Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3
The Account of Kārtavīrya’s Protective Kavaca
Kārtavīrya-kavaca-vṛttānta
सनत्कुमार उवाच । श्रृणु विप्रेन्द्र वक्ष्यामि कवचं परमाद्भुतम् । कार्तवीर्यस्य येनासौ प्रसन्नः कार्यसिद्धिकृत् ॥ ३ ॥
sanatkumāra uvāca | śrṛṇu viprendra vakṣyāmi kavacaṃ paramādbhutam | kārtavīryasya yenāsau prasannaḥ kāryasiddhikṛt || 3 ||
Sanatkumāra dit : « Écoute, ô meilleur des brāhmaṇas ; je vais proclamer un kavaca merveilleusement suprême. Par lui, Kārtavīrya fut comblé de joie et devint l’artisan de la réussite dans les œuvres entreprises. »
Sanatkumara
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It introduces a kavaca as a sacred protective practice whose power is measured by “prasāda” (divine pleasure), indicating that spiritual alignment and grace are the basis of protection and success.
Bhakti is implied through “prasannaḥ”—the kavaca works when the invoked power becomes pleased; the verse frames success as arising from devotionally invoking grace rather than mere effort.
It points to mantra-prayoga (applied use of sacred recitation) and kavaca-vidhi (protective formulae) as technical disciplines—how specific recitations are taught, transmitted, and used for kārya-siddhi.