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Har Har Mahadev.
I was raised in a Hindu family that believed in God, but religion was not practiced very intensely at home. Even though I always wanted to believe and worship sincerely, I was never able to surrender myself completely with unwavering devotion. There was always a part of me that remained skeptical.
So, with complete honesty, I once asked the Universe for a sign—something that would make me put aside my doubts and convince me that higher beings truly exist.
A few days later, I randomly came across a reel about the Bheem Shila at Kedarnath. For some reason, that was enough. I took it as my sign and began to believe that there was indeed something beyond the material world.
Deep down, I always knew that if I ever became devoted to a deity, it would be Shiva. I found myself relating to His nature more than that of any other God—His introverted disposition, His extremity, His simplicity as Bholenath, His role as a family man, and His detachment from worldly appearances.
So I slowly began my journey of Shiva devotion. Nothing extraordinary—just chanting His mantra more often, avoiding non-vegetarian food on Mondays, visiting temples regularly, and reading the Shiva Purana.
Eventually, a question arose in my mind: Which form of Shiva should I pursue more deeply? Should it be Sada Shiva, Mahakala, Veerabhadra, or another form?
Just as I had done before, I asked Nature itself to show me the way.
This is where things became interesting.
The last thought in my mind before falling asleep one night was this prayer: “Please show me the path.”
A few hours later, I suddenly woke up to the sound of a dog barking.
For context, I live in the penthouse of a hostel. The floors below are occupied by students, and the remaining terrace area is used as a dining hall. Occasionally, if the main gate downstairs is left open, stray dogs wander inside looking for food. However, in the three years I have lived there, I had never experienced a dog continuously barking while moving through the building.
That night, the barking would not stop.
I was drenched in sweat but did not want to open my eyes because I feared it would completely ruin my sleep. Yet the barking continued. Then I suddenly remembered the prayer I had made before sleeping.
The moment I remembered it, I woke up fully.
What I felt was not ordinary fear. It wasn’t the fear of being harmed. It felt more like the overwhelming weight of realization—as though something had grabbed my attention and demanded to be noticed.
With a strangely unsettled mind, I switched on the light in my room.
The barking stopped immediately.
I opened the door and went outside to look for the dog, but I could not find one anywhere. Perhaps it had already left because the lights came on—I cannot know for sure. But what struck me was how unusual the entire experience felt.
Standing there, I simply thanked Bhairava for what I believed was a sign and went back to sleep.
The next morning, I asked my roommates whether they had heard the dog barking during the night. None of them had. They had all slept soundly.
From that day onward, I started learning more about Bhairava. I began listening to the Kala Bhairava Ashtakam with greater attention and reverence. I am now considering taking small steps into Bhairava worship—nothing intense or ambitious, just beginning with simple chanting and sincere devotion.
My question is this:
What should I know about this path?
What should I do, and what should I avoid?
I am not interested in supernatural powers, occult abilities, or anything of that sort. My only desire is to feel closer to the Divine.
I do not know how to find a Guru, so for now I am relying on intuition, moving slowly, and leaving the rest at the feet of Bhairava Baba.
Thank you for reading.
Har Har Mahadev.

New to guntur

My experience of Bhairava

Kala bhairava upasana