The fifth Mahavidya, Bairavi translates to “the fierce one”, drawing halves from the fearsome form of Shiva, Bairava.
Bairava is the the form of Shiva that is closely associated to annihilation, or as we call it in Tamil, azhithal அழித்தல்). Bairavi is his consort, who is equally awe-inspiring and intense, related to annihilation as well.
When I say annihilation, it may sound like a Hollywood terminology where machine guns and neuralyzers immediately take form in your imagination. Annihilation in these context refers to the destroying of negative forces within one’s soul, example, greed, lust, anger, etc, that can prevent one from attaining self-consciousness. Ultimately, this is the role of Shiva the Destroyer – to destroy negative forces and not people. Mahavidya Bairavi serves the utmost purpose of slicing through negativity in an individual, helping them to transcend further into the cycle of self-consciousness.
As such, one may wonder if the form of Bairavi adopts the same aggressiveness as that of Kali, but quite the contrary, Bairavi represents the effusiveness of a thousand suns shining. As such, her form is one that is overpowering but serves as a timely reminder that this bright flame extinguishes negativity if lit up.
The iconography of Bairavi varies across different imagery. Bairavi’s one hand forms the varamudhra, signifying blessings/boons and another as abhayamudhra, signifying the elimination of fear. The crescent moon on her head draws parallels to her consort Bairava, and she is seen to be holding on to a string of japamala (rosary beads), representing devotion and a scripture as well, representing ascending knowledge. In certain visualisation, Bairavi is depicted to have a garland of skulls, and seated on Shiva himself, sometimes wielding a sword on one of her hands.
The worship of Bairavi, also known as the Bairavi Sadhana, must be done under the tutelage of a proper, Tantric guru. Bairavi Sadhana is widely diffused in different parts of the world in different proportions. I chanced upon this interesting article (not based on facts but entirely an opinion) of Bairavi Sadhana that you may want to check it out here for further reading. A fair word, it is lengthy but worth the read.
Five days of Navaratri have passed effortlessly, and I hope that everyone has been carrying out your vows smoothly this far. Do feel free to share with me more about Bairavi if you can, I’m pretty sure I may have missed out quite a bit on her. Hang in there, thiruvizha is just around the corner.
Another day tomorrow, with the tale of another Mahavidya.
File Photo : Avinab Mukherji
