Meaning and elaboration
Meaning: The Remover of Fear, Dispeller of All Terrors.
Elaboration
The name Bhiti-hara literally means "Remover of Fear" or "Dispeller of All Terrors." It reveals Kali as the source of ultimate safety and solace for her devotees, even though her outward form appears fierce and formidable.
Transcending Appearances Kali's iconography can frighten the uninitiated: her dark complexion, garland of skulls, powerful weapons, and wild, disheveled hair. Yet the name Bhiti-hara reveals the deeper truth behind that form. Her apparent ferocity is directed toward the roots of fear themselves. She is terrible to ignorance, ego, and evil, but a loving protector to her devoted children.
The Root of Fear All fear, whether of death, loss, suffering, or the unknown, arises from identification with the limited ego and the illusion of separateness (maya). As Bhiti-hara, Kali destroys these illusions at their root. By dissolving the small, individual self into her vast, all-encompassing reality, she removes the very ground on which fear stands. For the practitioner who takes refuge in her, fear loses its hold because surrender opens into the ultimate truth.
Divine Protection and Assurance This name also emphasizes her role as the Supreme Protectress. Devotees who surrender to her receive inner courage and a peace that cannot easily be shaken. Her fierce forms are not meant to frighten them, but to repel and destroy the external and internal forces that threaten their spiritual journey and peace of mind. Her grace bestows fearlessness (abhaya), one of the highest spiritual gifts.