AUM

Panachapretasana sthita maha kal bhairava Salutations to Lord Śrī Mahākāla Bhairava, who appears with the resplendence of the dissolution causing zillion dark flaming fires. He has four arms and is three-eyed. He is in the midst of the eight crematory grounds wearing a garland of eight skulls represented by the eight attendants called Muṇḍāṣṭakas. He is seated atop five corpses called the pañcapretas, denoting the acts of Creation, Preservation, Destruction, Concealment and Revelation. He holds in His four arms, a trident, a drum, a sword and an empty skull. He appears with a beautiful well-formed body, adorned with ashes from the crematory grounds. He plays around with corpses and is the beloved of His consort Mahākāli. They are highly gratified and appear coddling each other passionately engaging in amorous activities. They are in the midst of loudly shrieking vultures and howling jackals. He shines forth prominently with very thick braided hair on the top of His head and in totality represents the absence of the entire Creation – nothingness or śūnya. He is Śiva, the formless pure consciousness devoid of all afflictions, representing the singular reality perceived as the great Void. ~ Shakti sangam tantra, sundari khanda