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BHAIRAVI, THE GODDESS OF DECAY
Creation and Destruction are two essential aspects of
the universe, which is continually subject to their
alternating rhythms. The two are equally dominant in the
world and indeed depend upon each other in symbiotic
fashion. Bhairavi embodies the principle of destruction
and arises or becomes present when the body declines and
decays. She is also evident in self-destructive habits,
such as eating tamsic food (food having a quality
associated with ignorance and lust) and drinking liquor,
which wear down the body and mind. She is present, it is
said, in the loss of semen, which weakens males. Anger,
jealousy, and other selfish emotions and actions
strengthen Bhairavi's presence in the world. Righteous
behavior, conversely, makes her weaker. In short, she is
an ever-present goddess who manifests herself in, and
embodies, the destructive aspects of the world.
Destruction, however, is not always negative, creation
cannot continue without it. This is most clear in the
process of nourishment and metabolism, in which life
feeds on death; creation proceeds by means of
transformed energy given up in destruction.
Bhairavi is also identified with Kalaratri, a name often
associated with Kali that means "black night (of
destruction)" and refers to a particularly destructive
aspect of Kali.
She is also identified with Mahapralaya, the great
dissolution at the end of a cosmic cycle, during which
all things, having been consumed with fire, are
dissolved in the formless waters of procreation. She is
the force that tends toward dissolution. This force,
furthermore, which is actually Bhairavi herself, is
present in each person as one gradually ages, weakens
and finally dies. Destruction is apparent everywhere,
and therefore Bhairavi is present everywhere
A commentary on the Parashurama-kalpasutra says that the
name Bhairavi is derived from the words bharana (to
create), ramana (to protect), and vamana (to emit or
disgorge). The commentator, that is, seeks to discern
the inner meaning of Bhairavi's name by identifying her
with the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and
destruction.
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