Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 46
The Account of Kārtavīrya’s Protective Kavaca
Kārtavīrya-kavaca-vṛttānta
विषमे विपिने घोरे दावाग्नौ गिरिकंदरे । संग्रामे शस्त्रसंघाते सिंहव्याघ्रनिषेविते ॥ ४६ ॥
viṣame vipine ghore dāvāgnau girikaṃdare | saṃgrāme śastrasaṃghāte siṃhavyāghraniṣevite || 46 ||
Sa mapanganib at nakapanghihilakbot na ilang; sa gitna ng sunog sa gubat; sa yungib ng bundok; sa digmaan sa salpukan ng mga sandata; at sa pook na dinadalaw ng leon at tigre—kahit doon, ang deboto’y iniingatan ng Panginoong Vishnu.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It lists extreme danger-scenarios to emphasize that sincere reliance on dharma and sacred recitation grants inner steadiness and divine protection even when external conditions are hostile.
By portraying refuge in the Divine as effective everywhere—forest, fire, cave, battlefield—this verse reinforces bhakti as an ever-available shelter, not limited by place, time, or circumstance.
It implies applied mantra-prayoga and disciplined recitation (connected to Śikṣā for correct chanting and Vyākaraṇa for accurate wording), where precision and faith together are treated as protective in crisis.