Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 131
The Account of Kārtavīrya’s Protective Kavaca
Kārtavīrya-kavaca-vṛttānta
यात्राकाले पठित्वेदं मार्गे गच्छति यः पुमान् । न दुष्टचौरव्याघ्राद्यैर्भयं स्यात्परिपंथिभिः ॥ १३१ ॥
yātrākāle paṭhitvedaṃ mārge gacchati yaḥ pumān | na duṣṭacauravyāghrādyairbhayaṃ syātparipaṃthibhiḥ || 131 ||
Wer zur Zeit einer Reise diesen Vers rezitiert und den Weg entlanggeht, wird keine Furcht haben vor bösen Dieben, Tigern und dergleichen, noch vor Wegelagerern, die Reisende überfallen.
Narada (teaching to Sanatkumara and the sages in the Vedanga-oriented discourse of Purva Bhaga, Third Pada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It presents recitation (pāṭha) as a dharmic protective discipline: sincere reading of the prescribed text at the start of travel is said to invoke safeguarding merit that removes fear and obstacles on the road.
By emphasizing faithful recitation before and during a journey, it frames devotion as lived practice—remembering sacred teaching in motion—so that reliance shifts from anxiety to trust in the power of sacred remembrance.
The verse reflects applied prayoga (practical use) of sacred recitation—how a text is to be employed at a specific time (yātrā-kāla) for a stated result (abhaya), aligning with the Vedanga-oriented, technical-practice tone of Book 1.3.