Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 19
शङ्खचूडस्य मायायुद्धं तथा माहेश्वरास्त्रप्रभावः | Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Māyā-Warfare and the Power of the Māheśvara Astra
तच्छ्रुत्वा दानवेन्द्रोसौ ब्रह्मण्यः सत्यवाग्विभुः । तद्ददौ कवचं दिव्यं विप्राय प्राणसंमतम्
tacchrutvā dānavendrosau brahmaṇyaḥ satyavāgvibhuḥ | taddadau kavacaṃ divyaṃ viprāya prāṇasaṃmatam
Mendengar demikian, raja kaum Dānava—yang berbakti kepada para Brahmana, benar tutur katanya dan maha perkasa—menganugerahkan kepada Brahmana itu sebuah kavaca ilahi, perisai pelindung yang dihargai laksana nyawa sendiri.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Type: kavaca
FAQs
It highlights dharma even amid conflict: truthfulness and reverence for the spiritually learned (vipra) are portrayed as virtues that invite divine protection, suggesting that righteous conduct itself becomes a shield.
Though the verse speaks of a kavacha, the Shiva Purana’s wider Shaiva frame treats all true protection as ultimately grounded in Saguna Shiva’s grace—often approached through Linga worship, mantra, and disciplined dharma.
The takeaway is protective devotion: recitation of Shiva mantras (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) as a mental kavacha, supported by truthful speech and dharmic conduct; where traditional, Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) is also worn as a Shaiva mark of protection.