Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 13
Nārāyaṇa-kavaca — The Armor of Lord Nārāyaṇa
जलेषु मां रक्षतु मत्स्यमूर्ति- र्यादोगणेभ्यो वरुणस्य पाशात् । स्थलेषु मायावटुवामनोऽव्यात् त्रिविक्रम: खेऽवतु विश्वरूप: ॥ १३ ॥
jaleṣu māṁ rakṣatu matsya-mūrtir yādo-gaṇebhyo varuṇasya pāśāt sthaleṣu māyāvaṭu-vāmano vyāt trivikramaḥ khe vatu viśvarūpaḥ
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 Varuṇa. By expanding His illusory energy, the Lord assumed the form of the dwarf Vāmana. May Vāmana protect me on the land. Since the gigantic form of the Lord, Viśvarūpa, conquers the three worlds, may He protect me in the sky.
This mantra seeks the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the water, land and sky in His incarnations as the fish, Vāmanadeva and the Viśvarūpa.
FAQs
This verse invokes Lord Vishnu’s specific forms to protect a devotee in every domain—water, land, sky, and all directions—showing that remembrance and surrender to Narayana is a complete spiritual shield.
Because the Narayana-kavacha assigns divine guardianship to Vishnu’s forms according to different situations and realms, emphasizing that the same Supreme Lord protects devotees through many avatāras and manifestations.
By regularly reciting or remembering these names and forms of Vishnu with faith, one cultivates steadiness, reduces fear, and strengthens surrender—seeing protection as coming from the Lord in all circumstances.