Devdutt Pattanaik Column: The terror of Bhairava

Bhairava Rudra and Virabhadra are three forms of Shiva that are often confused with each other They all look fierce with fangs and bloodshot eyes and are associated with dogs But they are differentThe name Bhairava is derived from lsquobhayarsquo or terror The name Rudra is associated with lsquorudanrsquo or mournful howling And the name Virabhadra embodies heroic vira and righteous bhadra outrage Bhairava is the companion of the Goddess Rudra is associated with the beheading of Brahma when he chases and seeks control of the Goddess Virabhadra is associated with beheading of Daksha Prajapati the stubborn patriarch Bhairava is not explicitly associated with such violence even though he is shown holding a severed head of a manIllustrationDevdutt PattanaikEssentially Rudra and Virabhadra are associated with anger Not Bhairava Bhairava does not respond to a state of helplessness that evokes anger He is simply embodying the emotion of terror one that makes us aware of death hence life Perhaps that is why he is a popular deity of Tantrikas who associate him with lsquovigyanarsquo or wisdom born when lsquogyanarsquo or received knowledge is churned in the mindAlcohol is offered to Bhairava Is the alcohol that is offered to him meant to take away fear Or is the alcohol meant to remove inhibitions that unleash our terrifying actions Contemplating on Bhairava forces us to understand deeply and clearly the nature of terrorIn nature there is terror but no terrorists there is violence but not violation There is the petrified predator who fears death by starvation and the petrified prey who fears death by predation There are fights over territory and mates and on establishing pecking order Terrorism is an outcome of human civilisation where there are boundaries and entitlements Humans create property and grand themselves legitimacy at the cost of other humans There is a continuous struggle for power with the powerless seeking lsquorightsrsquo and the powerful seeking lsquoentitlementsrsquoBhairava makes us question who is the terrorist Terrorists who bomb developed nations or the developed nations who bomb developing nations and create an ecosystem that breeds terrorists Are terrorists those who kill innocent civilians or those who justify violent vengeful drone attacks Who is more terrifying mdash the hypercritical Left or the hypersensitive Right Islamophobia or Hinduphobia or homophobia The rapists or the system that feels rapists also need protection The system that vaporises the rich or the system that glamorises the poor The system that deprives the minorities of power or the system that strips the majority of authority Tradition or revolutionCan the poor frighten the rich Can the powerless frighten the powerful Why else would the rich and powerful barricade themselves with security firewalls and visa rules Perhaps we are too busy protecting victims to see the fear of the villain We assume that by attacking and controlling villains we can help victims Maybe we are simplify amplifying the fear hence villainy of the villains The more you attack or shame the villain the more terrifying he becomes as he digs his heels and refuses to back down And thus we contribute to the cycle of terror Bhairava companion of the Goddess points us to darkest aspects of human psychology that aspect of the mind that wants our gods to be indulgently cherubic or constantly outraged The author writes and lectures on the relevance of mythology in modern times Reach him at devduttdevduttcom