sūrya kavacam

He who is the God of gods, the resplendent Lord Bhāskara, the treasure-house of luminaries, the master of the Gāyatrī, the radiant one — he is celebrated as Savitṛ. (1)

His divine armor, known as the Vajra Pañjara ("Diamond Cage"), I shall reveal — composed entirely of mantras, secret, the innermost mystery of the root-knowledge. (2)

O Goddess, it removes all sins, destroys suffering and poverty, cures great leprosy, is meritorious, and wards off all diseases. (3)

It slays the entire host of enemies, bestows victory in battle, is made of all-encompassing radiance, and is worshipped by all gods and demons. (4)

Destroyer of all calamities in battle, in the terrible fear of kings, and of all afflictions — this armor, encircled by the mother-syllables (mātṛkās), has issued from the face of Bhairava. (5)

O Goddess, it removes afflictions from the planets and destroys all dangers. By wearing this armor, O Queen of the gods, Brahmā the grandfather of all worlds — (6)

— Viṣṇu Nārāyaṇa conquered the demons in battle, O Goddess; Śaṅkara the lord of all worlds, and Vāsava the lord of heaven — (7)

— the lord of herbs the Moon, and I myself, Śiva, Bhairavēśvara. This armor, whose very essence is mantra, is the supreme quintessence of Savitṛ. (8)

Whoever wears it on the arm or crown of the head on a Sunday, O Mahēśvarī, becomes beloved of kings in the world, radiant, and a crusher of enemies. (9)

Why say more, O Goddess? By wearing this armor, prosperity, wealth, health, and growth come in this life — it is no otherwise. (10)

And in the hereafter, the supreme liberation — hard to obtain even for the gods — is attained through this armor, O Queen of gods, which is made of the root-knowledge. (11)

Dedication (Viniyoga): The sage of this armor called the Diamond Cage is declared to be Brahmā; the metre is said to be Gāyatrī; the presiding deity is remembered as Savitṛ. (12)

Māyā (Hrīṃ) is the seed-syllable; Śarat (Hrīṃ) is the power; "Namaḥ" is the pin, O Īśvarī. Its application is proclaimed for the attainment of all goals. (13)

Oṃ aṃ āṃ iṃ īṃ — may Sūrya, the embodiment of mantra, protect my head. Uṃ ūṃ ṛṃ ṝṃ — may Ravi, pure consciousness (chinmaya), protect my forehead. (14)

Ḻuṃ ḻūṃ ēṃ aiṃ — may the one whose charioteer is Aruṇa, with Hrīṃ, protect my eyes. Oṃ auṃ aṃ aḥ — may the Lord of all the worlds protect my ears. (15)

Kaṃ khaṃ gaṃ ghaṃ — may Sūra, worshipped by the gods, protect my cheeks. Chaṃ chaṃ jaṃ jhaṃ — may Lord Aryamā protect my nose. (16)

Ṭaṃ ṭhaṃ ḍaṃ ḍhaṃ — may the one worshipped by the Lord of Yogis protect my face. Taṃ thaṃ daṃ dhaṃ — may the beloved of Nārāyaṇa protect my throat. (17)

Paṃ phaṃ baṃ bhaṃ — may the treasure-house of lights protect my shoulders. Yaṃ raṃ laṃ vaṃ — may the lord Sakanāyaka protect my arms. (18)

Śaṃ ṣaṃ saṃ haṃ — may the immovable one (Dhruva), the embodiment of root-mantra, protect my chest. Ḻaṃ kṣaḥ — may the lord of the planets, the day-lord, always protect my abdomen. (19)

Ṅaṃ ñaṃ ṇaṃ naṃ maṃ — may the leader of the day protect my back. Aṃ āṃ iṃ īṃ uṃ ūṃ ṛṃ ṝṃ — may the destroyer of darkness protect my navel. (20)

Ḻuṃ ḻūṃ ēṃ aiṃ oṃ auṃ aṃ aḥ — may the lord of planets guard my generative region. Kaṃ khaṃ gaṃ ghaṃ chaṃ chaṃ jaṃ jhaṃ — may Bhānu protect my waist. (21)

Ṭaṃ ṭhaṃ ḍaṃ ḍhaṃ taṃ thaṃ daṃ dhaṃ — may Bhāsvān protect my knees. Paṃ phaṃ baṃ bhaṃ yaṃ raṃ laṃ vaṃ — may Vibhākara protect my calves. (22)

Śaṃ ṣaṃ saṃ haṃ ḻaṃ kṣaḥ — may Trayītanu (whose body is the threefold Veda) protect my feet. Ṅaṃ ñaṃ ṇaṃ naṃ maṃ — may Savitṛ protect my entire body. (23)

May Soma (the Moon) protect me in the East; may Bhauma (Mars) always protect me in the Southeast. May Budha (Mercury) protect me in the South; may Guru (Jupiter) protect me in the Southwest. (24)

May Sita (Venus) protect me in the West; may Śanaiścara (Saturn) protect me in the Northwest. May Tamas (Rāhu) protect me in the North; and may Śikhī (Ketu) protect me in the Northeast. (25)

May Mihira (the Sun) protect me above; may the Lord of the world protect me below. May Bhāskara protect me at dawn; may Dinēśvara protect me at midday. (26)

May the lover of the Vedas protect me in the evening; may the lord of flashing light protect me at midnight. May Sūrya, leader of the wheel of planets, protect me everywhere at all times. (27)

In battle, in the royal court, in gambling, in legal disputes, in the danger of enemies, in combat, in fever, in disease — may Lord Savitṛ protect me. (28)

Om Om Om — may Sūra protect me from fear, he the embodiment of mantras. Hrāṃ hrīṃ hruṃ — may Haṃsa protect me on all sides. Saḥ saḥ saḥ — may Kulanāyaka Savitṛ protect me from kings, from forest-wanderers, from thieves, from battles, from all dangers. Om Hrīṃ Ha Sauḥ — always. (29)

Drāṃ drīṃ drūṃ — may Taraṇi Bhāskara protect me from fear. Rāṃ rīṃ rūṃ — may Ravi protect me from fever, leprosy, and colic. Aṃ āṃ — may Mārtāṇḍa protect me from the terror of great disease. May Paraṃhaṃsa, the thousand-rayed one, whose body pervades the root syllable, always protect me. (30)

Thus this divine armor called the Diamond Cage, the secret of all the gods, encircled by the mother-syllables — (31)

— which destroys the fear of great diseases, destroys sin, has issued from my own mouth, is secret, bestows glory, is meritorious, and confers all blessings, O Śivā. (32)

Having written it on a Sunday, or on Puṣya nakṣatra or one's birth-star, O beloved, with the eight divine fragrances and nectar-mixed milk, O Pārvatī — (33)

— with the holy milk of the arka plant, on birch-bark, O Mahēśvarī, with a golden pen, at the time of sunrise — (34)

— wrapping the amulet in white, red, and dark thread, then encasing it in gold, one should wear it on the crown of the head or on the arm. (35)

One conquers enemies in battle, O Goddess; one wins in debates and assemblies; one becomes ever honoured by kings and becomes filled with all-encompassing radiance. (36)

Worn at the throat, the divine amulet grants sons; worn at the abdomen, it destroys disease; worn on the head, it brings all the people under one's sway. (37)

Worn on the arm, it always bestows wealth and enhances radiance and intellect. For a woman who is barren, childless after one birth, or whose children die — (38)

— she who always wears it at her throat will give birth to many sons. For whomever this amulet is always on the body, O Mahēśvarī — (39)

— all the great weapons, the Brahmāstra and others discharged by Indra, O Pārvatī, reaching that body shall become powerless — of this there is no doubt. (40)

Whoever daily recites this Diamond Cage armor thrice — at once, O Mahādēvī, Savitṛ becomes the bestower of boons to that person. (41)

Whoever worships Trayītanu (the Sun) without knowing this armor, O Goddess — the merit earned by that worship yields no fruit across millions of births. (42)

Whoever recites this armor a hundred times on the seventh tithi falling on a Sunday — one tormented by great leprosy is freed, O Goddess; of this there is no doubt. (43)

A healthy person who recites this armor, or a poor person who recites the Diamond Cage — by the grace of Sūrya, O Goddess, Lakṣmī swiftly comes to dwell with them. (44)

Whoever devoutly recites this armor every day, O beloved Goddess — enjoying all prosperity in this world, they shall attain liberation at the end of life. (45)