Tripura Bhairavi Stotram (Dhyana)
त्रिपुरभैरवी ध्यान स्तोत्रम्
Also known as: tripura bhairavi stotram · tripura bhairavi dhyanam · bhairavi dhyana shloka · udyad bhanu sahasra kantim · tripura bhairavi mahavidya
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✦ Meaning
This is the classic dhyana shloka (verse of meditation) of Tripura Bhairavi, one of the ten Mahavidyas and the fierce-yet-gracious form of the Goddess within the Sri Vidya and Tantric traditions. The verse visualises her ablaze like a thousand rising suns, robed in red, garlanded with heads, three-eyed and crowned with the crescent moon, holding a rosary and a book and showing the gestures of fearlessness and boon-giving, with a gentle smile. It is recited at the start of Bhairavi worship and japa to install her form in the heart.
Origin & Story
Traditional Mahavidya / Sri Vidya dhyana verse (used in Bhairavi upasana and Tantric manuals) · Traditional (anonymous, within the Shakta–Tantric tradition) · Classical / Medieval
Tripura Bhairavi is the fifth of the ten Mahavidyas, embodying the burning, transformative power of the Goddess that consumes ignorance, fear and ego. As with every Tantric deity, her worship opens with a dhyana shloka that paints her form for the worshipper's inner eye. This verse, 'udyad-bhānu-sahasra-kāntim', is her classic meditation: it sets her blazing like a thousand rising suns yet smiling gently, holding the rosary and the book of wisdom and granting fearlessness and boons. Preserved in the Tantras and worship-manuals, it is recited at the start of Bhairavi japa and puja, linking her closely to Lalita Tripurasundari in the Sri Vidya lineage.
✦ As told in scripture
Worshippers of this fierce-gracious Mahavidya hold that her dhyana, sincerely invoked, burns away fear and the obstacles raised by inner and outer enemies — her abhaya-mudra promising the devotee 'fear not', while her book and rosary bestow the wisdom (Vidya) that liberates.
The Mantra
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उद्यद्भानुसहस्रकान्तिमरुणक्षौमां शिरोमालिकां रक्तालिप्तपयोधरां जपवटीं विद्यामभीतिं वरम् । हस्ताब्जैर्दधतीं त्रिनेत्रविलसद्रक्तारविन्दश्रियं देवीं बद्धहिमांशुरक्तमुकुटां वन्दे समन्दस्मिताम् ॥
udyad-bhānu-sahasra-kāntim aruṇa-kṣaumāṃ śiro-mālikāṃ raktā-lipta-payodharāṃ japa-vaṭīṃ vidyām abhītiṃ varam | hastābjair dadhatīṃ tri-netra-vilasad-raktāravinda-śriyaṃ devīṃ baddha-himāṃśu-rakta-mukuṭāṃ vande sa-manda-smitām ||
Meaning:I bow to the Goddess Tripura Bhairavi — radiant with the splendour of a thousand rising suns, clad in red silk, wearing a garland of heads, her bosom anointed with red; who bears in her lotus hands a rosary and the book of knowledge and shows the gestures of fearlessness and boon-giving; three-eyed, her face glowing with the beauty of a red lotus, her red crown set with the crescent moon, and upon her lips a gentle smile.
Word-by-Word Meaning
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Benefits of Chanting Tripura Bhairavi Stotram (Dhyana)
The essential dhyana (meditation) verse for installing Tripura Bhairavi in the heart before her japa or puja
Invokes Tripura Bhairavi, one of the ten Mahavidyas, who grants both fierce protection and gentle grace
Her rosary and book bless the worshipper with mantra-power, wisdom and learning (Vidya)
Her abhaya and vara gestures promise fearlessness, protection and the granting of boons
Recited for courage, removal of fear, and the overcoming of inner and outer enemies
Short and easy to memorise, ideal for steadying the mind at the start of worship
Honoured in the Sri Vidya tradition as a powerful form closely linked to Lalita Tripurasundari
How to Chant Tripura Bhairavi Stotram (Dhyana)
This dhyana shloka is recited at the beginning of worship to visualise the Goddess. Sit facing east or north, and as you chant, build her image in the heart exactly as described — the blaze of a thousand suns, red garments, the garland of heads, three eyes, the rosary and book, the gestures of fearlessness and boon-giving, the gentle smile. Recite it three or nine times to settle and steady the mind, then proceed to japa of the Bhairavi mantra or to formal puja. Approach this fierce-gracious form with reverence and a calm heart.