Śiva Kavaca of Ṛshabha
The Śiva Kavaca is a kavaca (armour-prayer) taught by the yogī Ṛshabha to the prince Bhadrāyu. It calls on Bhagavān Śiva in his five-faced form (Tatpurusha, Aghora, Sadyojāta, Vāmadeva and Īśāna) to protect all directions, all parts of the body, all the watches of day and night, and every condition of life. It is found in the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa, Uttarārdha, chapter 12.
The kavaca is described as victorious. It destroys hidden pāpa (sin) and removes all āpad (dangers). Those who wear it reach Śivaloka at death.
The setting
The narrative of Bhadrāyu tells of a prince born from the past life of Maṃdara, a pāpī (sinner) who was freed through the puṇya of Gokarṇa Caturdaśī. The yogī Ṛshabha came to him as a teacher. Ṛshabha taught him the essentials of dharma, and Bhadrāyu performed tapas. Then, before Bhadrāyu set out to face the usurper Hemaratha and win back the throne of his father Maṃdara, Ṛshabha gave him this Śiva Kavaca as the crowning gift.
Ṛshabha told him how to receive the kavaca:
“Seated in a pure place, āsana arranged as directed, senses restrained, prāṇas held in check, meditate on the avyaya (imperishable) Śiva. In the hṛt-puṇḍarīka (lotus of the heart), the all-pervading, transcendent, subtle, infinite, eternal, ānanda-maya Maheśa abides. When one has dwelt in this dhyāna, the karma-bandhas fall away; the manas remains immersed in cit-ānanda. Then, from that Ātman suffused with shaḍakshara-japa, one must invoke Śiva’s kavaca for protection.”
The five faces and the directions
The five faces of Bhagavān Śiva protect the five directions.
| Direction | Face of Śiva | How he is described |
|---|---|---|
| East | Tatpurusha | Blazing like lightning and gold; holds the triśūla, the Vedas, the aṅkuśa and the pāśa; four-faced, three-eyed |
| South | Aghora | Dark blue; holds the Vedas, aṅkuśa, pāśa, śūla, kapāla, ḍakka, akshamālā and bow; four-faced, three-eyed |
| West | Sadyojāta | White as the kunda flower, the conch and crystal; holds the Vedas, akshamālā, varada and abhaya; four-faced, three-eyed, greatly powerful |
| North | Vāmadeva | The colour of kiñjalka (lotus filaments); holds the akshamālā, abhaya and khaḍga; four-faced, three-eyed |
| Above | Īśāna | Five-faced, supremely luminous; holds the Vedas, abhaya, the instruments of yajña, aṅkuśa, khaḍga, nāga, kapāla, ḍakka, akshata and śūla |
Protection of the body
Bhagavān Śiva, called by his many names, protects each part of the body.
- Head: Candramaulī
- Eyes: Bhaganetra-hāriṇa (who took the eyes of Bhaga)
- Face: Pañcavaktra (five-faced)
- Tongue: Vedajihva
- Ears: the one praised in the Śruti
- Cheeks: Kapālī
- Throat: Gīriśa and Nīlakaṇṭha
- Arms: Pīnākapāṇi
- Roots of the shoulders: Dharmabāhu
- Chest: Dakshamakhanāśaka (destroyer of the yajña of Daksha)
- Bow: Girīndra-dhanus (whose bow is Meru itself)
- Middle of the body: Madanāntaka (destroyer of Manmatha)
- Navel: the father of Hīramba (that is, the father of Gaṇeśa, Bhagavān Śiva)
- Thighs: Kubera-mitra (friend of Kubera)
- Knees: Jagadīśvara
- Legs: Vṛshadhvaja (whose banner bears the bull)
- Feet: the one worshipped by the suras
Protection through the watches of day and night
Bhagavān Śiva, under different names, guards every watch of time.
| Watch | Name of Śiva |
|---|---|
| Dawn (prātaḥ-yāma) | Maheśvara |
| Midday (madhya-yāma) | Vāmadeva |
| Afternoon (tṛtīya-yāma) | Tryambaka |
| Evening (divānta-yāma) | Vṛshadhvaja |
| Early night | Śaśiśekhara |
| Midnight (niśīdha) | Gaṅgādhara |
| Before dawn | Gaurīpati |
| Always and completely | Mṛtyuñjaya |
Protection in every action and place
- Standing: Bhuvanānāṃ nātha (the one master of all the worlds)
- Walking: Pramathādhivāda (ruler of the gaṇas)
- Seated: Vedānta-vedya (known through Vedānta)
- Sleeping: Avyaya Śiva
- On the road: Nīlakaṇṭha
- In forests, on mountains and in hard country: Tripurāri
- In the wilderness and on great journeys: Mṛgavyādha (the hunter form of Śiva)
The great mantra of the kavaca
At the heart of the kavaca is a great invocation to Sadāśiva. It calls him by his far-reaching names and asks for his protection with the repeated command raksha raksha (protect, protect).
It calls Bhagavān Sadāśiva:
- sakala-tattva-ātmaka (the ātmā of all tattvas)
- sakala-loka-eka-kartā (the only maker of all worlds)
- sakala-loka-eka-bhartā (the only keeper of all worlds)
- sakala-loka-eka-hartā (the only one who draws all worlds back)
- sakala-loka-eka-guru (the only guru of all worlds)
- sakala-loka-eka-sākshī (the only witness of all worlds)
- sakala-nigama-guhya (the secret of all the Vedas)
- sakala-varaprada (giver of every vara, boon)
- nirguṇa (without guṇas)
- nirupama (beyond compare)
- nirāmaya (free of disease)
- nishkalaṅka (without blemish)
- nitya-śuddha-buddha-pūrṇa-saccidānanda (eternally pure, awake, full, truth-consciousness-bliss)
The commands and prayers in it are:
- raksha raksha: protect me from all directions
- mahā-mṛtyu-bhaya nāśaya: destroy the fear of great death
- apamṛtyu-bhaya nāśaya: destroy the fear of untimely death
- roga-bhaya: keep away the fear of disease
- visha-sarpa-bhaya śamaya: calm the fear of poison and snakes
- cora-bhaya māraya: destroy the fear of robbers
- śatrūn uccāṭaya: root out my enemies
- naraka-bhayāt māmuddhāraya: lift me from the fear of naraka (hell)
- dainya and ānandāya: take away suffering and give joy
The kavaca ends with these words:
tri-ambaka sadāśiva namaste namaste namaste.
The phalaśruti
Ṛshabha told what wearing and reciting this kavaca gives:
- No fear arises anywhere, through the anugraha (grace) of Bhagavān Śiva.
- Those who are near the end of their life (kshīṇāyus) and those struck by mahārogas (great diseases) at once find peace and long life.
- Dāridrya (poverty) of every kind is removed, and saumāṅgalya (auspiciousness) grows.
- The wearer is worshipped by the devas themselves.
- The wearer is freed from all mahāpātakas and upapātakas (great and small pāpa).
- At death the power of the Śiva Kavaca carries the jīva straight to Śivaloka.
Ṛshabha then said to Bhadrāyu:
“O child! You too — wear this uttama Śiva Kavaca that I have given, with śraddhā. You will immediately attain śreyas.”
What Ṛshabha gave after the kavaca
Straight after giving the kavaca, Ṛshabha did three things for Bhadrāyu.
- He gave him a divine khaḍga (sword). The sight of it at once destroys any enemy.
- He gave him a divine śaṅkha (conch). Its sound stuns the whole army that stands against him.
- He touched Bhadrāyu’s body with bhasma (sacred ash) charged with mantra. At once his strength doubled to the strength of twelve thousand elephants.
Sources
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa, Uttarārdha, Chapter 12