Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 11
The Exposition of Hanumān’s Protective Kavaca
Māruti-kavaca
भालं पातु महावीरो भ्रुवोर्मध्ये निरंतरम् । नेत्रे छायापहारी च पातु नः प्लवगेश्वरः ॥ ११ ॥
bhālaṃ pātu mahāvīro bhruvormadhye niraṃtaram | netre chāyāpahārī ca pātu naḥ plavageśvaraḥ || 11 ||
Möge der große Held meine Stirn beschützen; möge er unablässig den Raum zwischen meinen Brauen behüten. Und möge der Herr der Affen—der die verdunkelnden Schatten vertreibt—unsere Augen schützen.
Narada (in a protective-mantra / kavacha sequence taught in the Narada Purana’s technical-ritual context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It functions as a kavacha-style protection: invoking Hanumān as mahāvīra to guard key subtle centers—forehead and the space between the eyebrows (ājñā region)—and to protect the eyes by removing inner and outer “shadows” (chāyā), i.e., fear, confusion, and harmful influences.
By praising Hanumān with devotional epithets (mahāvīra, plavageśvara) and seeking his shelter, the verse models bhakti as reliance on the Lord’s devotee-hero for protection, clarity of perception, and steadiness of mind—supporting Vishnu/Rama-centered devotion through Hanumān.
The practical takeaway is mantra-rakṣā (protective recitation) used in ritual settings: assigning divine protection to specific body parts (aṅga-nyāsa / kavacha logic), a common applied technique alongside Vedanga-informed ritual discipline.