Bhagavatapurana 6.8: athāṣṭamo'dhyāyaḥ

6.8.1

/0 śrīrājovāca
yayā guptaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ savāhān ripusainikān /
krīḍanniva vinirjitya trilokyā bubhuje śriyam //

The king said:
Protected by which the thousand-eyed one, conquering the enemy forces along with their mounts
as if in sport, enjoyed the sovereignty of the three worlds—

1. & 2. The king said:— O worshipful one, be pleased to impart to me that *coat of Narayana*, protected by which Indra sportfully

subdued the enemies’ hosts, their horse and vehicles and got possession of the wealth of the three worlds; and also tell me how protected by that coat he vanquished the ruffian enemies in battle.

6.8.2

bhagavaṃstan mamākhyāhi varma nārāyaṇātmakam /
yathātatāyinaḥ śatrūn yena gupto 'jayan mṛdhe //

O Lord, tell me that armor of the nature of Nārāyaṇa,
by which, protected, he conquered the aggressive enemies in battle.”

6.8.3

/0 śrībādarāyaṇiruvāca
vṛtaḥ purohitastvāṣṭro mahendrāyānupṛcchate /
nārāyaṇākhyaṃ varmāha tadihaikamanāḥ śṛṇu //

The son of Bādarāyaṇa said:
Chosen as purohita, the son of Tvaṣṭṛ spoke the armor named Nārāyaṇa to Mahendra who inquired about it;
listen to that now with a one-pointed mind.

3. Sri Suka said:— Chosen as priest the son of Tvashtri imparted to the solicitous Mahendra the mantra called Narayana-varma (protection of Narayana): listen to it with undivided attention now (as I repeat it).

6.8.4

/0 śrīviśvarūpa uvāca
dhautāṅghripāṇirācamya sapavitra udaṅmukhaḥ /
kṛtasvāṅgakaranyāso mantrābhyāṃ vāgyataḥ śuciḥ //

Śrī Viśvarūpa said:
“Having washed feet and hands, sipped water, wearing a ring of kuśa grass, facing north,
having performed the assignment of mantras on his own limbs and hands with the two mantras, restrained in speech and pure,

4. Viswarupa said:— A person should wash his hands and feet, make achamana, put on pavitra (hold the sacred grass), sit facing the north, contemplate in the parts of his body and hands the Deity, with the two mantras, observe silence and remain undefiled.

6.8.5

nārāyaṇaparaṃ varma sannahyedbhaya āgate /
pādayorjānunorūrvorudare hṛdy athorasi //

one should gird on the supreme armor of Nārāyaṇa when danger has arrived:
on the feet, the knees, the thighs, the abdomen, the heart, then the chest,

5. When a danger befalls him he should put on the coat-of mail (the means of protection) constituted of Narayana’s essence; [Through the agency of the gods, the Bhutas, and one’s own sinful actions, the person becoming imbued with the spirit of Narayana] he should place (_i.e._, contemplate the Lord) in the feet, in the knee-joints, the thighs, the belly, the heart and the chest;

6.8.6

mukhe śirasy ānupūrvyādoṃkārādīni vinyaset /
oṃ namo nārāyaṇāyeti viparyayamathāpi vā //

the mouth, and the head, in order, one should assign the syllables beginning with Oṃ:
‘Oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya,’ or in reverse order.

6. In the face and the head, the sacred syllable and the rest, in due order, of the holy formula of Narayana; or, it may be done in the reverse order beginning with the head.

6.8.7

karanyāsaṃ tataḥ kuryāddvādaśākṣaravidyayā /
praṇavādiyakārāntamaṅgulyaṅguṣṭhaparvasu //

Then one should perform the assignment on the hands with the twelve-syllable lore,
beginning with Praṇava and ending with the syllable ‘ya’, on the joints of the fingers and thumbs.

7. Then he should proceed to place (and contemplate the Lord) in the hands, etc., the letters of the sacred formula of twelve syllables beginning with the sacred syllable and ending with the letter _Ya_ in the joints of the fingers and thumbs.

6.8.8

nyaseddhṛdaya oṃkāraṃ vikāramanu mūrdhani /
ṣakāraṃ tu bhruvormadhye ṇakāraṃ śikhayā nyaset //

One should place the syllable ‘oṃ’ on the heart, the syllable ‘vi’ on the head,
the syllable ‘ṣa’ between the brows, the syllable ‘ṇa’ on the crest,

8. Again he should contemplate the sacred syllable (of another mantra) in the heart and next the letter _vi_ in the crown of the head, the letter _sha_ in the middle of the brows, the letter _Na_ (lingual) in the tuft of hair on the head.

6.8.9

vekāraṃ netrayoryuñjyān nakāraṃ sarvasandhiṣu /
makāramastramuddiśya mantramūrtirbhavedbudhaḥ //

one should fix the syllable ‘ve’ on the two eyes, the syllable ‘na’ on all joints,
and assigning the syllable ‘ma’ as a weapon, the wise one should become the embodiment of the mantra.

9. He should place the·letter _Vai_ in the two eyes and the letter _Na_ (dental) in all the joints; he should contemplate the·letter _Ma_ as a weapon and the wise man would thus become an embodiment of the Mantra.

6.8.10

savisargaṃ phaḍantaṃ tat sarvadikṣu vinirdiśet /
oṃ viṣṇave nama iti //

With visarga, ending in ‘phaṭ’, one should designate it in all directions:
‘Oṃ namo viṣṇave’.

10. (_Ma_) together with Visarga and ending with the utterance of _phad_, he should contemplate (as protection) in all directions. Thus the formula of Sri Vishnu.

6.8.11

ātmānaṃ paramaṃ dhyāyeddhyeyaṃ ṣaṭśaktibhiryutam /
vidyātejastapomūrtimimaṃ mantramudāharet //

One should meditate upon the supreme Self, the object of meditation endowed with the six powers,
the embodiment of knowledge, splendor, and austerity, and utter this mantra:

11. He should contemplate Paramatman as the one fit to be contemplated, along with his six powers, as the embodiment of wisdom, energy and thought (Tapas) and utter this mantra.

6.8.12

oṃ harirvidadhyān mama sarvarakṣāṃ nyastāṅghripadmaḥ patagendrapṛṣṭhe /
darāricarmāsigadeṣucāpa pāśān dadhāno 'ṣṭaguṇo 'ṣṭabāhuḥ //

‘May Oṃ Hari provide my complete protection, his lotus feet placed on the back of the king of birds,
holding conch, disc, shield, sword, club, arrows, bow, and noose, endowed with eight virtues, eight-armed.

12. May Hari afford me protection in every respect, who sets His lotus-like feet (rides) on the back of the kingly bird Garuda, who is of eight attributes and has eight arms and bears eight weapons, sankha, chakra, charma (a shield), sword, mace, arrows, a bow and cords!

6.8.13

jaleṣu māṃ rakṣatu matsyamūrtir yādogaṇebhyo varuṇasya pāśāt /
sthaleṣu māyāvaṭuvāmano 'vyāt trivikramaḥ khe 'vatu viśvarūpaḥ //

In the waters, may the Matsya form protect me from the creatures of the deep and the noose of Varuṇa;
on land, may the illusory celibate dwarf, Vāmana, protect; in the sky, may Trivikrama of universal form protect.

13. May He in the form of the glorious fish protect me in waters from aquatic monsters and from the cords of Varuna; may He who of His own will appared as a brahmacharin Vamana guard me in the regions of land; may Trivikrama of all-pervading form guard me in the sky!

6.8.14

durgeṣvaṭavyājimukhādiṣu prabhuḥ pāyān nṛsiṃho 'surayūthapāriḥ /
vimuñcato yasya mahāṭṭahāsaṃ diśo vinedurnyapataṃśca garbhāḥ //

In difficult places, in the forest, at the forefront of battle and other dangers, may the Lord Nṛsiṃha, foe of the host of Asuras, protect me,
at whose utterance of a mighty roaring laugh the directions resounded and wombs miscarried.

14. May the Supreme Lord Narasimha, the foe of Asura hosts, shield me in insuperable dangers and difficulties of the forest, battle-front and the like, at whose tremendous roar all the cardinal points violently echoed and embroys were discharged from wombs.

6.8.15

rakṣatvasau mādhvani yajñakalpaḥ svadaṃṣṭrayonnītadharo varāhaḥ /
rāmo 'drikūṭeṣvatha vipravāse salakṣmaṇo 'vyādbharatāgrajo 'smān //

May the Boar, the embodiment of sacrifice who lifted up the earth with His tusk, protect me on the road. / May Rāma protect us on mountain peaks, and in exile, Bharata's elder brother along with Lakṣmaṇa.

15. May Varaha, the embodiment of Yajna (Sacrifice), who lifted up the earth with His tusks, protect me on the road! May Parasurama guard me on mountain peaks; and during journeys may the elder brother of Bharata together with Lakshmana protect us (me)!

6.8.16

māmugradharmādakhilāt pramādān nārāyaṇaḥ pātu naraśca hāsāt /
dattastvayogādatha yoganāthaḥ pāyādguṇeśaḥ kapilaḥ karmabandhāt //

May Nārāyaṇa protect me from terrible deviations from dharma, and Nara from all carelessness; / may the Lord of yoga, Datta, protect me from failure in yoga, and Kapila, the master of qualities, from the bondage of karma.

16. May Narayana protect me against all kinds of cruel acts of black magic and from carelessness and Nara from pride! May Datta, master of yoga, defend me from want of, or, failure in yoga! May Kapila, the controller of the gunas, save me from the bondage of Karma!

6.8.17

sanatkumāro 'vatu kāmadevād dhayaśīrṣā māṃ pathi devahelanāt /
devarṣivaryaḥ puruṣārcanāntarāt kūrmo harirmāṃ nirayādaśeṣāt //

May Sanatkumāra protect me from the god of love, and Hayagrīva on the path from disrespect toward the gods; / may the foremost of divine sages protect me from omissions in worshipping the Supreme Person, and Hari as the Tortoise from every hell.

17. May Sanatkumara keep me from the god of Love! May Hayagriva guard me from neglecting the gods on my way! May the Almighty One in the form of the divine sage protect me from the interruptions in worshipping the Perfect Being! May Hari as the glorious Tortoise save me from every description of hell!

6.8.18

dhanvantarirbhagavān pātvapathyād dvandvādbhayādṛṣabho nirjitātmā /
yajñaśca lokādavatāj janāntād balo gaṇāt krodhavaśādahīndraḥ //

May the Lord Dhanvantari protect me from unwholesome food, and Ṛṣabha, who conquered his self, from the pairs of opposites and fear; / may Yajña protect me from the world and its people, and the king of serpents, Bala, from the hosts governed by wrath.

18. May the glorious Dhanvantari keep me from bad diet (from everything harmful)! May Rishabha, the conquerer of the mind, save me from the fear of the pairs of opposite passions, likes and dislikes and Yagna from the reproach of the world and Bala-Bhadra from the troubles caused by other people (or from Yama) and Sesha from the revengeful race of serpents!

6.8.19

dvaipāyano bhagavān aprabodhād buddhastu pāṣaṇḍagaṇapramādāt /
kalkiḥ kaleḥ kālamalāt prapātu dharmāvanāyorukṛtāvatāraḥ //

May the Lord Dvaipāyana protect me from ignorance, and the Buddha from the negligence of heretical sects; / may Kalki, who assumed an incarnation to protect dharma, guard me from the impurity of the age of Kali.

19. May the glorious Dwaipayana guard me against ignorance and Bhuddha from the troops of miscreants and from error; may Kalki specially protect me from Kali who is the embodiment of all the dirt of time, and who has made a great avatar (has specially appeared in the world) for the protection of righteousness!

6.8.20

māṃ keśavo gadayā prātaravyād govinda āsaṅgavamāttaveṇuḥ /
nārāyaṇaḥ prāhṇa udāttaśaktir madhyandine viṣṇurarīndrapāṇiḥ //

May Keśava protect me with His mace in the early morning, Govinda holding His flute in the second part of the morning; / may Nārāyaṇa endowed with power protect me in the forenoon, and Viṣṇu, holding the best of discuses in His hand, at midday.

20. May Kesava defend me with gada inthe morning; and may Govinda who holds a flute in His hand protect me to the end of Sangava hours, *i.e.*, till ten O' clock! May Narayana wearing most powerful *Sakti* protect me in the forenoon and Vishnu wielding the excellent *Chakra* in His hand shield me at midday!

6.8.21

devo 'parāhṇe madhuhogradhanvā sāyaṃ tridhāmāvatu mādhavo mām /
doṣe hṛṣīkeśa utārdharātre niśītha eko 'vatu padmanābhaḥ //

May the divine slayer of Madhu, bearing a terrible bow, protect me in the afternoon, and the three-aboded Mādhava at dusk; / may Hṛṣīkeśa protect me in the first part of the night, and Padmanābha alone in the middle of the night.

21. May the most blessed Madhusudana bearing the bow protect me in the afternoon and Madhava of three seats in the evening. May Hrishikesa protect me in the early part of the night and the One Padmanabha till midnight and also at midnight!

6.8.22

śrīvatsadhāmāpararātra īśaḥ pratyūṣa īśo 'sidharo janārdanaḥ /
dāmodaro 'vyādanusandhyaṃ prabhāte viśveśvaro bhagavān kālamūrtiḥ //

May the Lord whose abode is the Śrīvatsa protect me in the latter part of the night, and Janārdana, the Lord bearing a sword, at daybreak; / may Dāmodara protect me at dawn, and at daybreak the Lord of all, the Lord who is the form of time.

22. May the Supreme Ruler of Srivatsa mark protect me in the latter part of the night and Janardana the Supreme Ruler bearing the sword protect me about the dawn. May Damodara the one Lord of the Universe guard me at those points of time when day and night meet. May the glorious Lord (Vishnu) in the form of Time protect me in the early morning hours (at sunrise)!

6.8.23

cakraṃ yugāntānalatigmanemi bhramat samantādbhagavatprayuktam /
dandagdhi dandagdhy arisainyamāśu kakṣaṃ yathā vātasakho hutāśaḥ //

O discus, whose rim is sharp like the fire of cosmic dissolution, whirling everywhere as hurled by the Lord! / Burn, burn completely the hostile army quickly, as the fire, friend of the wind, burns dry grass.

23. May Chakra whose rim (tire) is fierce like the fire at deluge, whirling about as commanded by the Lord, soon burn out the enemies' army just as fire helped by winds burns a dry bush.

6.8.24

gade 'śanisparśanavisphuliṅge niṣpiṇḍhi niṣpiṇḍhy ajitapriyāsi /
kuṣmāṇḍavaināyakayakṣarakṣo bhūtagrahāṃścūrṇaya cūrṇayārīn //

O mace, throwing off sparks like lightning, you are dear to the Unconquered! / Crush, crush, grind into dust, pulverise the enemies—the Kuṣmāṇḍas, Vināyakas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, and evil spirits!

24. O Mace (Gada), whose sparks are as formidable as the touch of Vajara, thou art beloved of the absolute Lord; so mayst thou crush at once the evil spirits, namely, Kushmanda, Vinayakas, Yakshas, Rakshas, Bhutas, and Demons and at once reduce my enemies to powder!

6.8.25

tvaṃ yātudhānapramathapretamātṛ piśācavipragrahaghoradṛṣṭīn /
darendra vidrāvaya kṛṣṇapūrito bhīmasvano 'rerhṛdayāni kampayan //

Filled by Kṛṣṇa with terrible sound, shaking the hearts of the enemy, / O conch, drive away the Yātudhānas, Pramathas, Pretas, Mātṛs, Piśācas, and brāhmaṇa-ghosts of dreadful gaze!

25. O excellent Sankha, may thou, blown by Sri Krishna, shock the hearts of the enemy by thy formidable voice and drive away Yatudhanas, Pramathas, Ghosts, Mothers, Spirits, Brahma-rakshas and the evil-eyed spirits!

6.8.26

tvaṃ tigmadhārāsivarārisainyam īśaprayukto mama chindhi chindhi /
cakṣūṃṣi carman chatacandra chādaya dviṣāmaghonāṃ hara pāpacakṣuṣām //

Employed by the Lord, O best of swords with sharp blade, cut down, cut down my enemies' army! / O shield of a hundred moons, cover the eyes of the enemies; take away the sight of the sinful!

26. O Nandaka, O excellent sword of keen edge, do thou sent by the Lord cut down at once my enemies' force; O shield brilliant like hundred moons (or brilliant with a hundred moon-like buttons), do thou close the eyes of the sinful enemies and destroy the sight of the evil-eyed enemies!

6.8.27

yan no bhayaṃ grahebhyo 'bhūt ketubhyo nṛbhya eva ca /
sarīsṛpebhyo daṃṣṭribhyo bhūtebhyo 'ṃhobhya eva ca //

Whatever fear we have from ominous planets and comets, and from men, / from serpents, from beasts of prey, from spirits, and from sins—

27. & 28. May all those Grahas, Kethus, human beings, serpents, the creatures having tusks, Bhutas, and sinful ones who caused us fear, go to destruction at once, as well as those who stand in the way of our welfare, as soon as the names, the forms and the astras, O Almighty Lord, are uttered!

6.8.28

sarvāṇy etāni bhagavan nāmarūpānukīrtanāt /
prayāntu saṅkṣayaṃ sadyo ye naḥ śreyaḥpratīpakāḥ //

May all these that are obstacles to our welfare / instantly perish through the chanting of the names and forms of the Lord!

6.8.29

garuḍo bhagavān stotra stobhaśchandomayaḥ prabhuḥ /
rakṣatvaśeṣakṛcchrebhyo viṣvaksenaḥ svanāmabhiḥ //

May the Lord Garuḍa, the master praised by Vedic hymns and chants and consisting of the meters, / protect us from all distresses, and Viṣvaksena through His own names.

29. May glorious Garuda of great power, the embodiment of the Sama hymns and songs of the Vedas, protect us from all troubles; so also may Viswaksena protect us by virtue of His names!

6.8.30

sarvāpadbhyo harernāma rūpayānāyudhāni naḥ /
buddhīndriyamanaḥprāṇān pāntu pārṣadabhūṣaṇāḥ //

From all perils may the name, form, vehicle, and weapons of Hari, / and the ornaments among His attendants, protect our intellect, senses, mind, and vital breaths.

30. May Sri Hari’s names, forms, vehicles, and weapons as also the excellent attendants of Hari protect our thought, mind, hearts, breaths, and senses from all dangers!

6.8.31

yathā hi bhagavān eva vastutaḥ sadasac ca yat /
satyenānena naḥ sarve yāntu nāśamupadravāḥ //

For indeed the Lord alone is whatever is real and unreal in reality; / by this truth may all our afflictions be destroyed.

31. As surely as the glorious Lord Himself is really the gross and subtle universe, (so surely) by force of this truth, may all our troubles be destroyed!

6.8.32

yathaikātmyānubhāvānāṃ vikalparahitaḥ svayam /
bhūṣaṇāyudhaliṅgākhyā dhatte śaktīḥ svamāyayā //

Just as He who is perceived as one, being devoid of differentiation, / through His creative power assumes powers named ornaments, weapons, and marks;

32. Just as there is no difference and the Lord appears to be but one in the view of those who realise the oneness of Atman, so the Lord wields His own powers by virtue of His maya under the names of ornaments, weapons, and marks (insignia).

6.8.33

tenaiva satyamānena sarvajño bhagavān hariḥ /
pātu sarvaiḥ svarūpairnaḥ sadā sarvatra sarvagaḥ //

By this very measure of truth, may the all-knowing Lord Hari, / who is omnipresent, protect us always everywhere in all His forms.

33. On the truth of the same fact, may the omniscient and glorious Hari protect us always, everywhere, by means of all His forms, as He is present everywhere.

6.8.34

vidikṣu dikṣūrdhvamadhaḥ samantād antarbahirbhagavān nārasiṃhaḥ /
prahāpaya lokabhayaṃ svanena svatejasā grastasamastatejāḥ //

In the intermediate directions, in the directions, above, below, on all sides, / inside and outside, may the Lord Nārasiṃha, having devoured all splendors by His own splendor, dispel the fear of the world with His roar!

34. May the most powerful Narasimha (as also Prahlada) protect us, removing the fear of the world by means of His roar and having eclipsed all the luminaries by His own splendour!; may He protect us in all the four directions, in all the four corners, above and below, on all sides, in and out.

6.8.35

maghavannidamākhyātaṃ varma nārāyaṇātmakam /
vijeṣyase 'ñjasā yena daṃśito 'surayūthapān //

O Maghavan, this armor of Nārāyaṇa has been told to you, / clad in which you will easily conquer the leaders of the demon hosts.

35. O Indra, this coat-of-mail imbued with the spirit of Narayana has been imparted to thee; armed with this thou wilt thoroughly vanquish the great Asura leaders.

6.8.36

etaddhārayamāṇastu yaṃ yaṃ paśyati cakṣuṣā /
padā vā saṃspṛśet sadyaḥ sādhvasāt sa vimucyate //

Indeed, whomever he who wears this sees with his eye / or touches with his foot, that person is immediately freed from fear.

36. Any one whom the person knowing this or wearing this coat looks at with his eyes or touches with his foot, is at once rescued from (every) fear.

6.8.37

na kutaścidbhayaṃ tasya vidyāṃ dhārayato bhavet /
rājadasyugrahādibhyo vyādhyādibhyaśca karhicit //

No danger from anywhere shall befall him who holds this knowledge, / neither from kings, bandits, or ominous planets, nor ever from diseases and the like.

37. He who has this mantra with him would have no fear from anything and at any time either from kings or thieves or devils and the like or from tigers and other wild animals.

6.8.38

imāṃ vidyāṃ purā kaścit kauśiko dhārayan dvijaḥ /
yogadhāraṇayā svāṅgaṃ jahau sa marudhanvani //

In ancient times, a certain twice-born of the Kuśika lineage, holding this knowledge, / abandoned his body in the desert of the Maru country through yogic concentration.

38. A certain brahmin of Kausika family was practising this mantra in former times; and by the control of breath he cast off his body in a desert.

6.8.39

tasyopari vimānena gandharvapatirekadā /
yayau citrarathaḥ strībhirvṛto yatra dvijakṣayaḥ //

Once, Citraratha, the king of the Gandharvas, surrounded by women, / passed above in an aerial chariot where the body of that twice-born lay.

39. Once upon a time a great Gandharva named Chitraratha surrounded by women rode over that place in his aerial car where the brahmin gave up his life.

6.8.40

gaganān nyapatat sadyaḥ savimāno hy avākśirāḥ /
sa vālikhilyavacanādasthīny ādāya vismitaḥ /
prāsya prācīsarasvatyāṃ snātvā dhāma svamanvagāt //

He fell headlong from the sky immediately along with his aerial chariot. / Astonished, upon the words of the Vālikhilyas, he took the bones, / cast them into the eastward-flowing Sarasvatī, bathed, and went to his own abode.

40. The Gandharva at once fell down from the sky with his car and with his head turned down to the earth on account of crossing the bones of the dead man who had practised this mantra; instructed by Valakhilya sages he collected in great wonder the bones of the brahmin and after throwing them into the east Saraswati and bathing there, he returned home.

6.8.41

/0 śrīśuka uvāca
ya idaṃ śṛṇuyāt kāle yo dhārayati cādṛtaḥ /
taṃ namasyanti bhūtāni mucyate sarvato bhayāt //

Śrī Śuka said: / Whoever hears this in due time, and whoever holds it with reverence, / before him all beings bow, and he is freed from all fear.

41. Sri Suka said:—He who listens to this mantra at the time of fear or who devoutly learns and repeats it, is worshipped by all beings and gets over every fear.

6.8.42

etāṃ vidyāmadhigato viśvarūpāc chatakratuḥ /
trailokyalakṣmīṃ bubhuje vinirjitya mṛdhe 'surān //

Having obtained this knowledge from Viśvarūpa, Śatakratu / conquered the demons in battle and enjoyed the sovereignty of the three worlds.

42. Indra who learned this mantra from Viswarupa conquered the Asuras in battle and enjoyed the royal fortune of the three worlds.