhairavi’s mantra for transformation or Bhairavi Mool Mantra is
Om Hreem Bhairavi Kalaum Hreem Svaha॥
ॐ ह्रीं भैरवी कलौं ह्रीं स्वाहा॥
“ॐ” is a sacred sound, known as the primordial sound of the universe in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. “ह्रीं” (pronounced as “hreem”) is a seed (bija) mantra associated with Shakti, while “भैरवी” is a term used to refer to the Goddess Parvati’s fierce form. “कलौं” is a bija mantra often used in tantric practices, associated with time and change. “स्वाहा” (pronounced as “swaha”) is often used at the end of mantras during ritualistic worship.
Another powerful mantra to simulate the persuasive vibrational frequencies to invoke Goddess Bhairavi’s consecration and energy is:
“Om Bhairavi Bhairavi Swaha”
It is believed that by chanting this mantra a devotee can invoke her compassionate energy, overcome obstacles, cleanse negative karmas, and receive her divine blessings.
Devi Bhairavi is often depicted as the goddess who controls the forces of time, death, and destruction. However, her motive is not arbitrary or vengeful destruction but cosmic purification to clear the path for new life and spiritual growth.
Bhairavi’s red complexion signifies her association with the fiery, transformative energies of the goddess. Her four arms represent the four directions, the four stages of life, and the four aspects of human consciousness.
One of the key symbols associated with Devi Bhairavi is the skull, which represents the inevitability of the cycle of life and death as integral parts of the cosmic cycle. The skull is a reminder that life is short and that attachment to the material world can only lead to suffering. Hence by surrendering before Goddess Bhairavi, practitioners can seek liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
Bhairavi is often seen wearing a garland of skulls symbolising the temporary nature of life and death which is inevitable. Many times she is shown as naked – which represents purity that comes with spiritual awakening and discarding worldly attachments. Her physical appearance is not one of beauty but reflects the immense power and transcendental wisdom she exemplifies.
Another important symbol associated with Devi Bhairavi is the sword or khadga which represents the sharpness of the mind’s ability to judge and cut through illusion and ignorance. Devi Bhairavi wields the sword to vanquish evil and safeguard her devotees as a protector.
Bhairavi is often depicted with multiple arms, holding different weapons like a trident (trishul), a bell (ghanta), a drum (damaru), and a cup filled with nectar. Each of these represents a different aspect of her cosmic function to destroy the evil and protect the good people. The trident symbolises her power to destroy, transform, and recreate.
Devi Bhairavi is typically depicted as a commanding figure with fiery eyes that are wide open and her face is contorted in an expression of wrath. All this is an expression of her power to see through illusions and penetrate the deepest layers of reality. She is frequently shown standing on the prostrate form of a demon, symbolizing her victory over ignorance and negativity.
She is also shown holding a cup filled with blood or nectar symbolizing the fluidity of life, birth and death. She is also seen holding different objects in her multiple arms in keeping with her role as a multifaceted and multitasking goddess who controls the different aspects of existence.
Her worship is not limited to elaborate rituals but extends to daily life to embrace the goddess’s energy in the devotee’s thoughts, actions, and interactions with others.
Goddess Bhairavi serves as a reminder that true spiritual liberation requires the courage to confront one’s inner demons and transcend the limitations of the ego. Her transformative powers can be invoked by her devotees anytime, within a moment – no matter where they are and what they are doing.
Conclusion
Devi Bhairavi is one of the most powerful and complex goddesses in the Tantric tradition. She embodies the forces of creation, destruction, and transformation, and represents the unyielding power of the divine feminine form. Her fierce and wrathful nature may seem intimidating but her energy is full of compassion and purification to help individuals transcend the limitations of the material world and realize their true spiritual nature.
By aligning themselves with the cosmic forces of the universe the devotees can harness her transformative power to purify their minds, hearts, and souls. Devi Bhairavi serves as a reminder that true spiritual awakening requires both strength and surrender—strength to face the challenges of life and surrender to the divine self who governs the cosmos.
