Abhinavagupta (c. 950 – 1016 AD) that most illustrious polymath and the master of nondual shaivism, was topic of many legends. One legend tells of his death. It is said that he went to the Bhairava cave with 1200 disciples. Therein he recited the favourite one of his devotional poems, the Bhairava-stava, and all 1201 of them disapeared into transcendental world. Here is that devotional poem first in Sanskrit, and then in transliteration and translation. It is a very consoling poem, from which one can extract many meditative sentences. For me, the sentence "
You are a shower of nectar of unity that restores my body in a State of suffering" is something I've been repeating in my mind lately.
The poem is lifted from aghori.it webpage (
http://www.aghori.it/bhairava_stava_eng.htm)
BHAIRAVA-STAVA
Abhinavagupta
भैरवस्तव
व्याप्तचराचरभावविशेषं
चिन्मयमेकमनन्तमनादिम् |
भैरवनाथमनाथशरण्यं
त्वन्मयचित्ततया हृदि वन्दे || १ ||
त्वन्मयमेतदशेषमिदानीं
भाति मम त्वदनुग्रहशक्त्या |
त्वं च महेश सदैव ममात्मा
स्वात्ममयं मम तेन समस्तम् || २ ||
स्वात्मनि विश्वग(ये )ते त्वयि नाथे
तेन न संसृतिभीतिकथास्ति |
सत्स्वपि दुर्धरदुःखविमोह-
त्रासविधायिषु कर्मगणेषु || ३ ||
अन्तक मां प्रति मा दृशमेनां
क्रोधकरालतमां विनिधेहि |
शङ्करसेवनचिन्तनधीरो
भीषण भैरव शक्तिमयोऽस्मि || ४ ||
इत्थमुपोढभवन्मयसंवि-
द्दीधितिदारितभूरितमिस्रः |
मृत्युयमान्तककर्मपिशाचै-
र्नाथ नमोऽस्तु न जातु बिभेमि || ५ ||
प्रोदितसत्यविबोधमरीचि-
प्रेक्षितविश्वपदार्थसतत्त्वः |
भावपरामृतनिर्भरपूर्णे
त्वय्यहमात्मनि निर्वृतिमेमि || ६ ||
मानसगोचरमेति यदैव
क्लेशदशाऽतनुतापविधात्री |
नाथ तदैव मम त्वदभेद-
स्तोत्रपरामृतवृष्टिरुदेति || ७ ||
शङ्कर सत्यमिदं व्रतदान-
स्नानतपो भवतापविदारि |
तावकशास्त्रपरामृतचिन्ता
स्यन्दति चेतसि निर्वृतिधाराम् || ८ ||
नृत्यति गायति हृष्यति गाढं
संविदियं मम भैरवनाथ |
त्वां प्रियमाप्य सुदर्शनमेकं
दुर्लभमन्यजनैः समयज्ञम् || ९ ||
वसुरसपौषे कृष्णदशम्यां
अभिनवगुप्तः स्तवमिममकरोत् |
येन विभुर्भवमरुसन्तापं
शमयति झटिति जनस्य दयालुः || १० ||
|| समाप्तं स्तवमिदं अभिनवाख्यं पद्यनवकम् ||
TRANSLITERATION AND TRANSLATION
vyāptacarācarabhāvaviśeṣaṃ
cinmayamekamanantamanādim |
bhairavanāthamanāthaśaraṇyaṃ
tvanmayacittatayā hṛdi vande || 1 ||
To Him who pervades the consciousness of all moving and non-moving beings, which is divine, only one, endless and primeval, which is Lord Bhairava, who is the refuge for the helpless, to Him who is in my mind with all my heart I offer my salutations.
tvanmayametadaśeṣamidānīṃ
bhāti mama tvadanugrahaśaktyā |
tvaṃ ca maheśa sadaiva mamātmā
svātmamayaṃ mama tena samastam || 2 ||
Oh Mahesh! With the grace of thy blessing this whole universe is nothing more than your manifestation. Wherever I see You and my soul is completely full of You.
svātmani viśvaga(ye)te tvayi nāthe
tena na saṃsṛtibhītikathāsti |
satsvapi durdharaduḥkhavimoha-
trāsavidhāyiṣu karmagaṇeṣu || 3 ||
In this world You are the Lord of my soul, because of this in my life there is no fear of difficulties and pain, which are the result of this cycle of birth and death.
antaka māṃ prati mā dṛśamenāṃ
krodhakarālatamāṃ vinidhehi |
śaṅkarasevanacintanadhīro
bhīṣaṇa bhairava śaktimayo.asmi || 4 ||
Oh Antaka, Lord of Death! Do not cast your awful look on me. Oh Brave who always thinks of serving the Lord Shankara. Oh mighty Bhairava, Lord of creation, sustenance and destruction, give me the strength.
itthamupoḍhabhavanmayasaṃvi-
ddīdhitidāritabhūritamisraḥ |
mṛtyuyamāntakakarmapiśācai-
rnātha namo ̕stu na jātu bibhemi || 5 ||
Oh Lord of the worlds! Salutations to You. I melt in the rays coming from the splendor of Your Light, which dissipate the darkness of ignorance and the fear of ghosts of the Lord of Death.
proditasatyavibodhamarīci-
prekṣitaviśvapadārthasatattvaḥ |
bhāvaparāmṛtanirbharapūrṇe
tvayyahamātmani nirvṛtimemi || 6 ||
Oh ray of light of eternal truth, universal consciousness of the world, who has a nature full of Divine nectar. My soul filled with ecstasy salutes You.
mānasagocarameti yadaiva
kleśadaśā ̕tanutāpavidhātrī |
nātha tadaiva mama tvadabheda-
stotraparāmṛtavṛṣṭirudeti || 7 ||
Oh Lord you're attainable by the mind through meditation, You are a shower of nectar of unity that restores my body in a State of suffering.
śaṅkara satyamidaṃ vratadāna-
snānatapo bhavatāpavidāri |
tāvakaśāstraparāmṛtacintā
syandati cetasi nirvṛtidhārām || 8 ||
Oh Shankara, it is true that penance, charity, bathing in sacred water and meditation break the pain cycle of birth and death, but the rain of nectar that flows from your divine story leads to salvation.
nṛtyati gāyati hṛṣyati gāḍhaṃ
saṃvidiyaṃ mama bhairavanātha |
tvāṃ priyamāpya sudarśanamekaṃ
durlabhamanyajanaiḥ samayajnam || 9 ||
Oh Lord Bhairava! It is well known that You are easily accessible by devotees, but inaccessible to people with no devotion. My conscience, having realized your true nature, sings and dances in Ecstasy.
vasurasapauṣe kṛṣṇadaśamyāṃ
abhinavaguptaḥ stavamimamakarot |
yena vibhurbhavamarusantāpaṃ
śamayati jhaṭiti janasya dayāluḥ || 10 ||
Abhinavagupta wrote this great prayer on the tenth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Pausha, and with this hymn the Lord Bhairava, all pervading and full of compassion, destroys all the miseries of his devotees.
samāptaṃ stavamidaṃ abhinavākhyaṃ padyanavakam ||
Thus ends the hymn of nine stanzas written by Abhinavagupta.