The Ashta Bhairava — the eight named in one verse
One anushtubh that names all eight principal Bhairavas in order: Asitanga, Ruru, Chanda, Krodha, Unmatta, Kapali, Bhishana and Samhara.
Ashta Bhairava Dhyana Stotram the enumerating shlokaedition
Sanskrit · संस्कृत
Read in another script
No verified recitation yet. We publish audio only with a named reciter and a recorded licence, rather than files of unknown provenance.
Meaning
Asitanga, Ruru, Chanda, Krodha and Unmatta Bhairava; Kapali, Bhishana and Samhara — these are the eight Bhairavas.
This rendering is by a DharmSetu editor, not a quotation from a published translation. Compare with the public-domain translation.
A Hindi meaning has not been written for this mantra yet. Hindi is authored by a named editor rather than machine-translated, so it arrives more slowly.
How to recite
- Repetitions
- 3 · 8
- Time
- brahma muhurta
Pronunciation key — sounds commonly got wrong
- ट ठ ड ढ ण · ṭ ṭh ḍ ḍh ṇ
- Retroflex — the tongue curls back and touches the roof of the mouth. Distinct from the dental त थ द ध न, where the tongue touches the teeth.
- श ष स · ś ṣ s
- Three different sounds: ś as in “shy”, ṣ retroflex and further back, s plain. Collapsing them changes words.
- ः · ḥ (visarga)
- A soft outward breath echoing the preceding vowel — not a hard “ha”.
- ं · ṃ (anusvara)
- Nasalises the vowel; the closing sound follows the consonant that comes next.
- Long vs short vowels — a / ā, i / ī, u / ū
- Vowel length is meaningful in Sanskrit. Hold the macron vowels roughly twice as long.
- Aspirated consonants — kh, gh, ch, th, dh, ph, bh
- A distinct puff of breath. ph is an aspirated p, never an English “f”.
Word by word
- असिताङ्गःasitāṅgaḥ
- Asitanga — 'dark-limbed'; guardian of the east(nom. sg.)MW1899-CDSL p.120
- रुरुःruruḥ
- Ruru — named for a species of deer; guardian of the south-east(nom. sg.)MW1899-CDSL p.884
- चण्डःcaṇḍaḥ
- Chanda — 'fierce'; guardian of the south(nom. sg.)MW1899-CDSL p.383
- क्रोधःkrodhaḥ
- Krodha — 'wrath'; guardian of the south-west(nom. sg.)MW1899-CDSL p.322
- उन्मत्तभैरवःunmattabhairavaḥ
- Unmatta Bhairava — 'the maddened'; guardian of the west(nom. sg.)MW1899-CDSL p.193
- कपालीkapālī
- Kapali — 'the skull-bearer'; guardian of the north-west(nom. sg.)MW1899-CDSL p.250
- भीषणःbhīṣaṇaḥ
- Bhishana — 'the terrifying'; guardian of the north(nom. sg.)MW1899-CDSL p.758
- संहारःsaṃhāraḥ
- Samhara — 'the withdrawer, the dissolver'; guardian of the north-east(nom. sg.)MW1899-CDSL p.1122
- अष्टभैरवम्aṣṭabhairavam
- the group of eight Bhairavas(nom. sg. n., collective)
Glosses are confirmed against a Sanskrit–English dictionary; the reference after each entry names the edition consulted.
Context
Shadanga — the six limbs
The traditional analytic frame for a mantra. Blank limbs are simply not recorded for this text.
- chhanda
- Anushtubh
- devata
- Ashta Bhairava
Recited at / traditionally recited for
Classified as Tantric — From the Tantras. Typically built on bija (seed) syllables. Basis for this classification.
Related mantras
Namaste Rudra Manyava — opening of the Shri Rudram
The first line of the Shri Rudram, the central Vedic hymn to Rudra — Taittiriya Samhita 4.5.1.
Navarna Mantra (Chamunda nine-syllable)
The nine-syllable Devi mantra used in the recitation of the Durga Saptashati.
Aham Brahmasmi
The mahavakya of the Yajurveda — I am Brahman. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10.
Ayam Atma Brahma
The mahavakya of the Atharvaveda — this self is Brahman. Mandukya Upanishad 2.
Om Ityetad Aksharam — the opening of the Mandukya
The definition of Om that opens the Mandukya Upanishad: all that was, is, and will be is Om — and what lies outside time is Om too.
Prajnanam Brahma
The mahavakya of the Rigveda — consciousness is Brahman. Aitareya Upanishad 3.3.