ഗായത്രീ കവചമ്

Narada said: O Lord, Master of the entire universe, O mighty one, I have a doubt.

O Knower of the sixty-four arts, O master of the science of yoga, by which meritorious deed is one liberated from sins, and how does one attain the form of Brahman?

The body is the form of the Divine, and especially the form of the Mantra; I wish to hear about the ritual procedures, including the Nyasa, in accordance with the scriptures.

O Lord, please explain the Rishi, the Chhandas, the presiding Deity, and the meditation procedure. Narayana replied: This is the supreme secret, the Gayatri Kavacham.

By reading and internalizing this, a mortal is liberated from all sins, attains all desired objects, and becomes one with the form of the Goddess.

O Narada, know that for this Gayatri Kavacham, the sages are Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara, and the metres are the Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva Vedas.

The presiding Deity is declared to be the form of Brahman, and Gayatri is the supreme manifestation; the wise have declared 'Bharga' to be its seed and its power.

The word 'Dhiyah' is declared to be the Kilaka (pin), used for the purpose of liberation; the heart is assigned to the first four syllables, and the head is remembered to be the next three.

The crest (Shikha) is assigned to the next four, the armor (Kavacha) is remembered to be the following three, the eyes are assigned to the next four, and the weapon (Astra) is assigned to the final four.

Now I shall describe the meditation, which grants the desires of the practitioner: She who possesses faces of pearl, coral, gold, blue, and white complexions, and who possesses three eyes.

I meditate upon the Goddess, who is adorned with a crown of jewels set with the moon, and who is the embodiment of the essence of all letters of the truth.

I worship Gayatri, who grants boons and dispels fear, holding in her hands the sacred Kusha grass, a whip, a white skull, and a mace.

I worship Her who carries the conch, the discus, and a pair of lotuses in her hands. May Gayatri protect me from the East, and Savitri protect me from the South.

May Brahma-Sandhya protect me from the West, and Saraswati from the North. May Parvati, who resides in the waters, protect me from the fire-direction (South-East).

May She who strikes terror into the hearts of demons protect me from the demoniac direction (South-West). May She who sports with the wind (Pavana) protect me from the direction of purification (North-West).

May Rudrani, who assumes the form of Rudra, protect me from the direction of Rudra (North-East). May Brahmani protect me from above, and may Vaishnavi protect me from below.

Thus, may Bhuvaneshwari, the sovereign of the worlds, protect me from all ten directions and safeguard my entire body. May the word 'Tat' protect my feet, and 'Savituh' protect my shins.

May the word 'Varenyam' protect my waist, and 'Bhargah' protect my navel. May 'Devasya' protect my heart, and 'Dhimahi' protect my cheeks.

May the word 'Dhiyah' protect my eyes, and 'Yo' protect my forehead. May 'Nah' protect the top of my head, and 'Prachodayat' protect my crown-tuft (Shikha).

May the letter 'Tat' protect my head, 'Sa' protect my forehead, the syllable 'Vi' protect my eyes, and 'Tu' protect my cheeks.

May the syllable 'Va' protect my nostrils, 'Ra' my mouth, 'Ni' the upper lip, and 'Ya' the lower lip.

May the syllable 'Bha' protect the interior of my mouth, 'Go' the chin, 'De' the region of the throat, and 'Va' the shoulders.

May the syllable 'Sya' protect my right hand, 'Dhi' the left hand, 'Ma' the heart, and 'Dhi' the abdomen.

May the syllable 'Dhi' protect the region of the navel, 'Yo' the hips, the second 'Yo' the private parts, and the syllable 'Pah' the two thighs.

May the syllable 'Pra' protect the knees, 'Cho' the calves, 'Da' the ankles, and 'Ya' the pair of feet.

May the syllable 'Ta' protect all my limbs at all times. This divine armor destroys hundreds of obstacles.

It bestows the knowledge of the sixty-four arts and leads to liberation. One is freed from all sins and attains the Supreme Brahman.

By reading or even listening to this, one gains the merit of donating a thousand cows. Thus ends the Gayatri Kavacham contained within the Sri Devi Bhagavatam.