Narayana Kavacham

Sacred Invocatory Nyasa: The consecration of the body with the divine names and syllables of the Ashtakshara (8-syllable: Om Namo Narayanaya), Dvadashakshara (12-syllable: Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya), and Shadakshara (6-syllable: Om Vishnave Namah) mantras, empowering the limbs, joints, and senses with Vishnu's protective energy.

King Parikshit said: O holy sage! Protected by which armor did the thousand-eyed Indra, as if in effortless play, conquer the demon armies with all their mounts and enjoy the sovereign majesty of the three worlds?

O revered lord, explain to me that sacred armor of Lord Narayana, shielded by which Indra defeated in battle his aggressive enemies who sought to destroy him.

Sri Shukadeva said: When chosen as priest by Mahendra (Indra) who questioned him, Vishvarupa (the son of Tvashta) revealed this armor known as Narayana Kavacha. Listen to it now with one-pointed attention!

Vishvarupa said: Having washed one's feet and hands, performed sipping of water (Achamana), wearing Kusha grass on the ring finger, facing North, having performed the sacred Nyasa on one's body and hands with the two mantras, silent and pure;

When danger threatens, one should gird oneself with the protective armor of Narayana, placing the syllables successively on the feet, knees, thighs, abdomen, heart, chest;

On the mouth and the head, one should successively place the syllables beginning with Om of the mantra 'Om Namo Narayanaya', or in the reverse order (from head to feet).

Then one should perform hand-nyasa (Karanyasa) with the twelve-syllable mantra ('Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya'), placing from Om to the final syllable 'ya' upon the joints of the fingers and thumbs.

One should place the syllable 'Om' on the heart, 'Vi' on the crown of the head, 'Sha' between the eyebrows, and 'Na' upon the tuft of hair (Shikha);

One should apply 'Ve' to the eyes, 'Na' to all the joints of the body, and uttering 'Mah Astra' as a weapon, the wise practitioner becomes the living embodiment of the mantra.

Affixing the visarga and the syllable 'Phat' ('Mah Astraaya Phat'), one should bind all directions, chanting 'Om Vishnave Namah'.

One should meditate upon the Supreme Self, endowed with the six divine opulences (Jnana, Shakti, Bala, Aishwarya, Virya, Tejas), the embodiment of knowledge, splendor, and austerity, and chant this prayer:

May Lord Hari protect me in every way—He who has placed His lotus feet upon the back of Garuda, king of birds, who wields conch, discus, shield, sword, mace, arrows, bow, and noose in His eight arms, endowed with the eight yogic powers.

In deep waters, may the Matsya (fish) incarnation protect me from aquatic monsters and the noose of Varuna. On dry land, may the illusory dwarf Vamana protect me. In the open sky, may Trivikrama, in His cosmic universal form, protect me.

In inaccessible mountain strongholds, deep forests, and at the front of battle, may Lord Narasimha, the nemesis of demonic chieftains, protect me—whose terrifying roar made all quarters resound and caused pregnant demons to miscarry.

On desolate roads, may the formidable Boar incarnation (Varaha), the embodiment of cosmic sacrifice who lifted the earth upon His tusk, protect me. On mountain peaks and in foreign exile, may Lord Rama, with Lakshmana, protect me.

May Lord Narayana shield me from the pride of asceticism and all carelessness; may Nara protect me from haughtiness and ridicule. May Lord Dattatreya, master of yoga, save me from falling away from yoga; and may Kapila, lord of virtues, deliver me from the bondage of karma.

May Sanatkumara protect me from the assaults of lust (Kamadeva); may Lord Hayagriva protect me while traveling from disrespecting deities; may Narada, foremost of celestial seers, protect me from lapses in deity worship; and may the Kurma (Tortoise) incarnation shield me from hellish realms.

May Lord Dhanvantari protect me from unwholesome foods and illness; may self-controlled Rishabhadeva shield me from the duality of heat, cold, and fear; may Yajna protect me from public infamy and gossip; and may Balarama, the divine serpent Shesha, save me from hordes of angry serpents.

May Bhagavan Dvaipayana (Vyasa) protect me from spiritual ignorance; may Lord Buddha protect me from the hypocrisy of heretics and spiritual carelessness; and may Kalki, who descends to preserve righteousness, shield me from the corrupting impurities of Kali Yuga.

May Keshava protect me in the early morning with His mace; may Govinda, holding His flute, protect me during the forenoon; may Narayana, possessed of supreme prowess, protect me before midday; and may Vishnu, holding the mighty Sudarshana discus, protect me at noon.

In the afternoon, may the slayer of Madhu wielding His formidable bow protect me; at sunset, may the threefold Lord Madhava protect me; in the early dusk, may Hrishikesha protect me; and at midnight, may Padmanabha alone protect me.

In the latter part of the night, may the Lord bearing the Shrivatsa mark protect me; at dawn, may sword-wielding Janardana protect me; and at daybreak, may Damodara, the Lord of the universe and embodiment of Time, protect me.

O Sudarshana Discus, whose rim blazes like the cosmic fire of cosmic dissolution! Spurred by the Supreme Lord, whirl on all sides and burn down, burn down the hostile armies swiftly, just as blazing fire fueled by wind incinerates dry grass!

O Kaumodaki Mace, emitting lightning-like sparks at your strike, beloved weapon of the Unconquerable Lord! Crush, crush our adversaries! Pulverize, pulverize the malevolent spirits—Kushmandas, Vaynakas, Yakshas, Rakshasas, ghosts, and hostile planetary entities!

O Panchajanya, foremost of conches! Blown by Lord Krishna, sounding with terrifying resonance that makes the hearts of all foes tremble—disperse and drive away all demons, Pramathas, wandering spirits, witches, ghouls, and tormenting spirits with malevolent gazes!

O sharp-edged Nandaka sword, wielded by the Supreme Lord! Sever, sever the opposing ranks of the enemy! O Shield adorned with a hundred radiant moons! Conceal me and blind the eyes of my sinful and hostile enemies!

Whatever fear we may suffer from malefic planets, comets, hostile humans, poisonous reptiles, sharp-toothed predators, evil spirits, and accumulated sins—

May all of them, along with whatever obstacles oppose our spiritual welfare, be instantly destroyed by the chanting of the Holy Names, divine Forms, and sacred Weapons of the Supreme Lord!

May the glorious Lord Garuda, the personification of Vedic hymns and metrical mantras, protect us from every calamity; and may Lord Vishvaksena protect us by the power of His holy names.

May the divine Names, Forms, Mounts, Weapons, and noble Attendants of Lord Hari protect our intellect, senses, mind, and vital life-breath from every peril.

Just as the Supreme Lord alone is the sole Reality underlying both manifest cause and unmanifest effect—by this absolute Truth, may all our adversities and afflictions perish!

Just as enlightened sages perceive the Absolute Lord as One and free from differentiation, yet by His own Yoga-Maya He assumes diverse ornaments, weapons, forms, and attributes;

By that very standard of Truth, may the omniscient and omnipresent Lord Hari protect us always and everywhere with all His transcendental forms!

In the diagonal directions, cardinal quarters, above, below, on every side, inside and outside—may Lord Narasimha protect us, dispelling all fear in the universe by His mighty roar and eclipsing all opposing luster!

Vishvarupa said: O Indra (Maghavan)! Thus have I explained unto you this divine armor of Narayana. Clad in this armor, you shall effortlessly conquer all the demon chieftains in battle.

One who wears this armor with pure devotion: whomever he beholds with his eyes, or touches with his feet, is immediately liberated from all fear and terror.

One who holds this sacred Vidya never faces fear from any quarter—neither from oppressive rulers, robbers, malefic planetary spirits, nor ferocious tigers and beasts.

In ancient times, a Brahmin named Kaushika who held this Vidya cast off his mortal body through yogic absorption in the desert sands of Marudhanva.

Once, the King of the Gandharvas named Chitraratha was soaring high in his aerial chariot surrounded by celestial maidens, directly above the spot where the Brahmin’s remains lay.

Suddenly, his celestial chariot tumbled headlong out of the sky! Astounded, on the counsel of the Valakhilya sages, he gathered the Brahmin's bones, cast them into the sacred eastern Saraswati river, bathed, and returned to his heavenly realm.

Whoever listens to this sacred armor at the time of adversity, and whoever holds it with sincere reverence, is honored by all created beings and delivered from every form of terror.

Having acquired this divine Vidya from Vishvarupa, the hundred-sacrifice Indra conquered all the demons in battle and enjoyed the sovereign prosperity of the three worlds. Thus ends the Narayana Kavacham from the Sixth Canto of the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana.