Nārāyaṇa Kavaca
The Nārāyaṇa Kavaca is a hymn of protection taught by the ṛshi Viśvarūpa to Indra in the sixth skandha of the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, chapter 8. A kavaca is a coat of armour made of words. This one uses nyāsa (placing mantras on the body) with two main mantras. It calls on the avatāra forms of Bhagavān Vishṇu to guard the reader in each direction and place. It calls on each of his weapons by name. It ends with the teaching that all that exists is Bhagavān Vishṇu himself.
With this kavaca Indra beat the asura armies and won back the three worlds.
The setting
Bṛhaspati left the devas because Indra had insulted him. The asuras then attacked and overcame the army of the devas. Brahmā sent Indra and the devas to Viśvarūpa, the son of Tvashṭā, to be their new purohita (priest). Indra asked for a kavaca to guard him in battle against the asuras.
Viśvarūpa then taught the Nārāyaṇa Kavaca. It is a text of Vaishṇava worship (upāsanā). It has nyāsa, dhyāna (meditation), protection in space and in time by all the avatāra forms, and the kavaca of the divine weapons. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, sixth skandha, chapters 7 and 8.)
Rites before the recitation
The one who recites (sādhaka) first washes the hands and feet, puts on a kuśa ring (pavitra), sits facing north and does ācamana (the sip of water). With a pure and silent heart he then does nyāsa on the limbs with two mantras.
Aṅga-nyāsa with the eight-syllable mantra
The eight syllables of Oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya, each joined with Oṃkāra, are placed one after another, from the feet upward.
| Syllable | Limb |
|---|---|
| Oṃ + Na | Feet (pāda) |
| Oṃ + Ma | Knees (jānu) |
| Oṃ + Nā | Thighs (ūru) |
| Oṃ + Rā | Belly (udara) |
| Oṃ + Ya | Heart (hṛdaya) |
| Oṃ + Ṇā | Chest (vakshas) |
| Oṃ + Ya | Mouth (mukha) |
| Oṃ + Ya | Head (śiras) |
This can also be done in the reverse order, from the head to the feet.
Kara-nyāsa with the twelve-syllable mantra
The twelve syllables of Oṃ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, each joined with Oṃkāra, are placed on twelve places. These are the eight fingers of both hands (not the thumbs) and the four joints of the two thumbs.
Vishṇu-nyāsa
The syllables of Oṃ vishṇave namaḥ are placed as follows.
- Oṃ on the heart
- Vi on the crown of the head
- Sha between the eyebrows
- Ṇa on the śikhā (the tuft of hair)
- Ve on both eyes
- Na on all the joints
Oṃ maḥ astrāya phaṭ is said to seal the directions (dik-bandhana).
The dhyāna verse
Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa is to be meditated on as beyond prakṛti. In his eight arms he holds the śaṅkha (conch), the cakra (discus), the kheṭaka (shield), the khaḍga (sword), the gadā (mace), the bāṇa (arrow), the dhanus (bow) and the pāśa (noose). He stands on Garuḍa, with his lotus-petal feet on Garuḍa’s back. The eight aiśvaryas (powers) serve him: aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti, prākāmya, mahimā, īśitva, vaśitva and kāmāvasāyitā. He is Oṃkāra in form. He is to be meditated on as living in the ātmā.
Protection by the avatāra forms
Protection in each place
| Avatāra | Where it protects |
|---|---|
| Matsya | In water, from the pāśa of Varuṇa and the dangers of the water |
| Vāmana | On land, as the one who measured the universe in three steps |
| Nārāyaṇa (as the form of the world) | In the sky (ākāśa) |
| Nṛsiṃha | In forests and on battlefields. His roar makes the wombs of the enemy asuras miscarry |
| Varāha | On the road and the path |
| Paraśurāma | On mountain peaks |
| Śrī Rāma (with Lakshmaṇa) | In foreign lands and while travelling |
Other protections by the avatāras
- Nārāyaṇa protects from tāmasa dharma and from all errors.
- Nara protects from pride.
- Dattātreya (the lord of yoga, yogeśvara) protects from the state of having no bhakti or jñāna.
- Bhagavān Kapila (beyond the guṇas, guṇātīta) protects from the bondage of karma (saṃsāra).
- Sanatkumāra protects from the force of kāma (desire).
- Hayagrīva protects from slips (apacāras) against the devas by accident while travelling.
- Nārada (the devarshi) protects from blocks to the ārādhana (worship) of Purushottama.
- Kūrma protects from all the narakas (the sorrows).
- Bhagavān Dhanvantari protects from eating what does not agree with the body.
- Ṛshabhadeva (who has won the mind, manojaya) protects from fear born of the pairs (dvandvas) such as joy and sorrow.
- Yajña-svarūpa protects from lokāpavāda (the blame of people).
- Balarāma protects from the harm that people cause.
- Śesha (the king of the nāgas) protects from being overcome by anger and from poisonous snakes.
- Vyāsa protects from ignorance.
- Buddha protects from the followers of teachings that go against the Veda, and from forgetting Dharma in practice.
- Kalki protects from the faults of Kali in the age of Kali.
Protection through time
The kavaca gives one form of Bhagavān Vishṇu to guard the reciter at each part of the day and night.
| Time | Name of Bhagavān Vishṇu | Weapon or mark |
|---|---|---|
| Dawn (prātaḥ) | Keśava | |
| Morning (second prahara) | Govinda | Flute |
| Midday, third prahara | Nārāyaṇa | The great śakti weapon |
| Noon / midday | Vishṇu | The great cakra |
| Late afternoon | Madhusūdana | The terrible dhanus |
| Sandhyā (evening) | Mādhava | The form of the three mūrtis (Lakshmīpati) |
| Start of night | Hṛshīkeśa | (Master of the senses) |
| Midnight | Padmanābha | Advaita (the only one) |
| Late night | Śrīvatsa-dhara | |
| Before dawn | Janārdana | Sword |
| Both sandhyās | Dāmodara | |
| Just after dawn | Jagannātha | Kālamūrti |
The kavaca of the divine weapons
The reciter speaks to each weapon of Bhagavān Vishṇu directly, as “you”, and asks it to protect.
Sudarśana Cakra. “O Sudarśana! You turn everywhere as Bhagavān Vishṇu wields you. Your edges blaze like the fire at the end of the world. As a fire fed by the wind burns dry grass, burn the enemy army at once and completely!”
Kaumodakī Gadā. “O Kaumodakī! The sparks from your blows fall like thunderbolts. You are dear to Śrī Hari, whom none can beat. Crush the kūshmāṇḍas, vināyakas, bhūtas, grahas, yakshas and rākshasas into powder!”
Pāñcajanya Śaṅkha. “O great Śaṅkha! When Śrī Kṛshṇa blows you, your sound makes the hearts of the enemy shake. Drive away the rākshasas, pramathas, pretas, mātṛkās, piśācas, brahmarākshasas and all beings with cruel eyes!”
Khaḍga (the sword). “O great sword with the sharp blade, wielded by Īśvara! Rise over my enemies’ armies and cut them down!”
Kheṭaka (the shield). “O shield with a hundred crescent-shaped bosses! Cover and blind the eyes of the enemy who looks with pāpa (sin)!”
The closing teaching
The kavaca ends with these two declarations.
“In ultimate truth, earth (which has form), water, fire, air and ākāśa (which has no form) are all Bhagavān Vishṇu himself. By this truth, may all our troubles (upadravas) be destroyed!”
“Those who have the experience of the ātmā as one (advaita) see no difference in the all-knowing, all-pervading Śrī Hari. Yet through his māyā he takes ornaments, weapons, forms, names and the powers (śaktis) of knowledge, lordship and the rest. This is the truth. By this truth, may he protect us in all places and all times through all his forms!”
The Nṛsiṃha dhyāna verse
A verse of meditation closes the kavaca. “The brilliance (tejas) of Bhagavān Nṛsiṃha makes even the brilliance of the sun pale. By his roar the four directions, the four corners, above, below, inside and outside are cleared of fear. He ends the fear of all beings.”
The phalaśruti
Whoever hears this kavaca even once, or recites it with respect, will have all living beings bow before him. He will be freed from fear of every kind.
The account of Kauśika
A brāhmaṇa named Kauśika wore this kavaca. He practised yoga in a desert and gave up his body there. One day Citraratha, the king of the gandharvas, was flying over that spot in his vimāna (flying chariot) with women companions. The vimāna at once fell headfirst to the ground.
Citraratha followed the advice of the Vālakhilya ṛshis. He took the bones of the brāhmaṇa and dissolved them in the Sarasvatī, which flows to the east. He bathed there and was then able to go back to his own loka. The account shows the power of the kavaca to protect even after the death of the one who wore it.
The result for Indra
Indra, the thousand-eyed one, was armed with the Nārāyaṇa Kavaca and easily beat the armies of the rākshasas. He is the one who performed a hundred yajñas. He received this kavaca from Viśvarūpa. By its power he won the asuras in battle and enjoyed the wealth of the three worlds.
Sources
- Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, sixth skandha, chapter 8 (the setting is told in chapters 7 and 8)