After nearly sixteen years, the opportunity to undertake the sacred Ashta Bhairav Yatra unfolded once again through the grace of Lord Bhairava, with Ms Surbhi Sapru becoming the humble instrument of that divine arrangement. It did not feel like the return of an individual to a pilgrimage after many years. Rather, it felt as though the timeless call of Bhairava, which always remains present beneath the noise of worldly life, had once again become audible. In the path of Bhairava, the real “I” is not the body that walks, not the mind that thinks, not the emotions that rise and disappear, and not the ego that claims ownership over actions. The true “I” is the silent awareness that witnesses them all. It is that witnessing Consciousness which undertakes the Yatra. The body merely becomes its instrument.
To many, the Ashta Bhairav Yatra appears to be a pilgrimage through the ancient streets of Srinagar. Yet its true path lies within. It is not a journey from one temple to another but a gradual return from the unreal to the Real. With every step, another layer of false identity quietly falls away. The belief that “I am this body,” “I am these thoughts,” “I am these possessions,” or “I am this name” slowly dissolves. As these coverings disappear, what quietly remains is the eternal Self, untouched by birth, untouched by death, and untouched by time. The Yatra is therefore not about reaching sacred places built of stone. It is about returning to the temple of pure Consciousness that has always existed within. At every shrine, Bhairava silently reminds the pilgrim that the One being sought has never been outside. He has always been the very essence of the seeker.
The sacred circuit unfolded through the ancient Bhairava Asthapans that have silently watched over Srinagar for centuries. The journey began at Shri Anandishwar Bhairav at Maisuma, continued to Shri Mangleshwer Bhairav at Namchebal, Fateh Kadal, and then to Shri Pooran Raj Bhairav at Sazgaripora, Hawal. As the Yatra moved towards Shri Vetal Bhairav at Rainawari, something beautiful unfolded without planning or intention. The ascent towards the ancient Darbar of Maa Tripurasundari did not arise from personal choice. It unfolded as though Adi Shakti had already willed it. What appeared outwardly as a change of route inwardly felt like a divine invitation. Before the sacred circle of the Eight Bhairavas could continue, the compassionate Mother seemed to call every pilgrim into Her presence.
In the wisdom of Kashmir Shaivism, Bhairava and Tripurasundari are never separate. Bhairava is the infinite Light of Consciousness, while Tripurasundari is His living Power of Self-awareness through which the entire universe shines into existence. One cannot exist without the other, just as the sun cannot be separated from its light. Looking back, it no longer feels that the Yatra paused to visit another shrine. Rather, the Divine Mother Herself embraced the pilgrimage so that the outer journey through the Eight Bhairavas could also become inwardly complete. Wherever Bhairava is present, Shakti is already there. Wherever Shakti calls, Bhairava is never absent. The visit to the Darbar of Maa Tripurasundari was therefore not outside the Ashta Bhairav Yatra. It became one of its deepest and most meaningful moments.
From the holy Darbar, the Yatra naturally continued to Shri Vetal Bhairav at Rainawari, then to Shri Vishwaksen Bhairav at Noor Bagh, Shri Bhakatkeshwar Bhairav at Chattabal, and finally Shri TushakRaj Bhairav at Balgarden, Karan Nagar. At every shrine, the body bowed, the lips offered prayers, and the eyes rested upon the sacred Asthapan. Yet beyond all these actions remained the silent Witness. It neither bowed nor rose. It neither arrived nor departed. The temples have endured centuries of changing rulers, changing generations, and changing times. Their stones have weathered, but the Presence within them remains untouched. Time changes forms. It cannot touch Consciousness.
Among all the experiences of the day, one moment quietly dissolved the boundary that the human mind creates between life and death. It unfolded at Shri Vishwaksen Bhairav near the cement bridge at Noor Bagh, revered as the Shamshan Bhairav, the guardian of the cremation grounds. Before entering the sacred boundary, langar prasad was received. Outwardly, it was only a simple meal. Inwardly, it became one of the deepest teachings of the entire pilgrimage. To receive the nourishment of life at the very threshold of the cremation ground is to witness Bhairava’s teaching without a single spoken word. The place where the body meets its end is not the end of the Self. It is only the place where the illusion of individuality is offered into the fire. The body returns to the five elements from which it arose. The witnessing Consciousness neither burns nor dies. It was never born with the body. Therefore, it never departs with it. The Shamshan is not merely the resting place of bodies. It is the sacred ground where every false identity is surrendered to Bhairava.
As the journey continued, another realization quietly unfolded. Human life appears complicated only because the unreal is constantly mistaken for the Real. When a child is born, sweets are distributed and homes overflow with celebration. Years later, when that same body completes its journey, families gather once again, this time to offer food during the Shradh. Yet the one for whom both ceremonies are performed tastes neither the sweets of birth nor the food of remembrance. Both belong only to the world of appearances. The Self belongs to neither. Between these two gatherings unfolds everything that human beings call life. The body acts. The mind desires. The ego claims ownership. The eternal Witness simply observes the entire play without ever becoming bound by it.
The same truth reveals itself in another simple way. The body enters the world after its first bath and leaves it after its final bath. Between these two baths unfolds a lifetime of endless striving. Wealth is accumulated, names are established, positions are defended, relationships are formed, achievements are celebrated, and countless emotions arise only to disappear again. Yet none of these belong to the eternal Self. They belong only to the body and the mind, both of which are temporary appearances within Consciousness. The Witness neither gains nor loses. It neither succeeds nor fails. It simply Is.
Perhaps this is why the absence of Shri Hatkeshwar Bhairav at Malkha became one of the greatest teachings of the Yatra. Unlike the other Bhairava Asthapans, time has erased even its visible form. No walls remain. No structure survives to mark its sacred presence. Only the form has disappeared. Bhairava has not. Stone belongs to time. Consciousness does not. Temples may emerge and vanish, civilizations may rise and fall, and even memory may fade. Yet the Presence that sanctified that place remains untouched. The silence of Malkha therefore does not speak of loss. It speaks of the eternal truth that every form must eventually dissolve while the Formless alone remains.
By the completion of the Ashta Bhairav Yatra, one understanding quietly stood revealed. Bhairava had spoken without words. Every shrine, every step, every silence, every prayer, every blessing, every unexpected turn, every encounter, and every reflection had become a single uninterrupted teaching. The purpose of life is not to strengthen the false “I” but to awaken to the eternal “I” that has never been born and therefore can never die. Birth belongs to the body. Death belongs to the body. Joy and sorrow belong to the mind. Gain and loss belong to the world. The Self belongs only to Bhairava because it is none other than Bhairava Himself. The pilgrimage therefore does not end upon returning home. It truly begins when one recognises that the One who walked, the One who witnessed, the One who bowed, the One who was worshipped, and the One who was sought have always been One. This is the silent secret of the Ashta Bhairav Yatra. It is not a journey towards Bhairava. It is the gradual recognition that there has never been anything other than Bhairava.
Vijay Sas
