Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 43
The Account of Kārtavīrya’s Protective Kavaca
Kārtavīrya-kavaca-vṛttānta
तत्सर्वं पातु मे सर्वलोकनाथेश्वरेश्वरः । वज्रात्सारतरं चेदं शरीरं कवचावृतम् ॥ ४३ ॥
tatsarvaṃ pātu me sarvalokanātheśvareśvaraḥ | vajrātsārataraṃ cedaṃ śarīraṃ kavacāvṛtam || 43 ||
Möge mich der Höchste Herr—Souverän selbst über den Herrn aller Welten—in jeder Weise schützen. Von diesem Schutzpanzer umhüllt, möge dieser Leib härter werden als der Vajra, der Donnerkeil.
Narada (as the reciter/teacher of the kavacha-prayoga within the dialogue tradition)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It asserts that true protection comes from the Supreme Lord, and that a kavacha functions as devotional surrender that makes the practitioner inwardly firm—“vajra-like”—against fear, harm, and instability.
Bhakti is shown as refuge-taking (śaraṇāgati): the devotee appeals to the highest Lord as the sole protector, and the kavacha becomes an expression of constant remembrance and dependence on divine grace.
It reflects mantra-prayoga (applied recitation) used in ritual and protective contexts—how a structured kavacha is invoked for safeguarding the body and mind, aligning with technical liturgical practice rather than abstract philosophy alone.