SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 6

(1-2) The king said: 'What was the protection of the thousand eyed king [Indra] when he sported with the armed forces of the enemy and their carriers; conquering the three worlds he enjoyed the opulence, o sage - please explain to me in which way the defense of Lord Nârâyana's mercy was protecting him when he defeated in the fight those who tried to kill him.'

(3) The son of Vyâsadeva said: 'Now hear attentively about that what the son of Tvashthâ, chosen as priest, upon being asked, told the great Indra of the protective defense in mantras of Nârâyana. (4-6) Vis'varûpa said: 'Having washed one's hand and feet, sipping the water with the necessary mantras [âcamana] should one, sitting in proper respect ['with kus'a'] facing the north, prepare oneself mentally designating mantras [like om namo bhagavate vâsudevâya and om namo nârâyanâya] to the different parts of the body. In silence purified in dedication to the lordship of Nârâyana should one, in case of rising fear, adopt the defense [called Nârâyana-kavaca] offering one's obeisances to Nârâyana by touching one's lower legs, the knees, the thighs, the abdomen, the heart, the chest, the mouth and the head one after another, beginning with 'om' or even do this once more in reverse order [this is called utpatti-nyâsa and samhâra-nyâsa]. (*) (7) Next one should assign the [12] syllables of the mantra beginning with om and ending with ya [: om na-mo bha-ga-va-te vâ-su-de-vâ-ya] to the fingers starting with the index finger and ending with the four joints of the thumbs. (8-10) The heart one should assign 'om', 'vi' next comes to the top of the head, 'sha' comes between the eyebrows, 'na' on the s'ikhâ [the tuft of hair on the back of the head with vaishnava monks], 've' comes between the eyes, the syllable 'na' should be assigned to all the joints of the body, and 'ma' should be thought of as a weapon in the form of a mantra. Thus should an intelligent person, saying the mantra of 'visarga' ending with 'phat' in all directions ['visarga mah astrâya phath' or: 'with this weapon I free myself from the world'], fix himself on 'Om Vishnave Namah' ['All glories to Lord Vishnu'].

(11) One should recite the following mantras that personify the Supreme Self worthy to meditate upon that is endowed with the six opulences of learning, power and austerity [as also wealth, beauty and fame]:

(12) 'I pray that the Lord, He of the eight perfections [see 3.15: 45] whose feet rest upon the back of Garuda holding the conchshell, disc, shield, sword, club, arrows, bow and ropes in his eight arms, will grant me His protection. (13) May Matsya [the fish-incarnation of Lord Vishnu] protect me in the water against the predators of Varuna, may He on land protect me by the ropes of Vâmana, the dwarf-incarnation of Trivikrama [Lord Vishnu as the conqueror of the three worlds] and may He in the sky protect me as Vis'varûpa [Him in the form of the universe]. (14) May the Supreme Master protect me in my toiling in the wilderness and at the front in battle; may Lord Nrisimhadev release me, of whose fearful laughter, resounding in all directions, the enemy of the leader of the demons and his offspring to be born, came to fall. (15) May on the street there be the protection of that One Lordship respected in the rituals, Lord Varâha who on his own tusks raised the planet earth; may there for us be on the mountain peaks the protection of Lord [Paras'u-]Râma and in foreign countries the protection of the elder brother [Lord Râmacandra] of Bharata, and His brother Lakshmana. (16) May Lord Nârâyana protect me from religious fanaticism and from acting in madness; may Nara keep me from being arrogant, may Dattâtreya keep me away from disloyal union [non-yoga] and may the master of all Yoga, the controller of all quality, Lord Kapila, be my guarantee against the bondage of karma. (17) May Sanat-Kumâra [the perfect celibate] keep me out of the hands of Cupid, may Hayagrîva [the horse-incarnation] keep me on the path away from disrespecting the divinity, may the best of sages Devarishi Nârada keep me from offenses doing worship and may the Lord as Kûrma [the tortoise-incarnation] keep me out of the infinite hell. (18) May Bhagavân Dhanvantari [the physician-avatâra] protect me from things injurious to one's health, may Rishabhadeva, the full control over the mind and the self [see 5.4: 6], keep me from the duality and fear, may Yajña [Vishnu as the Lord of sacrifice] keep me from infamy and an akward social position, and may Lord Balarâma in the form of Ananta S'esha [the Lord of the ego, see 5.25] keep me away from the angry serpents. (19) May Bhagavân Dvaipâyana [Vyâsadeva] keep me from incompetence, may also Lord Buddha, who leads the ones who are illusioned, keep me away from the delusional and may Kalki, the Lord of this age of quarrel incarnating as the greatest in defense of the dharma [as the channa- or covert avatâras], protect me against the impurities of the time [intoxication, promiscuity, gambling and meat-eating; see also 1.17: 24]. (20) May Kes'ava with His club protect me in the morning, may Govinda holding His flute do so in the afternoon, may Nârâyana protect me in the late afternoon and may for the fourth part of the day Lord Vishnu, the ruler with the disc, be the controller of all forces [see also 5.21: 10]. (21) May Lord Madhusûdana with the fearful bow S'ârnga protect me in the early evening. May Mâdhava, the Lord of Brahmâ, Vishnu and S'iva, protect me in the late evening and may Lord Hrishîkes'a protect me in the early night. May around midnight Lord Padmanâbha [the Lord from whose navel the universe sprang] be my only protector. (22) May the Lord with the S'rîvatsa-mark be the controller after midnight, may Janârdana, the Lord with the sword in His hand be the controller over the end of the night, may Lord Dâmodara protect me at dawn and may the Controller of the Universe, the Supreme Lord who is the personification of time rule over the early morning [**]. (23) Please let the sharp rimmed disc operated by the Lord [His order of time, the cyclic of natural time], that at the end of the age is as the fire of devastation, with its moving around the entirety of worlds, burn to ashes the enemy forces just like a blazing fire with its friend the wind would do instantly with dry grass. (24) May You, o club, so dear to the Invincible Lord, whose touch like thunderbolts sparks with fire, pound to pieces and pound to pieces, destroy and pulverize my enemies, the imps [Kushmândas], the conjurers [Vainâyakas], the evil spirits [Yakshas], the demons [Râkshasas], the ghosts [Bhûtas] and the poisoners [Grahas]. (25) O conchshell, may you with your frightening sound cause the hearts of the enemy torturers [Pramathas], living dead [Pretas], bastards [Mâtâs], madmen [Pis'âcas] and heretics [Vipra-grahas] with their evil looks, to tremble to the core. (26) You, o sharpest of swords, may you in the hands of the Lord cut to pieces, chop up, the enemy soldiers. O shield marked with a hundred shining moons, blind the eyes of the envious so full of evil and pluck their sinful eyeballs out. (27-28) May by the glory of Your name, form and attributes all the enmity, all the sin, all the envious, the snakes, the scorpions and predators, the earthly ghosts, as well as the fear arousing poisoners of our minds and bodies which hindered our well-being, be sent to their full destruction. (29) Garuda, the majesty of the Lord glorified in verses, the personification of the Veda; may that master by all the names of Vishvaksena Himself [the Lord whose powers are found throughout the universe] protect us from endless suffering. (30) May the adornment of His retinue, of His holy name, form, carriers and weapons, protect and maintain our intelligence, mind and life-air from all kinds of dangers.

(31) As sure a fact that with the Supreme Lord there is no doubt of the ultimate over the manifest and unmanifest, are we sure that by this truth whatever that is all of disturbance to us will find its end. (32-33) With those bent upon an absence of differences is the oneness known by the diversity. Following that course, is He Himself by His expanding spiritual energy with all His decorations, weapons, characteristics and having so many potencies and different names, truly understood as the omniscient Supreme Lord defeating the illusion; may He, the all-pervading One, with all His forms, protect us always and everywhere. (34) May the Supreme Lord in every nook and corner, in all directions, above and below, from all sides, from within and from without, in the form of Nrisimhadev annihilate all worldly fears by His mighty roar [or song, see the Nrisimha Pranâma]; may He with His effulgence overshadow all other influences.

(35) O King Indra, under the protection of this mystic armor relating to Lord Nârâyana that I described, will you conquer very easily the leaders of the demoniac hordes. (36) Whichever person but sets his mind to it, whether he came to see it, found it at his feet or stumbled upon it, will immediately be freed from all fears. (37) He who employs this mystic prayer has nothing to fear, not from the government, nor from rogues, not from the poisoners and such nor from diseases at any time. (38) This prayer was before used by a man named Kaus'ika, a brahmin, a yoga-adept who gave up his body in the desert. (39) His dead body was spotted from above in his heavenly chariot by the king of the Ghandarvas, Citraratha when he once, surrounded by many a beautiful woman, went to where the twice-born one had died. (40) All of a sudden he inescapably, headfirst, fell down from the sky with his heavenly vehicle. Struck with wonder consulting with the Vâlikhilyas [the sages of the sungod], he received instruction to collect all the bones and throw them in the eastward flowing Sarasvatî. After taking a bath in that river he could then return home.'

(41) S'rî S'uka said: 'Anyone who may hear this in times of trouble or anyone who employs this zealously, offering Him obeisances, is released from all fear raised by any creature in existence. (42) By this prayer received from Vis'varûpa enjoyed Indra as the vessel of enlightenment, the riches of all three worlds and conquered he in battle all the ones of darkness [see also B.G. 4: 34].

The king said: 'What was the protection of the thousand eyed king [Indra] when he sported with the armed forces of the enemy and their carriers; conquering the three worlds he enjoyed the opulence, o sage - please explain to me in which way the defense of Lord Nârâyana's mercy was protecting him when he defeated in the fight those who tried to kill him.

King Parîkshit inquired from S'ukadeva Gosvâmî: My lord, kindly explain the Vishnu mantra armor that protected King Indra and enabled him to conquer his enemies, along with their carriers, and enjoy the opulence of the three worlds. Please explain to me that Nârâyana armor, by which King Indra achieved success in battle, conquering the enemies who were endeavoring to kill him. (Vedabase)

Text 3

The son of Vyâsadeva said: 'Now hear attentively about that what the son of Tvashthâ, chosen as priest, upon being asked, told the great Indra of the protective defense in mantras of Nârâyana.

S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: King Indra, the leader of the demigods, inquired about the armor known as Nârâyana-kavaca from Vis'varûpa, who was engaged by the demigods as their priest. Please hear Vis'varûpa's reply with great attention. (Vedabase)

Text 4-6:

Vis'varûpa said: 'Having washed one's hand and feet, sipping the water with the necessary mantras [âcamana] should one, sitting in proper respect ['with kus'a'] facing the north, prepare oneself mentally designating mantras [like om namo bhagavate vâsudevâya and om namo nârâyanâya] to the different parts of the body. In silence purified in dedication to the lordship of Nârâyana should one, in case of rising fear, adopt the defense [called Nârâyana-kavaca] offering one's obeisances to Nârâyana by touching one's lower legs, the knees, the thighs, the abdomen, the heart, the chest, the mouth and the head one after another, beginning with 'om' or even do this once more in reverse order [this is called utpatti-nyâsa and samhâra-nyâsa].. (*)

Vis'varûpa said: If some form of fear arrives, one should first wash his hands and legs clean and then perform âcamana by chanting this mantra: om apavitrah pavitro va sarvâvasthâm gato 'pi vâ/ yah smaret pundarîkâksham sa bahyâbhyantarah s'ucih/ s'rî-vishnu s'rî -vishnu s'rî-vishnu. Then one should touch kus'a grass and sit gravely and silently, facing north. When completely purified, one should touch the mantra composed of eight syllables to the eight parts of his body and touch the mantra composed of twelve syllables to his hands. Thus, in the following manner, he should bind himself with the Nârâyana coat of armor. First, while chanting the mantra composed of eight syllables [om namo nârâyanâya], beginning with the pranava, the syllable om, one should touch his hands to eight parts of his body, starting with the two feet and progressing systematically to the knees, thighs, abdomen, heart, chest, mouth and head. Then one should chant the mantra in reverse, beginning from the last syllable [ya], while touching the parts of his body in the reverse order. These two processes are known as utpatti-nyâsa and samhâra-nyâsa respectively. (Vedabase)

Text 7

Next one should assign the [12] syllables of the mantra beginning with om and ending with ya [: om na-mo bha-ga-va-te vâ-su-de-vâ-ya] to the fingers starting with the index finger and ending with the four joints of the thumbs.

Then one should chant the mantra composed of twelve syllables [om namo bhagavate vâsudevâya]. Preceding each syllable by the omkâra, one should place the syllables of the mantra on the tips of his fingers, beginning with the index finger of the right hand and concluding with the index finger of the left. The four remaining syllables should be placed on the joints of the thumbs. (Vedabase)

Text 8-10:

The heart one should assign 'om', 'vi' next comes to the top of the head, 'sha' comes between the eyebrows, 'na' on the s'ikhâ [the tuft of hair on the back of the he ad with vaishnava monks], 've' comes between the eyes, the syllable 'na' should be assigned to all the joints of the body, and 'ma' should be thought of as a weapon in the form of a mantra. Thus should an intelligent person, saying the mantra of 'visarga' ending with 'phat' in all directions ['visarga mah astrâya phath' or: 'with this weapon I free myself from the world'], fix himself on 'Om Vishnave Namah' ['All glories to Lord Vishnu'].

One must then chant the mantra of six syllables [om vishnave namah]. One should place the syllable om on his heart, the syllable vi on the top of his head, the syllable sha between his eyebrows, the syllable na on his tuft of hair [s'ikhâ], and the syllable ve between his eyes. The chanter of the mantra should then place the syllable na on all the joints of his body and meditate on the syllable ma as being a weapon. He should thus become the perfect personification of the mantra. Thereafter, adding visarga to the final syllable ma, he should chant the mantra mah astrâya phath in all directions, beginning from the east. In this way, all directions will be bound by the protective armor of the mantra. (Vedabase)

Text 11

One should recite the following mantras that personify the Supreme Self worthy to meditate upon that is endowed with the six opulences of learning, power and austerity [as also wealth, beauty and fame]:

After finishing this chanting, one should think himself qualitatively one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is full in six opulences and is worthy to be meditated upon. Then one should chant the following protective prayer to Lord Nârâyana, the Nârâyana-kavaca. (Vedabase)

Text 12

'I pray that the Lord, He of the eight perfections [see 3.15: 45] whose feet rest upon the back of Garuda holding the conchshell, disc, shield, sword, club, arrows, bow and ropes in his eight arms, will grant me His protection.

The Supreme Lord, who sits on the back of the bird Garuda, touching him with His lotus feet, holds eight weapons--the conchshell, disc, shield, sword, club, arrows, bow and ropes. May that Supreme Personality of Godhead protect me at all times with His eight arms. He is all-powerful because He fully possesses the eight mystic powers [animâ, laghimâ, etc.]. (Vedabase)

Text 13

May Matsya [the fish-incarnation of Lord Vishnu] protect me in the water against the predators of Varuna, may He on land protect me by the ropes of Vâmana, the dwarf-incarnation of Trivikrama [Lord Vishnu as the conqueror of the three worlds] and may He in the sky protect me as Vis'varûpa [Him in the form of the universe].

May the Lord, who assumes the body of a great fish, protect me in the water from the fierce animals that are associates of the demigod Varuna. By expanding His illusory energy, the Lord assumed the form of the dwarf Vâmana. May Vâmana protect me on the land. Since the gigantic form of the Lord, Vis'varûpa, conquers the three worlds, may He protect me in the sky. (Vedabase)

Text 14

May the Supreme Master protect me in my toiling in the wilderness and at the front in battle; may Lord Nrisimhadev release me, of whose fearful laughter, resounding in all directions, the enemy of the leader of the demons and his offspring to be born, came to fall.

May Lord Nrisimhadeva, who appeared as the enemy of Hiranyakas'ipu, protect me in all directions. His loud laughing vibrated in all directions and caused the pregnant wives of the asuras to have miscarriages. May that Lord be kind enough to protect me in difficult places like the forest and battlefront. (Vedabase)

Text 15

May on the street there be the protection of that One Lordship respected in the rituals, Lord Varâha who on his own tusks raised the planet earth; may there for us be on the mountain peaks the protection of Lord [Paras'u-]Râma and in foreign countries the protection of the elder brother [Lord Râmacandra] of Bharata, and His brother Lakshmana.

The Supreme indestructible Lord is ascertained through the performance of ritualistic sacrifices and is therefore known as Yajñes'vara. In His incarnation as Lord Boar, He raised the planet earth from the water at the bottom of the universe and kept it on His pointed tusks. May that Lord protect me from rogues on the street. May Paras'urâma protect me on the tops of mountains, and may the elder brother of Bharata, Lord Râmacandra, along with His brother Lakshmana, protect me in foreign countries. (Vedabase)

Text 16

May Lord Nârâyana protect me from religious fanaticism and from acting in madness; may Nara keep me from being arrogant, may Dattâtreya keep me away from disloyal union [non-yoga] and may the master of all Yoga, the controller of all quality, Lord Kapila, be my guarantee against the bondage of karma.

May Lord Nârâyana protect me from unnecessarily following false religious systems and falling from my duties due to madness. May the Lord in His appearance as Nara protect me from unnecessary pride. May Lord Dattâtreya, the master of all mystic power, protect me from falling while performing bhakti-yoga, and may Lord Kapila, the master of all good qualities, protect me from the material bondage of fruitive activities. (Vedabase)

Text 17

May Sanat-Kumâra [the perfect celibate] keep me out of the hands of Cupid, may Hayagrîva [the horse-incarnation] keep me on the path away from disrespecting the divinity, may the best of sages Devarishi Nârada keep me from offenses doing worship and may the Lord as Kûrma [the tortoise-incarnation] keep me out of the infinite hell.

May Sanat-kumâra protect me from lusty desires. As I begin some auspicious activity, may Lord Hayagrîva protect me from being an offender by neglecting to offer respectful obeisances to the Supreme Lord. May Devarishi Nârada protect me from committing offenses in worshiping the Deity, and may Lord Kûrma, the tortoise, protect me from falling to the unlimited hellish planets. (Vedabase)

Text 18:

May Bhagavân Dhanvantari [the physician-avatâra] protect me from things injurious to one's health, may Rishabhadeva, the full control over the mind and the self [see 5.4: 6], keep me from the duality and fear, may Yajña [Vishnu as the Lord of sacrifice] keep me from infamy and an akward social position, and may Lord Balarâma in the form of Ananta S'esha [the Lord of the ego, see 5.25] keep me away from the angry serpents.

May the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His incarnation as Dhanvantari relieve me from undesirable eatables and protect me from physical illness. May Lord Rishabhadeva, who conquered His inner and outer senses, protect me from fear produced by the duality of heat and cold. May Yajña protect me from defamation and harm from the populace, and may Lord Balarâma as S'esha protect me from envious serpents. (Vedabase)