Lord Bhairava and the Yoga of Fear | Halloween Special

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 Outline00:03:12 Mā Kāli's Gayatri Mantra00:08:50 Kshemaraja's Invocation of Lord Bhairava00:22:06 Opening Invocation: Aghora Mantra 00:24:27 Why This World Is So Terrifying00:31:05 Why Suicide is Not An Escape00:38:06 Why The Net Total Evil in the World Is The Same Always00:40:03 The Fanatics of the New Age00:42:19 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 Longevity00:55:36 Why You Need To Meditate NOW. Like, RIGHT NOW. Go. Seriously. 01:01:25 The Hidden Meaning of Cremation Ground Rituals in Tantra01:12:44 Becoming Bhairava01:15:26 Yogi Ghost Stories01:27:10 Utpala Deva's Graveyard Dance Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST.  There's Q&A from 8-10pm PST right after.It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture librSupport the show

Om Podcasten

The world of Yoga is wide and varied. In this podcast, yogi Nish the Fish shares the deeper dimensions of Yoga, Vedanta and Tantra, asking the big questions: why do we practice? What is meditation? What is the purpose of a human life? What is Beauty? What is Death? Nishanth Selvalingam studied various South Asian philosophies with his Shaivite grandfather in an ashram in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and moved to Los Angeles to study philosophy, teach yoga and play guitar in a rock band. Join him and special guests as they explore Yoga, in all its splendours. For more episodes and instruction, and to support this humble offering of the heart, visit me on Patreon: patreon.com/yogawithnish