Shloka 62
भैरवावतारलीलावर्णनम् (Bhairava-avatāra-līlā-varṇanam) — “Narration of the Divine Play of Bhairava’s Descent”
कपालमोचनं तीर्थं पुरस्कृत्वा तु भैरवः । तत्रैव तस्थौ भक्तानां भक्षयन्नघसन्ततिम्
kapālamocanaṃ tīrthaṃ puraskṛtvā tu bhairavaḥ | tatraiva tasthau bhaktānāṃ bhakṣayannaghasantatim
Then Bhairava, setting foremost the sacred ford called Kapālamocana, remained right there—devouring, as it were, the unbroken succession of sins of his devotees.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhairava
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Bhairava is said to ‘remain there’ at Kapālamocana, consuming the continuous stream of devotees’ sins. This localizes Bhairava as kṣetrapāla of Kāśī and personifies the tīrtha’s efficacy as Śiva’s active grace.
Significance: Affirms Bhairava’s protective and purificatory guardianship in Kāśī; devotees approach with trust that accumulated pāpa (pāśa) is ‘devoured’ by the Lord’s fierce compassion.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Durgā
Role: protective
Offering: dipa
FAQs
It proclaims Bhairava as Śiva’s grace in action: by taking refuge in the holy tirtha and in the Lord’s presence, the devotee’s accumulated sins are destroyed, clearing the path for purity and liberation (moksha).
Bhairava is Saguna Śiva—Śiva with form—who becomes accessible through sacred places and devotional surrender. The verse supports temple/tirtha-based worship where the Lord’s manifested presence removes impurity and strengthens bhakti.
Pilgrimage with devotion (tirtha-sevana) and remembrance of Bhairava/Śiva is implied; a practical takeaway is to worship Śiva with mantra-japa (such as the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and sincere repentance, seeking inner cleansing alongside outer sacred observance.