Sahasranama position 705 of the 1,000 names

Virinchaye

विरिञ्चये

Viriñcaye

What Virinchaye means

Virinchaye is name 705 in the Kalabhairava Sahasranama, the 1,000-name devotional text to Kalabhairava. Salutations To The one who is the creator god, Brahma.

Also spelled

  • Virincaye
  • Source transliteration: VIRINCAYE

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: Salutations To The one who is the creator god, Brahma.

Elaboration

The name Viriñchayē refers to Viriñchi, which is an epithet for the Hindu creator god Brahma. This name attributed to Kalabhairava signifies his supreme authority over all aspects of creation, preservation, and dissolution, encompassing even the roles of other deities.

Identity with Brahma: The Creator Aspect By being called Viriñchayē, Kalabhairava is identified with Brahma, the cosmic creator, the first emanation from the Absolute, responsible for generating the universe. This implies that the creative power embodied by Brahma ultimately originates from or is an aspect of Kalabhairava. It suggests that even Brahma, the progenitor of the cosmos, functions under the overarching will and power of Kalabhairava. In some Tantric and Shaivite traditions, Shiva (and by extension Bhairava) is often portrayed as the supreme reality from whom even the Trimurti – Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (as the preserver and destroyer) – emanate.

Transcendence of Cycles This appellation elevates Kalabhairava beyond just a destroyer or punisher; it firmly positions him as the ultimate source from which creation itself springs. It highlights his role as the master of the cosmic cycle, not merely its end. Just as the terrifying aspect of Bhairava is necessary for the dissolution of the old, his creative aspect as Viriñchi allows for the manifestation of the new.

Unified Divinity The usage of "Viriñchayē" for Kalabhairava underscores the Advaitic or non-dualistic understanding in Shaivism, where all divine functions and forms ultimately merge into the one supreme reality, which is Shiva. It is a profound declaration that Kalabhairava encompasses the very essence and function of the creator god Brahma, making him the absolute and complete divinity.

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Text and sources

The name list follows the Kalabhairava 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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