Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15
The Account of Kārtavīrya’s Protective Kavaca
Kārtavīrya-kavaca-vṛttānta
अस्यांगमूर्तयः पंच पांतु मां स्फटिकोज्ज्वलाः । अग्नीशासुरवायव्यकोणेषु हृदयादिकाः ॥ १५ ॥
asyāṃgamūrtayaḥ paṃca pāṃtu māṃ sphaṭikojjvalāḥ | agnīśāsuravāyavyakoṇeṣu hṛdayādikāḥ || 15 ||
May the five limb-manifestations of this (deity/mantra), radiant like crystal, protect me—stationed in the directions and corners: the heart and the rest, in the southeast, east, southwest, and northwest.
Narada (in a technical/ritual instruction context, as transmitted in the Narada Purana’s Vedanga-oriented section)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It presents a protective kavaca-idea: the mantra’s five auxiliary limb-forms (hṛdaya-ādi) are invoked as radiant guardians, indicating that inner purification and directional sanctification together create spiritual protection.
Bhakti here is expressed as reverent reliance on the deity/mantra’s living presence: the devotee asks the divine aṅgas to “protect me,” turning technical ritual into an act of surrender and remembrance.
It reflects applied ritual science—mantra-nyāsa and directional placement (dik/koṇa-vinyāsa) used in protective rites, a technical feature commonly taught alongside mantra-prayoga traditions.