The Kalabhairava Ashtakam is a Sanskrit hymn of eight verses, with a ninth verse that names its benefit, in praise of Kalabhairava, the fierce form of Shiva who is said to guard the city of Kashi (Varanasi). Every one of the first eight verses ends with the same line, kashika-pura-adhinatha kalabhairavam bhaje, “I worship Kalabhairava, lord of the city of Kashi”. Bhairava means the terrifying one, and Kala means both time and death, so the name can be read as the one who is the master of time.
The printed editions credit the hymn to Shankara, the great teacher of the eighth century, and close it with the formula “composed by Shankara Bhagavatpada”. Many stotras of this kind carry his name in the tradition, and scholars are careful about such attributions, so this page calls it a hymn attributed to Shankara. Its metre is a long, rhythmic line of sixteen syllables, which gives the verses a drum-like beat when they are sung.
Below you will find all nine verses in Devanagari with a simple transliteration and a plain meaning, then notes on where the printed editions differ and how the text was sourced. Bhairava is closely tied to Kashi, where the Kashi Vishwanath temple stands, and to the night of Maha Shivaratri.
The text, transliteration and meaning
In the printed editions the refrain after the first verse is abbreviated, but it is written out in full here, so that you can read or sing each verse as a whole.
Verse 1
देवराजसेव्यमानपावनाङ्घ्रिपङ्कजं ।
व्यालयज्ञसूत्रमिन्दुशेखरं कृपाकरम् ।
नारदादियोगिवृन्दवन्दितं दिगम्बरं ।
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥
Devarajasevyamanapavananghripankajam
Vyalayajnasutramindushekharam kripakaram
Naradadiyogivrindavanditam digambaram
Kashikapuradhinathakalabhairavam bhaje
MeaningI worship Kalabhairava, lord of the city of Kashi. His holy lotus feet are served by Indra, the king of the gods. He wears a serpent as his sacred thread and the moon on his head, and he is a source of compassion. Sages such as Narada and bands of yogis bow to him, and he is clothed only by the sky.
Verse 2
भानुकोटिभास्वरं भवाब्धितारकं परं ।
नीलकण्ठमीप्सितार्थदायकं त्रिलोचनम् ।
कालकालमम्बुजाक्षमक्षशूलमक्षरं ।
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥
Bhanukotibhasvaram bhavabdhitarakam param
Nilakanthamipsitarthadayakam trilochanam
Kalakalamambujakshamakshashulamaksharam
Kashikapuradhinathakalabhairavam bhaje
MeaningI worship him who shines like ten million suns, who carries beings across the ocean of rebirth, the Supreme. His throat is blue, he grants the wishes of those who ask, and he has three eyes. He is the Death of Death, lotus-eyed, holding a rosary and a trident, and imperishable.
Verse 3
शूलटङ्कपाशदण्डपाणिमादिकारणं ।
श्यामकायमादिदेवमक्षरं निरामयम् ।
भीमविक्रमं प्रभुं विचित्रताण्डवप्रियं ।
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥
Shulatankapashadandapanimadikaranam
Shyamakayamadidevamaksharam niramayam
Bhimavikramam prabhum vichitratandavapriyam
Kashikapuradhinathakalabhairavam bhaje
MeaningI worship him who holds a trident, an axe, a noose and a staff, the first cause of all things. His body is dark, he is the ancient god, imperishable and free from illness. He is terrible in valour, a lord, and he loves his wondrous dance.
Verse 4
भुक्तिमुक्तिदायकं प्रशस्तचारुविग्रहं ।
भक्तवत्सलं स्थितं समस्तलोकविग्रहम् ।
विनिक्वणन्मनोज्ञहेमकिङ्किणीलसत्कटिं ।
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥
Bhuktimuktidayakam prashastacharuvigraham
Bhaktavatsalam sthitam samastalokavigraham
Vinikvananmanojnahemakinkinilasatkatim
Kashikapuradhinathakalabhairavam bhaje
MeaningI worship him who gives both enjoyment and liberation, whose form is noble and lovely, who is tender to his devotees and steady, and whose body is all the worlds. Golden bells ring softly at his waist.
Verse 5
धर्मसेतुपालकं त्वधर्ममार्गनाशकं ।
कर्मपाशमोचकं सुशर्मदायकं विभुम् ।
स्वर्णवर्णशेषपाशशोभिताङ्गमण्डलं ।
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥
Dharmasetupalakam tvadharmamarganashakam
Karmapashamochakam susharmadayakam vibhum
Svarnavarnasheshapashashobhitangamandalam
Kashikapuradhinathakalabhairavam bhaje
MeaningI worship him who keeps the bridge of dharma and destroys the road of adharma, who frees us from the noose of karma and grants well-being, the all-pervading lord. His limbs are ringed with the golden coils of the serpent Shesha.
Verse 6
रत्नपादुकाप्रभाभिरामपादयुग्मकं ।
नित्यमद्वितीयमिष्टदैवतं निरञ्जनम् ।
मृत्युदर्पनाशनं करालदंष्ट्रमोक्षणं ।
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥
Ratnapadukaprabhabhiramapadayugmakam
Nityamadvitiyamishtadaivatam niranjanam
Mrityudarpanashanam karaladamshtramokshanam
Kashikapuradhinathakalabhairavam bhaje
MeaningI worship him whose two feet are lovely in the glow of jewelled sandals, who is eternal, without a second, the chosen deity and without stain. He breaks the pride of Death, and his fearsome fangs bring release.
Verse 7
अट्टहासभिन्नपद्मजाण्डकोशसन्ततिं ।
दृष्टिपातनष्टपापजालमुग्रशासनम् ।
अष्टसिद्धिदायकं कपालमालिकन्धरं ।
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥
Attahasabhinnapadmajandakoshasantatim
Drishtipatanashtapapajalamugrashasanam
Ashtasiddhidayakam kapalamalikandharam
Kashikapuradhinathakalabhairavam bhaje
MeaningI worship him whose roaring laugh splits open the egg of the cosmos, whose glance destroys the net of sin, who rules harshly over wrongdoing and grants the eight powers (siddhis). A garland of skulls hangs from his neck.
Verse 8
भूतसङ्घनायकं विशालकीर्तिदायकं ।
काशिवासलोकपुण्यपापशोधकं विभुम् ।
नीतिमार्गकोविदं पुरातनं जगत्पतिं ।
काशिकापुराधिनाथकालभैरवं भजे ॥
Bhutasanghanayakam vishalakirtidayakam
Kashivasalokapunyapapashodhakam vibhum
Nitimargakovidam puratanam jagatpatim
Kashikapuradhinathakalabhairavam bhaje
MeaningI worship the leader of the hosts of spirits, the giver of wide fame, who cleanses the merit and the sin of those who live in Kashi. He is the lord who knows the paths of right conduct, ancient, the master of the world.
Verse 9 (the benefit verse)
कालभैरवाष्टकं पठन्ति ये मनोहरं ।
ज्ञानमुक्तिसाधनं विचित्रपुण्यवर्धनम् ।
शोकमोहदैन्यलोभकोपतापनाशनं ।
ते प्रयान्ति कालभैरवाङ्घ्रिसन्निधिं ध्रुवम् ॥
Kalabhairavashtakam pathanti ye manoharam
Jnanamuktisadhanam vichitrapunyavardhanam
Shokamohadainyalobhakopatapanashanam
Te prayanti kalabhairavanghrisannidhim dhruvam
MeaningThose who recite this charming Kalabhairava Ashtaka, a help towards knowledge and liberation that increases wondrous merit and ends sorrow, delusion, wretchedness, greed, anger and distress, will, the text says, surely reach the feet of Kalabhairava.
Text: printed editions of the Brihat Stotra Ratnakara (Nirnaya Sagar Press, 1904, 1912 and 1953) and the Shankaracharya Stotrani of 1910, as proofread on Sanskrit Wikisource. Transliteration is simplified; meanings are our own. Verse numbers appear as labels above each verse.
Where the printed editions differ
The hymn comes down in two close but not identical forms in print. The Nirnaya Sagar editions of the Brihat Stotra Ratnakara and the text that most singers use have the readings given above. The 1910 edition of Shankara’s stotras, which is also on Wikisource, has other readings in a handful of places: bindushekharam for indushekharam in verse 1, sthiram for sthitam and nikvanan for vinikvanan in verse 4, keshapasha-shobhitanga-nirmalam for shesha-pasha-shobhitanga-mandalam in verse 5, kapalamalikadharam for kapalamalikandharam in verse 7, and in verse 9 sadhakam for sadhanam with lobha and dainya in the other order. The 1953 Nirnaya Sagar edition in turn has prabhamirama in verse 6, ugrapapashasanam in verse 7 and bhutasangana-yakam in verse 8. Where the editions differ, this page follows the readings shared by the Nirnaya Sagar prints and the verses as sung today. Verse 7 is also settled by the metre: the longer ugrapapashasanam does not fit the sixteen-syllable line.
Who Kalabhairava is
In the Puranic stories Bhairava arises from Shiva’s anger when Brahma boasts of his own greatness, and he is the form that cuts through pride. Another strand of the tradition makes him the guardian, or kotwal, of Kashi: no one stays in the city, the saying goes, without his leave. These are traditions held by devotees and told in the Puranas, and they are not historical claims.
The hymn does not tell any single story. It gathers images: the serpent thread, the skull garland, the golden bells, the trident and the staff, and sets them beside gentler qualities. He is kripakara, a source of compassion, bhaktavatsala, tender to his devotees, and shokamohadainyalobhakopa-tapanashana, the remover of sorrow, delusion and distress. This is the usual pattern of devotion to a fierce deity, in which the frightening form is understood as the one that protects.
When and how it is traditionally recited
Devotees recite the Kalabhairava Ashtakam on Ashtami days, the eighth day of each fortnight, which is the day most linked with Bhairava, and on Kalabhairava Jayanti, observed on the dark eighth (Krishna Ashtami) in the late autumn, in the month that is Margashirsha in the purnimanta calendar and Kartika in the amanta one. Some devotees also choose Sunday or Tuesday evenings. It is read in Shiva temples and at Kashi.
The usual method is simple: a lamp before an image of Bhairava or Shiva, a calm reading or singing of the eight verses, and a short silence at the end. Customs differ between families and regions, and the text itself lays down no rule of day or count. Some people also chant it on Maha Shivaratri, and many combine it with other Shiva hymns such as the Rudrashtakam or the Kashi Panchakam.
What the tradition says it is for
The ninth verse says that those who recite the ashtaka are led towards knowledge and liberation and lose sorrow, delusion, greed and anger, and that they reach the feet of Kalabhairava. This page reports that as the hymn’s own statement of faith and not as a promise of any result in daily life. If fear, grief or ill health is troubling you, please speak to a doctor or a counsellor as well as praying.
For devotees the fierce form has a simple meaning. Fear is faced openly, and time and death are handed to the one who is their master. Reading the hymn with attention to its words, and not only its sound, is the way most teachers recommend.
Pronunciation notes
Read each line slowly and let the rhythm carry you. The refrain is kashika-pura-adhinatha kalabhairavam bhaje, said as kaa-shi-kaa-pu-raa-dhi-naa-tha kaa-la-bhai-ra-vam bha-je. The bh is a breathy b, and ai in bhairava is said like the ai in “aisle”.
The hymn has many long compounds, such as devarajasevyamanapavanaanghripankajam in the first line. Read them in chunks: deva-raja-sevyamana-pavana-anghri-pankajam. The ng in pankajam and angha sounds like the ng in “sing”, and the final m of a word is a soft hum. The sh of shekharam and shoka is the same sound as in “shoe”.
How the text on this page is sourced
The Kalabhairava Ashtakam is not part of a critical edition, so this page rests on printed editions. The primary witnesses are the proofread transcriptions on Sanskrit Wikisource of two scanned books: the 1910 Shankaracharya-virachitani Stotrani (second part), and the 1953 Nirnaya Sagar edition of the Brihat Stotra Ratnakara. They were compared with scans of the Nirnaya Sagar editions of 1904 and 1912 and an undated print in the Cuddalore collection, all read from archive.org. The Nirnaya Sagar prints of 1904, 1912 and 1953 and the undated print agree on the text given above, apart from small matters of spelling and a few misprints of their own. The 1910 print differs in the places listed in the section above. The informal text typed on Wikisource under the plain title is not used, because it has many slips.
Related mantras and pages
- Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga: the great Shiva temple of the city Bhairava guards
- Kashi Panchakam: five verses on the glory of Kashi
- Rudrashtakam: an eight-verse hymn to Rudra
- Shiva Panchakshara Stotram: five verses on Shiva’s five-syllable name
- Shivashtakam: another eight-verse hymn to Shiva
- Maha Shivaratri: the great night of Shiva, with dates for your city
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the Kalabhairava Ashtakam?
It is a hymn of eight verses, with a ninth verse that states its benefit, praising Kalabhairava, the fierce form of Shiva who is said to guard Kashi. The printed editions attribute it to Shankara, though scholars are careful about such attributions.
↳ Who is Kalabhairava?
He is a fierce form of Shiva, honoured as the master of time and, in Kashi, as the city's guardian. The Puranas say he arose to humble pride. Devotees see the frightening form as the one that protects.
↳ When is the Kalabhairava Ashtakam recited?
It is often read on Ashtami days, on Sunday or Tuesday evenings, and on Kalabhairava Jayanti, which falls on the dark eighth in the late autumn. There is no fixed rule, and families follow their own customs.
↳ What does 'kashika-pura-adhinatha' mean?
It means the lord of the city of Kashi, which is Varanasi. The line is the refrain that ends each of the first eight verses, and it ties the hymn to Kashi and its guardian.
↳ Is it safe or suitable for everyone to recite?
Yes. Though Bhairava is a fierce deity, the hymn is a prayer of praise and refuge and can be read by anyone with respect. It is a statement of devotion and not a way to make any outcome happen.