śrī chinnamastā kavacam

The second of the two kavachas called Trailokyavijaya, this one from the Bhairava Tantra with Bhairava as both its speaker and its seer, and it differs from the Bhairavi one in what it posts as guards. Where that armour is built of syllables, this is built of persons. Varnini and Dakini, the two companions who stand at her sides drinking the streams of blood, are set beside the limbs they belong to; eight goddesses with chopping-knives take the eight directions, Ekalinga in the east, Indrakshi in the north-west, Samharini at Shiva's corner; and the vertical directions are handed to other Mahavidyas altogether, Tara above, Ekajata below in the netherworld, Mahanilasarasvati in the open sky. Its closing verses give the same birch-bark amulet worn on the right arm, say that even the brahmastra turns gentle on that body, and restrict the text to a disciple dearer than life.