Bhairavī

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Bhairavī (Skt.). A ferocious form of the Goddess (Devī) in Hinduism especially in Tantrism, the śakti of Bhairava. Like Kālī, Bhairavī is described as having a terrible appearance, garlanded with severed heads. She is the active principle of the cosmos dancing on the passive principle of Śiva, often represented as a corpse. Like Kālī, Bhairavī represents the terrible aspects of existence which have to be embraced in order to achieve liberation (mokṣa).

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