# भैरवी (bhairavī)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/bhairavi

भैरवी (bhairavī) is a Sanskrit word meaning frightful, terrible, horrible, formidable, relating to Bhairava, a form of Shiva, a man representing Bhairava, a jackal, a mountain. Its 28 recorded definitions are grouped into 7 contexts, among them Proper Names and Specific Entities, Deity Bhairavī (Feminine Divine), Frightful, Terrible, Terror.

- **SLP1:** `BEravI`  **IAST:** bhairavī  **Devanagari:** भैरवी
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhairavi
- **Declensions:** 72 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/bhairavi/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Proper Names and Specific Entities (11 definitions)
- a jackal  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a jackal, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=152994 ]
- a mountain  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a mountain, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=152995 ]
- an epithet of a chief of Shiva's host  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of a chief of Śiva's host, Kālikā-purāṇa (Title) [ ID=152997 ]
- a son of Shiva by Taravati  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a son of Śiva by Tārā-vatī (wife of Candra-śekhara, king of Karavīra-pura), in the same place [Cologne Addition] (Title) [ ID=152998 ]
- a Naga  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a Nāga, Mahābhārata (Title) [ ID=152999 ]
- of a Yaksha  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a Yakṣa, Catalogue(s) [Cologne Addition] (Title) [ ID=153000 ]
- of a hunter  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a hunter, Hitopadeśa (Title) [ ID=153001 ]
- An epithet applied to various kings, teachers, and authors.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of 2 kings and various teachers and authors (also with त्रिपाठिन् (tripāṭhin), दैवज्ञ (daivajña), तिलक (tilaka), दीक्षित (dīkṣita), आचार्य (ācārya), भट्ट (bhaṭṭa) and मिश्र (miśra) ), in the same place [Cologne Addition] (Title) [ ID=153002 ]
- belonging to a river  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a river, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=153003 ]
- name of a particular sect  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > भैरव (bhairava) m. pl. N. of a partic. sect, Viṣṇu-purāṇa (Title) [ ID=153004 ]
- A class of Apsaras  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > pl. of a class of Apsaras, Viṣṇu-purāṇa (Title) [ ID=153006 ]

### Deity Bhairavī (Feminine Divine) (5 definitions)
- Name of Nirriti  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1B) [Printed book page 767,1] भैरवा (bhairavā) f. N. of Nirṛti, Varāhamihira’s Yogayātrā [Cologne Addition] (Title) [ ID=153005 ]
- A particular form of Durga  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of a partic. form of Durgā, Religious Thought and Life in India, also called ’Brāhmanism and Hindūism,’ by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 188 [ ID=153043 ]
- a girl of twelve years representing Durga at a festival  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a girl of 12 years (representing Durgā at the D° festival), Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=153044 ]
- 1. A form of Durga. 2. A musical mode. 3. A young girl personating Durga at her festival.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > [Printed book page 537-06 ] भैरवी (bhairavī) f. 1. A form of Durgā; 2. name of a rāgiṇī; 3. a young girl personating Durgā at the festival of that goddess. [ ID=28008 ]
- 1. An epithet of Uma. 2. A mother goddess.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > भैरवी (bhairavī) [Printed book page 2-585 ] Bhairavī — an epithet of Umā; when Śiva is Bhairava, Umā is Bhairavī; 1 a mother-goddess. 2 [ Footnote: 1) M. 158. 25.] [ Footnote: 2) Br. IV. 7. 72; 44. 22.] [ ID=9808 ]

### Frightful, Terrible, Terror (3 definitions)
- frightful, terrible, horrible, formidable  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 767,1] भैरव (bhairava) mf( आ (ā) and ई (ī) )n. ( fr. भीरु (bhīru) ) frightful, terrible, horrible, formidable ( अम् (am) ind. ), Mahābhārata (Title); Rāmāyaṇa (Title) &c. [ ID=152990 ]
- terror or the property of exciting terror  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > भैरव (bhairava) n. terror or the property of exciting terror, Horace H. Wilson, author of first Sanskrit-English dictionary in 1819 (Author) [ ID=153008 ]
- indeclinable  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1C) [Printed book page 767,1] भैरवम् (bhairavam) ind. [ ID=153009.1 ]

### Relating to Bhairava / Textual Reference (3 definitions)
- relating to Bhairava  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > relating to Bhairava, Catalogue(s) [Cologne Addition] (Title) [ ID=152991 ]
- refer to bhairava-tantra  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > = भैरव - तन्त्र (bhairava-tantra) below. [ ID=153009 ]
- 1. Relating to Bhairava. 2. Terrible, terrific, horrible.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > भैरव (bhairava) ी (bhairavī) [Printed book page 537-05 ] भैरव (bhairava) (I) a. (f. वी (vī) ) 1. Relating to Bhairava; 2. terrible, terrific, horrible. [ ID=28003.1 ]

### Deity Bhairava (Form of Śiva) (2 definitions)
- a form of Shiva  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > भैरव (bhairava) m. N. of a form of Śiva ( cf. Religious Thought and Life in India, also called ’Brāhmanism and Hindūism,’ by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 85 ), Prabodha-candrodaya (Title); Rājataraṃgiṇī (Title); Purāṇas (Literary category) (in the latter 8 Bh° (°) s are enumerated, viz. महा - (mahā-), संहार - (saṃhāra-), असिता (asitā) ङ्ग - (ṅga-), रुरु - (ruru-), काल - (kāla-), क्रोध - (krodha-), ताम्रचूड - (tāmracūḍa-), or कपाल - (kapāla-), चन्द्रचूड - (candracūḍa-) or रुद्र - भ् (rudra-bh) ° (°); sometimes other names are given, e.g. विद्या - राज (vidyā-rāja), काम - र् (kāma-r) ° (°), नाग - र् (nāga-r) ° (°), स्वच्छन्द - र् (svacchanda-r) ° (°), लम्बित - र् (lambita-r) ° (°), देव - र् (deva-r) ° (°), उग्र - र् (ugra-r) ° (°), विघ्न - र् (vighna-r) ° (°) ) [ ID=152992 ]
- a man representing Bhairava  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a man representing Bh°, Horace H. Wilson, author of first Sanskrit-English dictionary in 1819 (Author) [ ID=152993 ]

### Grammatical Notes / Pointers (2 definitions)
- See below  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1B) [Printed book page 767,1] भैरवी (bhairavī) a f. See below [ ID=153007 ]
- the feminine form of bhairava  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 767,1] भैरवी (bhairavī) b f. of ° व (°va) [ ID=153042 ]

### Musical Rāga or Rāgiṇī (2 definitions)
- Name of a musical Raga  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (in music) N. of a Rāga [ ID=152996 ]
- name of a Ragini  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (in music) N. of a Rāgiṇī. [ ID=153045 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546