Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43
विश्वं भर्तुं समर्थोऽसि भरणाद्भैरवः स्मृतः । त्वत्तो भेष्यति कालोपि ततस्त्वं कालभैरवः
viśvaṃ bhartuṃ samartho'si bharaṇādbhairavaḥ smṛtaḥ | tvatto bheṣyati kālopi tatastvaṃ kālabhairavaḥ
നീ വിശ്വത്തെ ധരിച്ച് പോഷിപ്പാൻ സമർത്ഥൻ; ഭരണം (പോഷണം) കൊണ്ടു നീ ‘ഭൈരവൻ’ എന്നു സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. കാലവും നിന്നെ ഭയപ്പെടുന്നു; അതിനാൽ നീ ‘കാലഭൈരവൻ’.
Skanda (narrating Brahmā’s speech; deduced: Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: Kālabhairava stands as cosmic guardian: one hand in protective gesture, others bearing weapons; behind him the universe appears upheld—stars, worlds—while a personified Kāla recoils in fear, emphasizing ‘kālo’pi bhīyate’.
FAQs
The divine guardian principle surpasses time and sustains cosmic order; surrender to dharma overcomes fear.
Kāśī, through the exaltation of Kālabhairava as its supreme kṣetrapāla.
No explicit rite; the verse provides name-derivation and theological status of Kālabhairava.