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
In the waters, may the Lord in His great Fish incarnation protect me—from Varuṇa’s noose and from the fierce aquatic beings. On the earth, may Vāmana, who expanded His māyā and assumed the form of the dwarf brahmacārī, protect me. In the sky, may Trivikrama, the all-universal Viśvarūpa who conquers the three worlds, protect me.
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.