Sahasranama position 742 of the 1,072 names

Bala Bhairavi

बाल भैरवी

Bāla Bhairavī

What Bala Bhairavi means

Bala Bhairavi is name 742 in the Adya Mahakali Sahasranama, the 1,072-name devotional text to Maa Kali. The Auspicious and Terrifying Youthful one.

Also spelled

  • BalaBhairavi
  • Source transliteration: BALA BHAIRAVI

Sanskrit names travel into English in several romanizations. This page keeps the common spelling, the IAST form, and the source transliteration together so the same name is discoverable under each spelling readers use.

Meaning and elaboration

Meaning: The Auspicious and Terrifying Youthful one.

Elaboration

Bala Bhairavi brings together youthfulness (Bala), terrifying power (Bhairavi), and the auspicious force inherent in the Goddess. This name reveals a form that is at once fresh, fearsome, and full of living power.

Youthful Potency (Bala) The term Bala literally means "child," "young," or "strength." In the context of the Goddess, it points to eternal youthfulness and boundless energy. This is not the youth of inexperience, but of undiminished vitality and primal, uncorrupted potency. It suggests raw power in its pure state, untouched by age or convention, and ready to act with directness and force. It also conveys the unadulterated essence of her terrifying aspect.

The Terrifying One (Bhairavi) Bhairavi is the fierce and terrifying aspect of the Divine Mother, associated with destruction, death, and the dissolution of the ego. The name derives from Bhairava, a wrathful aspect of Shiva, showing her inseparable link to the ultimate destroyer and transformer of the cosmos. As Bhairavi, she inspires awe and fear, especially in those still bound by worldly attachment and ego-identity. Her terrifying form is not aimless; it breaks illusion and reveals ultimate reality.

Auspicious and Liberating Terror The union of Bala and Bhairavi is profound. Her terrifying aspect is not random but purposeful: youthful, concentrated power actively destroying ignorance, delusion, and negativity. That destruction is ultimately auspicious for the seeker because it leads toward liberation (moksha). She is fearsome to those who resist truth, yet mercifully destructive to the bonds of karma and attachment for the devotee. Her power remains fresh, vibrant, and ever-present, bringing swift transformation and a decisive end to suffering.

Text and sources

The name list follows the Adya Mahakali Sahasranama as compiled for this project. The English meaning and elaboration are interpretive notes for devotional study, not a translation of a single critical edition.

Read the editorial method and source notes →

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