Bhairava is given Kashi — Shiva Purana 3.8.50-51
The verses behind the whole Kotwal-of-Kashi tradition: Shiva hands Bhairava authority over the city, and names who keeps the record.
Shiva Purana, Shatarudra Samhita 3.8.50-51edition
Sanskrit · संस्कृत
Read in another script
Meaning
Kashi, my city of liberation, which is greater than all other cities — its lordship is yours, O Kalaraja, for all time. You alone are the chastiser of those who commit offences there, and Chitragupta will write down their acts, good and bad alike.
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
- 1 · 3
- 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
- मुक्तिपुरीmuktipurī
- the city of liberation(nom. sg. f.)
- काशीkāśī
- Kashi, Varanasi(nom. sg. f.)MW1899-CDSL p.280
- गरीयसीgarīyasī
- greater, weightier(comp. nom. sg. f.)MW1899-CDSL p.348
- आधिपत्यम्ādhipatyam
- lordship, jurisdiction(nom. sg. n.)MW1899-CDSL p.138
- कालराजkālarāja
- O king of time(voc. sg.)
- सदैवsadaiva
- always, for all time(adv.)MW1899-CDSL p.1139
- पातकिनराःpātakinarāḥ
- men who commit offences(nom. pl.)
Context
Shadanga — the six limbs
The traditional analytic frame for a mantra. Blank limbs are simply not recorded for this text.
- chhanda
- anushtubh
- devata
- Kala Bhairava
Recited at / traditionally recited for
Classified as Pauranic — From the Puranas. Most widely recited deity mantras belong here. Basis for this classification.
Related mantras
Gayatri Mantra
The most widely recited Vedic verse, addressed to the light of the sun — Rigveda 3.62.10.
Mahamrityunjaya Mantra
The Tryambaka verse of the Rigveda, addressed to Rudra — a prayer for release, likening it to a ripe fruit loosening from its stem.
Asato Ma Sad Gamaya
Three movements — from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to what does not die. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28.