Shloka 64
भैरवावतारवर्णनम् (Bhairavāvatāra-varṇanam) — “Description of the Descent/Manifestation of Bhairava”
यावद्वाराणसीन्दिव्याम्पुरीमेषां गमिष्यति । तावत्त्वं भीषणे कालमनुगच्छोग्ररूपिणम्
yāvadvārāṇasīndivyāmpurīmeṣāṃ gamiṣyati | tāvattvaṃ bhīṣaṇe kālamanugacchograrūpiṇam
“So long as these souls proceed toward the divine city of Vārāṇasī, for that very duration you shall follow behind dreadful Kāla (Time, Death), assuming a fierce form.”
Lord Shiva (issuing an instruction within the narrative of Śatarudrasaṃhitā)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Kālabhairava
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī is portrayed as the zone where Śiva’s salvific sovereignty constrains Kāla: outside it, Time/Death pursues beings; in relation to Kāśī, that pursuit is regulated and ultimately nullified.
Significance: Establishes Kāśī as the liminal boundary where the ordinary rule of death and karmic retribution is suspended under Śiva’s direct governance.
FAQs
It presents Shiva as Pati (the Lord) who governs even Kāla (Time/Death) and ensures protection for those moving toward Kāśī—symbolically, toward the liberating presence of Shiva and the path beyond bondage (pāśa).
The verse reflects Saguna Shiva’s active grace: as the personal Lord, he commands cosmic forces like Kāla to serve the devotee’s journey. Linga-worship in Shaiva tradition similarly affirms Shiva’s accessible form through which his saving power operates in the world.
A practical takeaway is fearless remembrance of Shiva—especially japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—as one’s inner protection against the terror of Kāla, supported by Shaiva disciplines like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa when practiced with devotion.