Canto 6: Prescribed Duties for MankindChapter 8: The Nārāyaṇa-kavaca Shield

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.8.4-6

śrī-viśvarūpa uvāca

dhautāńghri-pāṇir ācamya

sapavitra udań-mukhaḥ

kṛta-svāńga-kara-nyāso

mantrābhyāḿ vāg-yataḥ śuciḥ

nārāyaṇa-paraḿ varma

sannahyed bhaya āgate

pādayor jānunor ūrvor

udare hṛdy athorasi

mukhe śirasy ānupūrvyād

oḿkārādīni vinyaset

oḿ namo nārāyaṇāyeti

viparyayam athāpi vā

SYNONYMS

śrī-viśvarūpaḥ uvācaŚrī Viśvarūpa said; dhauta — having completely washed; ańghri — feet; pāṇiḥ — hands; ācamya — performing ācamana (sipping a little water three times after chanting the prescribed mantra); sa-pavitraḥ — wearing rings made of kuśa grass (on the ring finger of each hand); udak-mukhaḥ — sitting facing the north; kṛta — making; sva-ańga-kara-nyāsaḥ — mental assignment of the eight parts of the body and twelve parts of the hands; mantrābhyām — with the two mantras (oḿ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya and oḿ namo nārāyaṇāya); vāk-yataḥ — keeping oneself silent; śuciḥ — being purified; nārāyaṇa-param — fully intent on Lord Nārāyaṇa; varma — armor; sannahyetput on oneself; bhaye — when fear; āgate — has come; pādayoḥ — on the two legs; jānunoḥ — on the two knees; ūrvoḥ — on the two thighs; udare — on the abdomen; hṛdi — on the heart; atha — thus; urasi — on the chest; mukhe — on the mouth; śirasi — on the head; ānupūrvyāt — one after another; oḿkāra-ādīni — beginning with oḿkāra; vinyaset — one should place; oḿ — the praṇava; namaḥ — obeisances; nārāyaṇāya — unto Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; iti — thus; viparyayam — the reverse; atha api — moreover; — or.

TRANSLATION

Viśvarūpa said: If some form of fear arrives, one should first wash his hands and legs clean and then perform ācamana by chanting this mantra: oḿ apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthāḿ gato 'pi vā/ yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaḿ sa bahyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ/ śrī-viṣṇu śrī-viṣṇu śrī-viṣṇu. Then one should touch kuśa grass and sit gravely and silently, facing north. When completely purified, one should touch the mantra composed of eight syllables to the eight parts of his body and touch the mantra composed of twelve syllables to his hands. Thus, in the following manner, he should bind himself with the Nārāyaṇa coat of armor. First, while chanting the mantra composed of eight syllables [oḿ namo nārāyaṇāya], beginning with the praṇava, the syllable oḿ, one should touch his hands to eight parts of his body, starting with the two feet and progressing systematically to the knees, thighs, abdomen, heart, chest, mouth and head. Then one should chant the mantra in reverse, beginning from the last syllable [ya], while touching the parts of his body in the reverse order. These two processes are known as utpatti-nyāsa and saḿhāra-nyāsa respectively.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness