Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6: “Prescribed Duties for Mankind”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Eight
The Narayana-kavaca Shield
SB6.8Summary
This chapter describes how Indra, the King of heaven, was victorious over the soldiers of the demons, and it also describes the shield of the Visnu mantra.
To take protection from this shield, one must first touch kusa grass and wash one’s mouth with acamana-mantras. One should observe silence and then place the eight-syllable Visnu mantra on the parts of his body and place the twelve-syllable mantra on his hands. The eight-syllable mantra is om namo narayanaya. This mantra should be distributed all over the front and back of the body. The twelve-syllable mantra, which begins with the pranava, omkara, is om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. One syllable should be placed on each of the fingers and should be preceded by the pranava, omkara. Thereafter, one must chant om visnave namah, which is a six-syllable mantra. One must progressively place the syllables of the mantra on the heart, the head, between the two eyebrows, on the sikha and between the eyes, and then one should chant mah astraya phat and with this mantra protect himself from all directions. Nadevo devam arcayet: one who has not risen to the level of a deva cannot chant this mantra. According to this direction of the sastra, one must think himself qualitatively nondifferent from the Supreme.
After finishing this dedication, one must offer a prayer to the eight-armed Lord Visnu, who sits on the shoulders of Garudadeva. One also has to think of the fish incarnation, Vamana, Kurma, Nrsimha, Varaha. Parasurama, Ramacandra (the elder brother of Laksmana). Nara-Narayana, Dattatreya (an empowered incarnation), Kapila, Sanat-kumara, Hayagriva, Naradadeva (the incarnation of a devotee). Dhanvantari, Rsabhadeva, Yajna, Balarama, Vyasadeva, Buddhadeva and Kesava. One should also think of Govinda, the master of Vrndavana. and one should think of Narayana, the master of the spiritual sky. One should think of Madhusudana, Tridhama, Madhava, Hrsikesa, Padmanabha, Janardana, Damodara and Visvesvara, as well as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna Himself. After offering prayers to the Lord’s personal expansions known as the svamsa and saktyavesa-avataras, one should pray to the weapons of Lord Narayana, such as the Sudarsana, gada, sankha, khadga and bow.
After explaining this process, Sukadeva Gosvami told Maharaja Pariksit how Visvarupa, the brother of Vrtrasura, described the glories of the Narayana-kavaca to Indra. SB6.8.1-2 TEXTS 1–2 sri-rajovaca yaya guptah sahasraksah savahan ripu-sainikan kridann iva vinirjitya tri-lokya bubhuje sriyam bhagavams tan mamakhyahi varma narayanatmakam yathatatayinah satrun yena gupto ’jayan mrdhe SYNONYMS sri-raja uvaca—King Pariksit said; yaya—by which (the spiritual armor); guptah—protected; sahasra-aksah—the thousand-eyed King Indra; sa-vahan—with their carriers; ripu-sainikan—the soldiers and commanders of the enemies; kridan iva—just like playing; vinirjitya—conquering; tri-lokyah—of the three worlds (the higher, middle and lower planetary systems); bubhuje—enjoyed; sriyam—the opulence; bhagavan—O great sage; tat—that; mama—unto me; akhyahi—please explain; varma—defensive armor made of a mantra; narayana-atmakam—consisting of the mercy of Narayana; yatha—in which way; atatayinah—who were endeavoring to kill him; satrun—enemies; yena—by which; guptah—being protected; ajayat—conquered; mrdhe—in the fight. TRANSLATION King Pariksit inquired from Sukadeva Gosvami: My lord, kindly explain the Visnu 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 Narayana armor, by which King Indra achieved success in battle, conquering the enemies who were endeavoring to kill him. SB6.8.3 TEXT 3 sri-badarayanir uvaca vrtah purohitas tvastro mahendrayanuprcchate narayanakhyam varmaha tad ihaika-manah srnu SYNONYMS sri-badarayanih uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; vrtah—the chosen; purohitah—priest; tvastrah—the son of Tvasta; mahendraya—unto King Indra; anuprcchate—after he (Indra) inquired; narayana-akhyam—named Narayana-kavaca; varma—defensive armor made of a mantra; aha—he said; tat—that; iha—this; eka-manah—with great attention; srnu—hear from me. TRANSLATION Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: King Indra, the leader of the demigods, inquired about the armor known as Narayana-kavaca from Visvarupa, who was engaged by the demigods as their priest. Please hear Visvarupa’s reply with great attention. SB6.8.4-6 TEXTS 4–6 sri-visvarupa uvaca dhautanghri-panir acamya sapavitra udan-mukhah krta-svanga-kara-nyaso mantrabhyam vag-yatah sucih narayana-param varma sannahyed bhaya agate padayor janunor urvor udare hrdy athorasi mukhe sirasy anupurvyad omkaradini vinyaset om namo narayanayeti viparyayam athapi va SYNONYMS sri-visvarupah uvaca—Sri Visvarupa said; dhauta—having completely washed; anghri—feet; panih—hands; acamya—performing acamana (sipping a little water three times after chanting the prescribed mantra); sa-pavitrah—wearing rings made of kusa grass (on the ring finger of each hand); udak-mukhah—sitting facing the north; krta—making; sva-anga-kara-nyasah—mental assignment of the eight parts of the body and twelve parts of the hands; mantrabhyam—with the two mantras (om namo bhagavate vasudevaya and om namo narayanaya); vak-yatah—keeping oneself silent; sucih—being purified; narayana-param—fully intent on Lord Narayana; varma—armor; sannahyet— put on oneself; bhaye—when fear; agate—has come; padayoh—on the two legs; janunoh—on the two knees; urvoh—on the two thighs; udare—on the abdomen; hrdi—on the heart; atha—thus; urasi—on the chest; mukhe—on the mouth; sirasi—on the head; anupurvyat—one after another; omkara-adini—beginning with omkara; vinyaset—one should place; om—the pranava; namah—obeisances; narayanaya— unto Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; iti—thus; viparyayam—the reverse; atha api—moreover; va—or. TRANSLATION Visvarupa said: If some form of fear arrives, one should first wash his hands and legs clean and then perform acamana by chanting this mantra: om apavitrah pavitro va sarvavastham gato ’pi va/ yah smaret pundarikaksam sa bahyabhyantarah sucih/ sri-visnu sri-visnu sri-visnu. Then one should touch kusa 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 Narayana coat of armor. First, while chanting the mantra composed of eight syllables [om namo narayanaya], 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-nyasa and samhara-nyasa respectively. SB6.8.7 TEXT 7 kara-nyasam tatah kuryad dvadasaksara-vidyaya pranavadi-ya-karantam anguly-angustha-parvasu SYNONYMS kara-nyasam—the ritual known as kara-nyasa, which assigns the syllables of the mantra to the fingers; tatah—thereafter; kuryat—should execute; dvadasa-aksara—composed of twelve syllables; vidyaya—with the mantra; pranava-adi—beginning with the omkara; ya-kara-antam—ending with the syllable ya; anguli—on the fingers, beginning with the index finger; angustha-parvasu—to the joints of the thumbs. TRANSLATION Then one should chant the mantra composed of twelve syllables [om namo bhagavate vasudevaya]. Preceding each syllable by the omkara, 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. SB6.8.8-10 TEXTS 8–10 nyased dhrdaya omkaram vi-karam anu murdhani sa-karam tu bhruvor madhye na-karam sikhaya nyaset ve-karam netrayor yunjyan na-karam sarva-sandhisu ma-karam astram uddisya mantra-murtir bhaved budhah savisargam phad-antam tat sarva-diksu vinirdiset om visnave nama iti SYNONYMS nyaset—should place; hrdaye—on the heart; omkaram—the pranava, omkara; vi-karam—the syllable vi of visnave; anu—thereafter; murdhani—on the top of the head; sa-karam—the syllable sa; tu—and; bhruvoh madhye—between the two eyebrows; na-karam—the syllable na; sikhaya—on the sikha on the head; nyaset—should place; vekaram—the syllable ve; netrayoh—between the two eyes; yunjyat—should be placed; na-karam—the syllable na of the word namah; sarva-sandhisu—on all the joints; ma-karam—the syllable ma of the word namah; astram—a weapon; uddisya—thinking; mantra-murtih—the form of the mantra; bhavet—should become; budhah—an intelligent person; sa-visargam—with the visarga (h); phat-antam—ending with the sound phat; tat—that; sarva-diksu—in all directions; vinirdiset—should fix; om—pranava; visnave—unto Lord Visnu; namah—obeisances; iti—thus. TRANSLATION One must then chant the mantra of six syllables [om visnave namah]. One should place the syllable “om” on his heart, the syllable “vi” on the top of his head, the syllable “sa” between his eyebrows, the syllable “na” on his tuft of hair [sikha], 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 astraya phat” in all directions, beginning from the east. In this way, all directions will be bound by the protective armor of the mantra. SB6.8.11 TEXT 11 atmanam paramam dhyayed dhyeyam sat-saktibhir yutam vidya-tejas-tapo-murtim imam mantram udaharet SYNONYMS atmanam—the self; paramam—the supreme; dhyayet—one should meditate on; dhyeyam—worthy to be meditated on; sat-saktibhih—the six opulences; yutam—possessed of; vidya—learning; tejah—influence; tapah—austerity; murtim—personified; imam—this; mantram—mantra; udaharet—should chant. TRANSLATION 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 Narayana, the Narayana-kavaca. SB6.8.12 TEXT 12 om harir vidadhyan mama sarva-raksam nyastanghri-padmah patagendra-prsthe darari-carmasi-gadesu-capa- pasan dadhano ’sta-guno ’sta-bahuh SYNONYMS om—O Lord; harih—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vidadhyat—may He bestow; mama—my; sarva-raksam—protection from all sides; nyasta—placed; anghri-padmah—whose lotus feet; patagendra-prsthe—on the back of Garuda, the king of all birds; dara—conchshell; ari—disc; carma—shield; asi—sword; gada—club; isu—arrows; capa—bow; pasan—ropes; dadhanah—holding; asta—possessing eight; gunah—perfections; asta—eight; bahuh—arms. TRANSLATION 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 [anima, laghima, etc.]. PURPORT Thinking oneself one with the Supreme is called ahangrahopasana. Through ahangrahopasana one does not become God, but he thinks of himself as qualitatively one with the Supreme. Understanding that as a spirit soul he is equal in quality to the supreme soul the way the water of a river is of the same nature as the water of the sea, one should meditate upon the Supreme Lord, as described in this verse, and seek His protection. The living entities are always subordinate to the Supreme. Consequently their duty is to always seek the mercy of the Lord in order to be protected by Him in all circumstances. SB6.8.13 TEXT 13 jalesu mam raksatu matsya-murtir yado-ganebhyo varunasya pasat sthalesu mayavatu-vamano ’vyat trivikramah khe ’vatu visvarupah SYNONYMS jalesu—in the water; mam—me; raksatu—protect; matsya-murtih—the Supreme Lord in the form of a great fish; yadah-ganebhyah—from fierce aquatic animals; varunasya—of the demigod known as Varuna; pasat—from the arresting rope; sthalesu—on the land; maya-vatu—the merciful form of the Lord as a dwarf; vamanah—named Vamanadeva; avyat—may He protect; trivikramah—Trivikrama, whose three gigantic steps took the three worlds from Bali; khe—in the sky; avatu—may the Lord protect; visvarupah—the gigantic universal form. TRANSLATION 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 Vamana. May Vamana protect me on the land. Since the gigantic form of the Lord, Visvarupa, conquers the three worlds, may He protect me in the sky. PURPORT This mantra seeks the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the water, land and sky in His incarnations as the fish, Vamanadeva and the Visvarupa. SB6.8.14 TEXT 14 durgesv atavy-aji-mukhadisu prabhuh payan nrsimho ’sura-yuthaparih vimuncato yasya mahatta-hasam diso vinedur nyapatams ca garbhah SYNONYMS durgesu—in places where travel is very difficult; atavi—in the dense forest; aji-mukha-adisu—on the war front and so on; prabhuh—the Supreme Lord; payat—may He protect; nrsimhah—Lord Nrsimhadeva; asura-yuthapa—of Hiranyakasipu, the leader of the demons; arih—the enemy; vimuncatah—releasing; yasya—of whom; maha-atta-hasam—great and fearful laughing; disah—all the directions; vineduh—resounded through; nyapatan—fell down; ca—and; garbhah—the embryos of the wives of the demons. TRANSLATION May Lord Nrsimhadeva, who appeared as the enemy of Hiranyakasipu, 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. SB6.8.15 TEXT 15 raksatv asau madhvani yajna-kalpah sva-damstrayonnita-dharo varahah ramo ’dri-kutesv atha vipravase salaksmano ’vyad bharatagrajo ’sman SYNONYMS raksatu—may the Lord protect; asau—that; ma—me; adhvani—on the street; yajna-kalpah—who is ascertained by performance of ritualistic ceremonies; sva-damstraya—by His own tusk; unnita—raising; dharah—the planet earth; varahah—Lord Boar; ramah—Lord Rama; adri-kutesu—on the summits of the mountains; atha—then; vipravase—in foreign countries; sa-laksmanah—with His brother Laksmana; avyat—may He protect; bharata-agrajah—the elder brother of Maharaja Bharata; asman—us. TRANSLATION The Supreme indestructible Lord is ascertained through the performance of ritualistic sacrifices and is therefore known as Yajnesvara. 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 Parasurama protect me on the tops of mountains, and may the elder brother of Bharata, Lord Ramacandra, along with His brother Laksmana, protect me in foreign countries. PURPORT There are three Ramas. One Rama is Parasurama (Jamadagnya). another Rama is Lord Ramacandra, and a third Rama is Lord Balarama. In this verse the words ramo’dri-kutesv atha indicate Lord Parasurama. The brother of Bharata Maharaja and Laksmana is Lord Ramacandra. SB6.8.16 TEXT 16 mam ugra-dharmad akhilat pramadan narayanah patu naras ca hasat dattas tv ayogad atha yoga-nathah payad gunesah kapilah karma-bandhat SYNONYMS mam—me; ugra-dharmat—from unnecessary religious principles; akhilat—from all kinds of activities; pramadat—which are enacted in madness; narayanah—Lord Narayana; patu—may He protect; narah ca—and Nara; hasat—from unnecessary pride; dattah—Dattatreya; tu—of course; ayogat—from the path of false yoga; atha—indeed; yoga-nathah—the master of all mystic powers; payat—may He protect; guna-isah—the master of all spiritual qualities; kapilah—Lord Kapila; karma-bandhat—from the bondage of fruitive activities. TRANSLATION May Lord Narayana 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 Dattatreya, 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. SB6.8.17 TEXT 17 sanat-kumaro ’vatu kamadevad dhayasirsa mam pathi deva-helanat devarsi-varyah purusarcanantarat kurmo harir mam nirayad asesat SYNONYMS sanat-kumarah—the great brahmacari named Sanat-kumara; avatu—may he protect; kama-devat—from the hands of Cupid or lusty desire; haya-sirsa—Lord Hayagriva, the incarnation of the Lord whose head is like that of a horse; mam—me; pathi—on the path; deva-helanat—from neglecting to offer respectful obeisances to brahmanas, Vaisnavas and the Supreme Lord; devarsi-varyah—the best of the saintly sages, Narada; purusa-arcana-antarat—from the offenses in worshiping the Deity; kurmah—Lord Kurma, the tortoise; harih—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mam—me; nirayat—from hell; asesat—unlimited. TRANSLATION May Sanat-kumara protect me from lusty desires. As I begin some auspicious activity, may Lord Hayagriva protect me from being an offender by neglecting to offer respectful obeisances to the Supreme Lord. May Devarsi Narada protect me from committing offenses in worshiping the Deity, and may Lord Kurma, the tortoise, protect me from falling to the unlimited hellish planets. PURPORT Lusty desires are very strong in everyone, and they are the greatest impediment to the discharge of devotional service. Therefore those who are very much influenced by lusty desires are advised to take shelter of Sanat-kumara, the great brahmacari devotee. Narada Muni, who is the guide for arcana, is the author of the Narada-pancaratra, which prescribes the regulative principles for worshiping the Deity. Everyone engaged in Deity worship, whether at home or in the temple, should always seek the mercy of Devarsi Narada in order to avoid the thirty-two offenses while worshiping the Deity. These offenses in Deity worship are mentioned in The Nectar of Devotion. SB6.8.18 TEXT 18 dhanvantarir bhagavan patv apathyad dvandvad bhayad rsabho nirjitatma yajnas ca lokad avataj janantad balo ganat krodha-vasad ahindrah SYNONYMS dhanvantarih—the incarnation Dhanvantari, the physician; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; patu—may He protect me; apathyat—from things injurious to the health, such as meat and intoxicants; dvandvat—from duality; bhayat—from fear; rsabhah—Lord Rsabhadeva; nirjita-atma—who fully controlled his mind and self; yajnah—Yajna; ca—and; lokat—from the defamation of the populace; avatat—may He protect; jana-antat—from dangerous positions created by other people; balah—Lord Balarama; ganat—from the hordes of; krodha-vasat—the angry serpents; ahindrah—Lord Balarama in the form of the serpent Sesa Naga. TRANSLATION May the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His incarnation as Dhanvantari relieve me from undesirable eatables and protect me from physical illness. May Lord Rsabhadeva, who conquered His inner and outer senses, protect me from fear produced by the duality of heat and cold. May Yajna protect me from defamation and harm from the populace, and may Lord Balarama as Sesa protect me from envious serpents. PURPORT To live within this material world, one must face many dangers, as described herein. For example, undesirable food poses a danger to health, and therefore one must give up such food. The Dhanvantari incarnation can protect us in this regard. Since Lord Visnu is the Supersoul of all living entities, if He likes He can save us from adhibhautika disturbances, disturbances from other living entities. Lord Balarama is the Sesa incarnation, and therefore He can save us from angry serpents or envious persons, who are always ready to attack. SB6.8.19 TEXT 19 dvaipayano bhagavan aprabodhad buddhas tu pasanda-gana-pramadat kalkih kaleh kala-malat prapatu dharmavanayoru-krtavatarah SYNONYMS dvaipayanah—Srila Vyasadeva, the giver of all Vedic knowledge; bhagavan—the most powerful incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; aprabodhat—from ignorance of the sastra; buddhah tu—also Lord Buddha; pasanda-gana—of atheists creating disillusionment for innocent persons; pramadat—from the madness; kalkih—Lord Kalki, the incarnation of Kesava; kaleh—of this Kali-yuga; kala-malat—from the darkness of the age; prapatu—may He protect; dharma-avanaya—for the protection of religious principles; uru—very great; krta-avatarah—who took an incarnation. TRANSLATION May the Personality of Godhead in His incarnation as Vyasadeva protect me from all kinds of ignorance resulting from the absence of Vedic knowledge. May Lord Buddhadeva protect me from activities opposed to Vedic principles and from laziness that causes one to madly forget the Vedic principles of knowledge and ritualistic action. May Kalkideva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appeared as an incarnation to protect religious principles, protect me from the dirt of the age of Kali. PURPORT This verse mentions various incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who appear for various purposes. Srila Vyasadeva, Mahamuni, compiled the Vedic literature for the benefit of all human society. If one wants to be protected from the reactions of ignorance even in this age of Kali, one may consult the books left by Srila Vyasadeva, Upanisads, Vedanta-sutra (Brahma-sutra), Mahabharata, Srimad-Bhagavatam Maha-Purana (Vyasadeva’s commentary on the Brahma-sutra) and the other seventeen Puranas. Only by the mercy of Srila Vyasadeva do we have so many volumes of transcendental knowledge to save us from the clutches of ignorance. As described by Srila Jayadeva Gosvami in his Dasavatara-stotra, Lord Buddha apparently decried the Vedic knowledge: nindasi yajna-vidher ahaha sruti-jatam The mission of Lord Buddha was to save people from the abominable activity of animal killing and to save the poor animals from being unnecessarily killed. When pasandis were cheating by killing animals on the plea of sacrificing them in Vedic yajnas, the Lord said, “If the Vedic injunctions allow animal killing, I do not accept the Vedic principles.” Thus he actually saved people who acted according to Vedic principles. One should therefore surrender to Lord Buddha so that he can help one avoid misusing the injunctions of the Vedas. The Kalki avatara is the fierce incarnation who vanquishes the class of the atheists born in this age of Kali. Now, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, many irreligious principles are in effect, and as Kali-yuga advances, many pseudo religious principles will certainly be introduced, and people will forget the real religious principles enunciated by Lord Krsna before the beginning of Kali-yuga, namely principles of surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord. Unfortunately, because of Kali-yuga, foolish people do not surrender to the lotus feet of Krsna. Even most people who claim to belong to the Vedic system of religion are actually opposed to the Vedic principles. Every day they manufacture a new type of dharma on the plea that whatever one manufactures is also a path of liberation. Atheistic men generally say, yata mata tata patha. According to this view, there are hundreds and thousands of different opinions in human society, and each opinion is a valid religious principle. This philosophy of rascals has killed the religious principles mentioned in the Vedas, and such philosophies will become increasingly influential as Kali-yuga progresses. In the last stage of Kali-yuga, Kalkideva, the fierce incarnation of Kesava, will descend to kill all the atheists and will save only the devotees of the Lord.
sadaya-hrdaya-darsita-pasu-ghatam
kesava dhrta-buddha-sarira jaya jagad-isa hare