śrīnṛsiṃhakavacam

Salutations to Sri Ganesha. Salutations to the divine Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. Here begins the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Kavacha. Om. For this garland-mantra of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha, Vyasa and Prahlada are the Rishis (seers) for the head. Sri Lakshmi Narasimha is the deity for the heart. Anushtup is the meter for the mouth. The all-pervading One who dwells in the pillar is the seed for the navel. Sri (Lakshmi) is the energy for the feet. The One who assumes a secret form is the pin (kilaka) for the entire body. The recitation of this king of mantras, the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Kavacha Stotra, is performed for the attainment of the grace of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. Now, the Karanyasa (hand gestures): Om, to the One who dwells in the lotus-heart of yogis, salutations to the thumbs. Om, to Lakshmi Narasimha, salutations to the index fingers. Om, to the Self-effulgent One, salutations to the middle fingers. Om, to the Thousand-headed One, salutations to the ring fingers. Om, to the One whose eyes are the moon, sun, and fire, salutations to the little fingers. Om, to the One whose arms are adorned with divine weapons, salutations to the palms and backs of the hands. Now, the Hridayadi Nyasa (body gestures): Om, to the One who dwells in the lotus-heart of yogis, salutations to the heart. Om, to Lakshmi Narasimha, salutations to the head (svaha). Om, to the Self-effulgent One, salutations to the tuft of hair (vashat). Om, to the Thousand-headed One, salutations to the armor (hum). Om, to the One whose eyes are the moon, sun, and fire, salutations to the three eyes (vaushat). Om, to the One whose arms are adorned with divine weapons, salutations to the weapon (phat). Om, Bhur Bhuvah Suvah. Thus, the directions are bound. Now, the Meditation: I bow to the Man-Lion (Narasimha), whose strength is like camphor, adorned with bracelets, armlets, and a canopy, whose face is decorated with three eyes and the moon, who is delightful to the eyes of Lakshmi seated on his left lap, and who holds the discus, lotus, conch, and mace. Having bowed to the Lord of the Ganas (Ganesha), the remover of all obstacles.

I shall now recite the Narasimha Kavacham, which was spoken of old by Prahlada; it is the protector of all, auspicious, and the destroyer of all calamities.

It bestows all wealth and grants both heaven and liberation; having meditated upon Lord Narasimha, the Lord of the gods, seated upon a golden throne.

With an open mouth, three eyes, and the radiance of the autumn moon, His left side is embraced by Lakshmi, and He is adorned with all divine opulences.

He who has four arms, whose limbs are tender, who is adorned with golden earrings, whose chest is resplendent like a lotus, and who is decorated with jeweled armlets.

He who resembles molten gold, clad in pure yellow garments, and whose radiance is enhanced by the shimmering rubies set in the crowns of Indra and other gods who bow at His feet.

Whose pair of feet is resplendent, who is adorned with weapons like the conch and the discus, and who is being praised with devotion by Garuda, who is filled with joy.

Having established Him in the lotus of my heart, I shall recite this armor; may Narasimha, who manifested for the protection of the world, protect my head.

May He who is omnipresent yet dwells within the pillar protect my forehead and my sound; may Narasimha, whose eyes are the moon, the sun, and fire, protect my eyes.

May Lord Nṛhari, who is fond of the praises of the best of sages, protect my memory; may the lion-nosed Lord protect my nose, and may He who is fond of the face of Lakshmi protect my face.

May Narasimha, the Lord of all knowledge, protect my tongue; may He, whose face is like the moon and who is always worshipped by Prahlada, protect my mouth.

May Narasimha protect my throat, and may He who brings an end to the burden of the earth protect my shoulders. May Narasimha, whose arms are adorned with divine weapons, protect my arms.

May Lord Narasimha, the bestower of boons, protect my hands from all sides; may Hari, who is attained by the yogis, protect my heart and my dwelling place.

May He who tore open the chest and abdomen of Hiranyaksha protect my waist; may Nrihari, whose own navel is praised by Brahma, protect my navel.

May He, upon whose waist rest millions of universes, protect my waist; may He, who is the secret essence of all secret mantras, protect my private parts.

May He who is born of the mind (Manobhava) protect my thighs, and may He who assumes the human form protect my knees. May He who removes the burden of the earth, the lion-man (Nrkesari), protect my shanks.

May the Lord Narasimha, the bestower of the kingdom of the gods, protect my feet. May the thousand-headed Supreme Being protect my entire body in every way.

May the intensely ferocious one protect from the east, the foremost of great heroes from the southeast, the great Vishnu from the south, and the one of great flames from the southwest.

May the Lord of all, who faces in all directions, protect me in the west; may Narasimha, whose form is terrifying, protect me in the northwest and the north.

May the auspicious Lord, the bestower of all blessings, protect me from the northeast direction; may the Lion-man, who is the death of death itself, protect me from the fear of worldly existence.

This Narasimha Kavacham, which adorns the mouth of Prahlada, whoever reads it daily with devotion is liberated from all sins.

He becomes blessed with sons, wealthy, and long-lived in this world; whatever desire he cherishes, he attains it without a doubt.

He attains victory everywhere and becomes triumphant in all places. It wards off the ill effects of the planets of the earth, the atmosphere, and the heavens.

It is the supreme remover of the poison caused by scorpions and serpents, and the cause for driving away Brahma-rakshasas and Yakshas to a distance.

Whoever wears this auspicious armor, written on birch bark or a palm leaf, upon their wrist, shall attain success in all their undertakings.

Whether among gods, demons, or humans, he who reads this with a disciplined mind, either once or three times a day, shall always attain victory.

He who reads this thirty-two thousand times with a pure heart attains all that is auspicious, as well as worldly enjoyment and liberation.

By this mantra of the Kavacha, the perfection of the mantra is attained; having consecrated ashes with this king of mantras.

He who applies this tilaka, for him all fear of the planets is removed; by chanting this three times and consecrating water, one attains the desired result.

A person who recites this mantra and meditates upon Narasimha, shall have all his diseases destroyed, including those that arise within the abdomen.

What more is there to say? One becomes like Narasimha; whatever is contemplated in the mind, one attains that without a doubt.

Whoever reads this excellent armor, which is the essence of the greatest secret, with devotion, becomes endowed with wealth, grains, and sons, and upon the dissolution of the body, attains Lord Narasimha.

O Divine Lion, whose mane is like molten gold, whose eyes are like blazing fire, and whose touch of claws is like a thunderbolt, salutations to You.

Shri Narasimha is the Divine Lion, the bestower of all desired boons. He is the peerless hero, possessing wondrous strength, and the destroyer of all obstacles caused by mantras and yantras.

There is no fear, there is no fear, from the service of the feet of Narasimha. I, Shankara, the three-eyed one, speak this truth, this truth.

Where is there fear, where is there death, and where is there poverty for one whose protector is the Lion-Man, the Lord of Lakshmi, who is the Death of death itself?

The roaring name of Lord Narasimha is the scorching fire that destroys the seeds of worldly existence, the enhancer of happiness and prosperity, and the terror that strikes the messengers of Yama.

Narasimha is my mother, Narasimha is my father, Narasimha is my brother, and Narasimha is my friend. Narasimha is my knowledge, Narasimha is my wealth, Narasimha is my master, and Narasimha is my everything.

Narasimha is in front, Narasimha is behind; wherever I go, there is Narasimha. There is nothing other than Lord Narasimha. Therefore, I take refuge in Narasimha.

I bow to the Divine Lion, who roars and makes others roar, who strikes his own arms, who persists, who torments and scorches, who casts the demons from heaven to earth and hurls them away; who makes them cry out and enrages them, who constantly destroys and sustains in every direction, who gazes and whirls, and who strikes with hundreds of volleys of arrows.

Thus concludes the Narasimha Kavacha, or the Lakshmi Narasimha Kavacha, as spoken by Prahlada, from the dialogue between Narada and Agastya in the Sri Brahmanda Purana.