Kaal Bhairav Ashtakam — Benefits & How to Chant
काल भैरव अष्टकम्
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting Kaal Bhairav Ashtakam
Kaal Bhairav is the kotwal (police chief) of Kashi
he guards the holy city
Destroys fear, removes karmic bondage, and conquers death itself
Grants both bhukti (worldly enjoyment) AND mukti (liberation)
Chanting in Varanasi is considered especially powerful
Removes the most severe sins and obstacles
Grants the eight supernatural powers (ashta siddhi)
How to Chant Kaal Bhairav Ashtakam
Instructions
Face south (Bhairav's direction). Light a mustard oil lamp. Offer black sesame. Chant all 8 verses — each ends with 'Kashikapuradhianatha Kalabhairavam Bhaje' creating a powerful rhythmic affirmation. On Bhairav Ashtami or Kalashtami, chanting 8 times is especially powerful.
Spiritual Significance
According to the Shiva Purana, when Shiva manifested as Bhairav and cut off Brahma's fifth head (which had spoken arrogantly), the skull of Brahma stuck to Bhairav's hand as the sin of brahmahatya (killing a brahmin). Bhairav wandered the universe as a terrifying beggar, the skull stuck to his palm. Only when he reached Kashi did the skull fall — at the very spot where the Kaal Bhairav temple stands today. This made Kashi the one place in the universe where even the sin of killing Brahma is absolved. The ashtakam invokes this tremendous purifying power.
Origin & History
Source: Composed by Adi Shankaracharya
Author: Adi Shankaracharya
Shankaracharya composed this ashtakam in Kashi (Varanasi) at the Kaal Bhairav temple, one of the most ancient and powerful temples in the holy city. Kaal Bhairav is considered the fierce guardian deity of Kashi — tradition says no one can live in Kashi without his permission, and he judges the karma of all who die there, determining their fate in the afterlife.