Hari Aum.
Life can feel rather stressful right now due to the pandemic. Many of us are in lockdown at home, and the fatalities from the disease are increasing daily.
One source of peace and calm at this time are the kavachas of some of the main manifestations of God, such as Devi/Divine Mother, Narayana and Shiva. The word 'kavacha' literally means armour in Sanskrit.
It is a special hymn or prayer addressed to a deity which is said to have the ability to protect the one who hears or recites it. Essentially, these are said to protect people from the three categories of suffering (from within our own body/mind, from other living beings, and natural disasters). They are also said to bring auspiciousness, peace and bliss into our lives.
Listening to or reciting these can help to increase our mental strength at this challenging time, and can also be a useful prayer for others.
Some links to the kavachas are below:
1. Devi kavacha (wonderful rendition by Pandit Jasraj and his team):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-EPOp09BO0
English transliteration and translation of the Devi Kavacha:
https://saranaagathi.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/devikavacham_english.pdf
2. Narayana kavacham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdaL2N4nIpI
English translation of the Narayana kavacham:
http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Narayana_Kavacham
3. Shiva kavacham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX2IIPC6fQU
English translation of Shiva kavacham:
http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Shiva_Kavacham
4. Narasimha kavacham (Narasimha is an avatar of Narayana)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd932-Hcgj8
English translation of Narasimha kavacham:
https://www.templepurohit.com/narasimha-kavacham/
Om Namo Narayanaya
Hari Aum Tat Sat
Life can feel rather stressful right now due to the pandemic. Many of us are in lockdown at home, and the fatalities from the disease are increasing daily.
One source of peace and calm at this time are the kavachas of some of the main manifestations of God, such as Devi/Divine Mother, Narayana and Shiva. The word 'kavacha' literally means armour in Sanskrit.
It is a special hymn or prayer addressed to a deity which is said to have the ability to protect the one who hears or recites it. Essentially, these are said to protect people from the three categories of suffering (from within our own body/mind, from other living beings, and natural disasters). They are also said to bring auspiciousness, peace and bliss into our lives.
Listening to or reciting these can help to increase our mental strength at this challenging time, and can also be a useful prayer for others.
Some links to the kavachas are below:
1. Devi kavacha (wonderful rendition by Pandit Jasraj and his team):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-EPOp09BO0
English transliteration and translation of the Devi Kavacha:
https://saranaagathi.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/devikavacham_english.pdf
2. Narayana kavacham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdaL2N4nIpI
English translation of the Narayana kavacham:
http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Narayana_Kavacham
3. Shiva kavacham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX2IIPC6fQU
English translation of Shiva kavacham:
http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Shiva_Kavacham
4. Narasimha kavacham (Narasimha is an avatar of Narayana)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd932-Hcgj8
English translation of Narasimha kavacham:
https://www.templepurohit.com/narasimha-kavacham/
Om Namo Narayanaya
Hari Aum Tat Sat
Namaste.. Thanks for yet another gold nugget. Reading your post I recalled where Sri KN Rao had advised everyone to read Sri Vishnu Sahasranaama and NarayaNa kavacha as a minimum remedy for most problems. New motivation to read once I have recovered from flu.
ReplyDeleteMight I ask what has benefited you? Japa or stotra recitation or a mix of both? Thanks for your time.
- P
Namaste,
DeleteYes those prayers are often recommended for both material and spiritual blessings. I have personally found mantra japa to be the most effective as a means of building a connection with the deity represented by the mantra; however I do enjoy reciting stothras occasionally too. Hope you have recovered from the flu and I wish you the very best with your spiritual practices.
Vishnupriya