Bhairava in Indian spiritual iconography is often depicted as somewhat of a marginal figure who lives far beyond the pale of society. He dwells in the cremation grounds, wearing nothing but ash, garlanded in skulls and snakes. His companions, much like him, are outcastes: a black dog that nobody wants, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, banshees and of course, a flock of yogis who are his devout disciples.

Naturally, he is the perfect figure to discuss in our Halloween Special! After all, Bhairava is not just a mythological bad boy: his name is also synonymous with the highest non-dual teachings of Tantrik Shaivism and stands for no less than Sat-Chid-Ananda Shiva, Consciouss-Bliss Absolute which is already your very own essence nature beyond body-mind-ego!

There is so much we can discuss here but today we decided to focus on the "fear" aspect embodied by Bhairava. We take up Kshemaraja's invocatory verse from his commentary on the Tantrik masterpiece, Vijnana-Bhairava Tantra to see why Bhairava is the "fear of remaining in the dream-state", the one whose roar is the death of death and the one who is the master of the flock of yogis desiring Moksha, liberation. Essentially, we ask the question: "what role does fear play in spiritual life?"

00:00:00 Who is Lord Bhairava? + Lecture Outline
00:03:12 Mā Kāli's Gayatri Mantra
00:08:50 Kshemaraja's Invocation of Lord Bhairava
00:22:06 Opening Invocation: Aghora Mantra
00:24:27 Why This World Is So Terrifying
00:31:05 Why Suicide is Not An Escape
00:38:06 Why The Net Total Evil in the World Is The Same Always
00:40:03 The Fanatics of the New Age
00:42:19 Why Fear Is The Start of Genuine Spirituality
00:47:09 How To Deal With The Suffering in the World
00:51:40 Why Spirituality Cannot Be About Physical and Mental Longevity
00:55:36 Why You Need To Meditate NOW. Like, RIGHT NOW. Go. Seriously.
01:01:25 The Hidden Meaning of Cremation Ground Rituals in Tantra
01:12:44 Becoming Bhairava
01:15:26 Yogi Ghost Stories
01:27:10 Utpala Deva's Graveyard Dance

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