śrī rāma kavacam

(Dhyanam 1) I meditate on Him who resembles a dark blue cloud, dressed in garments brilliant as lightning, possessing soft limbs, wide eyes, and a youthful, exceedingly beautiful form.

This is the Rama Kavacham: its seer is the sage Agastya, the metre is Anushtup, the deity is Sri Ramachandra with Sita and Lakshmana. It is employed for the attainment of Sri Ramachandra's grace.

Dhyana (meditation on Rama's form): Dark as a blue thundercloud, clothed in lightning-hued garments; of tender form, wide-eyed, young and surpassingly beautiful.

Together with Sita and Lakshmana (Saumitri), wearing the crown of matted locks; holding bow, arrows and a quiver, the crusher of demons.

When there is fear of thieves, fear of the king, fear of enemies — then meditate on Raghupati (Rama) in his fierce aspect, blazing like the fire of dissolution.

Wearing tree-bark and black deer-skin, body smeared with ash; drawing the bow to his ear, adorned with the mighty Kodanda bow.

Destroying enemies in battle — Ravana and others — with fierce showers of arrows; the great hero, the fierce one, standing on the chariot of Indra.

Surrounded by the great heroes led by Lakshmana and Hanuman; and the great warriors led by Sugriva, raising rocks and trees.

With swift and terrible war-cries and earth-shaking roars; shouting and counter-shouting against Ravana in the battle.

O Srirama — strike, crush, devour my enemy hosts! O Srirama — swiftly destroy ghosts, spirits and demons!

Thus meditating, recite the Rama Kavacham that bestows all perfection. Listen — I shall now recite the supremely excellent, razor-sharp, vajra-armour.

Now the Kavacham begins: May Srirama protect my crown; may the son of the Raghu clan protect me in the east; may Raghuvara protect me in the south; may the purifier protect me in the west.

May Raghupati protect me in the north and my forehead; may Dasharatha's son protect me; may the dark one, gentle as durva grass, protect between the brows; may Janardana protect the space between them.

May the king of kings protect my ears; may the lotus-eyed one protect my eyes; may the royal sage protect my nose; may Janaki's lord protect my cheeks.

May the destroyer of Khara protect the base of my ears; may Raghuvallabha protect my forehead; may the lord of speech protect my tongue; may the best of the Raghus protect my rows of teeth.

May Ramachandra protect my lips; may the beyond-the-beyond protect my mouth; may the one worshipped by the universe protect my throat; may the destroyer of Ravana protect my shoulders.

May the bow-and-arrow bearer protect my arms; may the crusher of Vali protect me; may the destroyer of rakshasas protect all my fingers and all joints of the hands.

May Kakutstha protect my chest; may Hari protect my heart; may Sitapati protect my breasts; may the lord of the universe protect my sides.

May the lord of Lakshmi protect my middle; may the leader of the Raghu clan protect my navel; may Kaushalyeya protect my waist; may the destroyer of misfortune protect my back.

May Hrishikesha protect my private parts; may the truly valiant protect my thighs; may the bearer of the Sharnga bow protect my upper legs; may the beloved of Hanuman protect my knees.

May the all-pervading one protect my calves; may the destroyer of Tataka protect my feet; may Vishnu protect all my limbs; may the blameless one protect all my joints.

May Madhusudana protect my organs of knowledge and my vital airs; may Sri Ramabhadra protect me and all my objects of the senses.

Whatever beings are bound to me — the two-footed and all the rest — may he who broke the great pride of Jamadagni’s son (Paraśurāma) guard them all for me.

May the elder brother of Sumitrā’s son protect the organs of action, beginning with speech; may he who gave Sugrīva his kingdom protect every hair upon my body, without exception.

And the sins of every kind — those wrought by speech, by mind, by intellect and by the sense of “I”, done knowing and unknowing, and those done here in other births —

— all of them may he burn away at once, he who snapped Hara’s bow; may Rāma, bearing the Śārṅga bow and its arrows, guard me on every side, always.

Such is the armour of Śrī Rāmacandra, a match for the thunderbolt — the most secret of all secrets, and divine — O Sutīkṣṇa, best of sages.

Whoever recites it, or hears it, or has it heard by others with a gathered mind — he goes to the highest station, by the grace of Rāmacandra.

Even the gravest of sinners, even a cow-slayer or embryo-destroyer — by reciting the Sri Ramachandra kavacham they shall be purified.

Even the sin of killing a Brahmin is destroyed — there is no doubt. O Sutikshna, as you asked me — I have set forth this Sri Rama Kavacham.