Shloka 8
Nārāyaṇa-kavaca — The Armor of Lord Nārāyaṇa
न्यसेद्धृदय ओंङ्कारं विकारमनु मूर्धनि । षकारं तु भ्रुवोर्मध्ये णकारं शिखया न्यसेत् ॥ ८ ॥ वेकारं नेत्रयोर्युञ्ज्यान्नकारं सर्वसन्धिषु । मकारमस्त्रमुद्दिश्य मन्त्रमूर्तिर्भवेद् बुध: ॥ ९ ॥ सविसर्गं फडन्तं तत्सर्वदिक्षु विनिर्दिशेत् । ॐ विष्णवे नम इति ॥ १० ॥
nyased dhṛdaya oṁkāraṁ vi-kāram anu mūrdhani ṣa-kāraṁ tu bhruvor madhye ṇa-kāraṁ śikhayā nyaset
Kemudian bacalah mantra enam suku kata ‘oṁ viṣṇave namaḥ’. Letakkan ‘oṁ’ pada hati, ‘vi’ di ubun-ubun, ‘ṣa’ di antara kening, ‘ṇa’ pada śikhā (jambul), dan ‘ve’ di antara kedua mata. Setelah itu letakkan ‘na’ pada semua sendi tubuh dan renungkan ‘ma’ sebagai senjata; demikian si pemuja menjadi perwujudan mantra. Akhirnya, tambahkan visarga pada ‘ma’ dan ucapkan ‘maḥ astrāya phaṭ’ ke semua arah bermula dari timur, untuk mengikat segala penjuru dengan pelindung mantra.
FAQs
This verse describes nyāsa—mentally placing sacred syllables on specific body parts—as part of the Narayana-kavacha, a devotional protection practice centered on Lord Vishnu.
Shukadeva explains a protective Vishnu-centered armor originally taught for Indra’s protection, showing that remembrance and devotion to Narayana is the real shield against fear and danger.
Even without complex ritual, one can apply the essence by calmly remembering Vishnu, chanting with focus, and mentally offering one’s mind and body to divine protection before stressful tasks.