Narasimha Kavacha 2 – Verses 9-20 – Remember the Lord for protection of all bodily limbs and from all directions

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Welcome back to the discussion on the Srimad Kavachastotra. In the first part, we discussed verses one to eight.
Let’s begin from the ninth verse. In this section, the focus is on connecting with the Lord by connecting his bodily parts with our bodily parts. The some people might think of this as ahangaropasana.
Ahangaropasana means worshipping oneself as the Supreme Lord. So now, this doesn’t necessarily have to be mayavada. Mayavada means to think oneself as God and to think that there is no God independent of oneself and that the ultimate reality is not personal but impersonal because one is also that impersonal reality.
So that is whatever one is God. However, that is undesirable. But ahangaropasana is also a kind of sadhana wherein one thinks of because the Lord is dwelling everywhere, he is dwelling within me and because I am part of him, so therefore in one sense, I am him.
And that way one can gain spiritual strength. So in the Vishnu Purana, it is described at once that when Lord Narasimha, hurled Lord Narasimha down, so at that time when he was being attacked in this way, he meditated. Actually, he meditated.
Okay, I am a part of the Supreme. This weapon which is going to injure me, that is the Supreme. The Lord is here everywhere.
He is inside me. He is outside me. He is everywhere.
He is everything and because I am that Lord, I am also in one sense that Lord. This potency is within me and therefore I cannot be destroyed and this way he defended himself. But after he defended himself, Lord Narasimha regretted.
Oh, why did I do like that? I should not have meditated and thought that I am myself being a part of God and I am indestructible and therefore in one sense, I am God and so indestructible. He said this sort of thinking I should not have done. So he said that I should have just depended on the Lord.
So Jiva Goswami while commenting on this says that yes, this is also one kind of upasana but Vaishnavas don’t do this. So is this ahangra upasana? Okay, my body is there, my hands are there, my legs are there and the Lord’s hands and legs are also there. No, it’s not ahangra upasana because clearly there is dvaita over there.
I am there, the Lord is there and he has his form. I have the present form, material form which I have and I am seeking his protection. So there is no worship of oneself over here.
There is worship of the Supreme Lord only. He is considered to be the object of worship but the remembrance of him is facilitated and fostered in a particular way which is relatively easy for embodied conditioned souls who are attached to their bodies. So we think of the Lord’s limbs and we think of our limbs and we are concerned about the protection of our limbs instead of just getting bogged and sucked in self-consciousness, we immediately think of the Lord’s limbs and in this way we become Krishna conscious.
So in this way from the circle of self-consciousness to the circle of the Lord, Krishna consciousness, these sort of prayers create an intersection and by keeping our self-consciousness in the intersection, we move towards pure Krishna consciousness. So let’s start with the eighth verse over here. Ninth verse.
Smritam me paathu narhari univarya sthuti priyaha mukham lakshmi naasam me simha naas sthu mukham lakshmi mukha priyaha Univarya sthuti priyaha So Smritam me paathu narhari, O Lord Narhari, half man, half woman, Smritam, Smriti, please protect my memory and what is further described? Univarya sthuti priyaha, you are you are very dear to the Munis who offer you expert prayers, the best of praises they offer you or you can say they are the best of the Rishis who offer prayers to you and you are, you find them very dear and you are also very dear to them. So you find them very dear and they find you very dear. So now what is the point over here? Why is this connected with Smriti? So actually to offer these prayers, sthuti, excellent sthuti, one requires memory.
In fact, not just one requires memory, the purpose and perfection of our memory is to remember Krishna and now we remember many different things in this world. Now if we can connect those things and in choice poetry, in choice words, so whatever other things we remember, we connect them with Krishna, then our memory becomes utilized and spiritualized. So O Lord, who are meditated on by the purified and perfect memory of the great sages, please my Lord, protect my memory also.
So protect my memory means protect me from forgetfulness, protect my capacity to remember you and remember verses and prayers and things connected with you and thereby stay protected from material existence. And then, My dear Lord, you have a lion’s nose, so please, this is extraordinary. It’s such a powerful nose, extraordinary nose you have.
So my dear Lord, please protect my nose. So please O Lord, you are Lakshmi Mukha Priya. Your face is very dear to Lakshmi Devi.
Now, especially Mukha refers not just to the face, it can also refer to the mouth. So normally, a lion’s mouth is not dear to anyone. People will tell you a lion’s mouth that will swallow me and destroy me.
So, and especially we would say female. Females are considered to be the weaker sex, so they are relatively fearful. So even males, powerful, virile males would also be afraid of a lion’s mouth.
What to speak of a female? But here the female, Lakshmi Devi, she finds your mouth very beautiful. She finds it very dear. Why? Because she doesn’t see you as a lion.
She sees you as a beloved Lord who expresses affection to her through that mouth. So therefore, that mouth which is very dear to Lakshmi Devi, my dear Lord, who has that mouth, please protect my mouth also. So, Sarva Vidya Adhipaha Paathu.
Paathu, please protect me. You Lord who are Sarva Vidya Adhipaha, all the Vidya, all the knowledge that are there, Adhipaha, you are the Lord, you are the controller of them. And my dear Lord, please protect.
Narasimhu Rasanam Paathu. Rasana refers to the tongue. So, please protect my tongue.
Now actually Vidya, knowledge, manifests through the tongue. So, you who are the master of all knowledge, please protect the tool through which knowledge manifests through me. So, it is said that Saraswati resides in the tongue of people, of people who are very wise or very eloquent.
So, my dear Lord, please protect my tongue so that wisdom can manifest through it and not ignorance. Vaktram Paathu Indhu Vadhanam. And my dear Lord, please protect Vaktra, my face.
And Sadapralad Vandita. So, two features of this face are described. One is Indhu Vadhanam.
Your face is like a moon. It’s soothing, it’s attractive. And your face is being beheld and adored, worshipped, glorified by Pralad constantly.
Sadapralad Vandita. So now, after describing the face, now the vision will move downwards. Narasimha Paathume Kantham Skandhau Bhuvridhanantakret Divyaas Trashobhita Bhujaa Narasimha Paathume Bhujaum So, Narasimha Paathume Kantham.
Kantha. Kantha is throat. In the Vedic culture, we say to memorize by heart, to do something by heart.
Now, in the Sanskrit, the word is not exactly by heart. It is Kantastha. So, Kantastha means we just don’t memorize in terms of keeping things in the head.
But to memorize means it should be in the throat, ready to be spoken. And the way of memorization is by speaking again and again and again. So that’s why the word Kantastha is used.
Skandhau Bhuvridhanantakret. So, my dear Lord, you, Skandha, you are the sustainer, Bhuvridha. So, you sustain the earth and Anantakrit.
So, just as actually somebody can lift a few kgs of weight, that person becomes the champion weight lifter. But to lift the whole earth, to sustain the earth, that is such an extraordinary feat. So, like this you perform unlimited extraordinary activities.
Anantakrit. You lifted Govardhan Hill. You can do all sorts of activities.
So, my dear Lord, now, just as you can lift heavy things, my Kantha is meant to lift knowledge about you. So, please protect this Kantha, which is meant to carry and convey knowledge about you. Please protect it just as you protect and sustain the universe.
And then your Bhujaha, Divyashtra, Shobhita, Bhujaha, your arms are adorned by Divyashtra, divine celestial weapons. So, normally Kshatriyas, they carry arrows and the quiver which is on the shoulder and also there is a bow on the shoulder. So, Divyashtra, like that, various astras are there on your shoulder and on your arms.
So, my dear Lord, just as similarly protect my shoulders, Bhujaha. And then after describing this. So, my hands, may you all protect.
Vara means blessings. So, Deva are those who give. So, those who give, that’s one of the ways of understanding the word Deva.
Normally, they give blessings. But my dear Lord, you are so extraordinary that you give blessings to the Devatas and you give them blessings with your hands. You raise your hand.
So, those hands which bless those who bless the world, my dear Lord, please protect my hands. And then, Narasimha patu sarvataha. My dear Lord, your blessings are so glorious that please protect me in all ways, from all directions.
And then, Rudayam yogi sadhyascha, So, you reside in the hearts of the yogis. Rudayam, yogi sadhyascha. So, those yogis who are seeking you during sadhana to attain you, they find you in their heart.
So, there are many verses which describe this. So, in Dhyana, the yogis see him in their inner consciousness, in the heart. So, you are residing in the heart.
And just as the heart of the yogis is your residence, my dear Lord, I have my residence. So, nivasan patu me hari. My dear Lord, please protect my residence.
So, this Lord, he is present. Now, remember at the start of this stuti, on this kavacha, it is described, invoke the Lord’s presence in one’s heart. So, the Lord is present.
So, Lord’s nivas is the So, then, the 14th verse, So, madhyam patu. Madhyam is the middle part of the body, that is the belly. So, patu, protected.
So, here, actually, in some versions, the word is hiranyaksha. It’s referring to, we know, of course, that Lord killed Hiranyakashipu. So, vaksha kukshi vidharanaha.
So, what did you do? Vaksha his chest and his kukshi, his abdomen, you ripped apart. Vidharanaha. So, it’s described that Lord Narasimhadev, he ripped apart the belly of Hiranyakashipu.
And in that way, he destroyed and delivered him. But then, why did he do it in this particular way? To the many reasons, he was thinking that this is the belly from which, actually, ultimately, my devotee Prahlad appeared. So, he took out the intestines and then he put them as a garland.
At one level, it can appear to be like a very bloody decoration. But at another level, we understand the Lord’s devotional heart. You see, okay, it was through this abdomen that Prahlad was manifested in the world.
So, that abdomen has become very special and sacred because of the presence of Prahlad. And I want to, therefore, decorate myself with that abdomen. And he checked that abdomen.
And why did he rip apart the chest? Actually, he was checking the abdominal canal fully. And he was saying, is there any other Prahlad over here? Is there any other Prahlad I want to see? And he took it out. Oh, there’s no Prahlad? Okay, still, this was glorious.
So, let me put it around my head. So, that Lord, who, actually, in one sense, we can say that if the Lord has destroyed the abdomen of someone, what is the point of asking, meditating on that pastime to protect our abdomen? The point is, we are trying to remember the Lord. So, we are connecting the remembrance of our abdomen with Krishna’s abdomen, with Narasimha’s abdomen.
So, of course, we understand the Lord did not just destroy Narasimha, Hiranyakashipu. He actually destroyed them. And through the destruction, He delivered them.
So, similarly, my dear Lord, please deliver me. So, my dear Lord, please protect my And what is the speciality of the Lord’s naabhi? So, actually, from our naabhi, nothing comes out, practically speaking. Only during the time of pregnancy, then there is the abdominal cord, which acts as some sort of nourishment.
But no child is born directly through the naabhi. But from this, not only was a child born, normally, when a child is born, there is so much required. Male and a female have to come together.
And then there has to be care of the pregnant women. And then after that, there is a midwife required. And after great pain, then through the labor pain, the child is born.
And after that, all the child cries. But the Lord effortlessly, just by Himself, through His naabhi, without any labor pains, without needing Lakshmideva’s assistance, is Himself manifested. So, it was so effortless.
And not only was it so effortless, it was so glorious that the child who appeared from there, far from crying, he started to samskrut. Aha! He offered extraordinary prayers. Such is the wonderful naabhi of the Lord.
And He is praying, My dear Lord, please protect My naabhi. So, So, crores of brahmandas are protected by katya, by His hips. So, please protect My hips, oh dear Lord.
So, now, normally the whole body is sustained on the hips. And we know that there is a virata rupa in which the whole universe is contained. And we also know that the Lord is sustaining the universe as an antashish.
So, in different ways, He is the sustainer of all the universes. And similarly, oh Lord, please sustain My hips as You sustain the universes on Your hips. And then, So, the guhya refers to secret, private, confidential.
So, He is referring to the private parts. So, My dear Lord, You are guhya. You are the greatest secret.
Actually, even in the Vedas, the personal, intimate aspect of the Lord is not revealed. And even the form of Narasimhadeva, that is also guhya. It is described that adrishyatya adbhutam, that this Lord is adrishyata, apurvam.
When Lord appeared, Bhagavatam says that nobody had seen this Lord before, this form. And that’s why Hiranyakashipu was bewildered. Who is this? He felt this must be Vishnu.
But still, what kind of form is this? Is this really Vishnu? So, this is guhya. It’s not very… this form is not very easily seen. So, mantranam guhya rupadrek.
So, actually, Your form is confidential and You are knower of all mantras. You are the knower of all mysteries. So, whatever mysteries You want to keep, You keep those mysteries.
Whatever mysteries You want to reveal, You reveal those mysteries. So, that which is private, You protect according to Your plan. So, please protect my private parts, Lord.
So, uru manobhava patu. So, uru refers to the thighs. So, patu.
So, please protect the uru manobhava. So, actually, it is from the Lord’s cupid. He is the original cupid.
Now, you know, cupid attracts everyone. So, thighs are considered to be one of the beautiful organs of the body from the material conception. Of course, for the Lord, there is nothing material.
But it is… now it is described that when Narnara and Rishi were meditating, at that time, Indra tried to tempt them. And when Indra was… Indra sent apsaras to tempt them. And Narnara and Rishi demonstrated that your apsaras are no attraction to me.
How did they demonstrate that? They manifested from their thighs an even more attractive apsara. That was uru vashi. And that apsara’s beauty completely overwhelmed the beauty of the apsaras that Indra had sent.
So, he said, those apsaras through which… through whom you are trying to attract me. A far greater apsara can manifest from my thighs itself. So, how can you attract me? What is the power? And then he said, Indra, there is no need.
I am not going to usurp your position. Anyway, you are so captivated by apsaras. So, here is one gift for you.
Take this apsara and go away. So, like this, my dear Lord, who are the original cupid, who manifest… through whom manifest the attractive things in this world, please protect my thighs. So, you are so extraordinary that you manifest in a nararupa.
So, you please protect my… a part of my nararupa, that is the Janus. You appeared as half-man, half-lion. And what did you do? Harta, you destroyed the burden of the earth.
Dharabhara, the burden of the earth you destroyed. So, my calves, they have to carry the burden of my body. So, please protect them also.
Surarajya Pradaha Paathu, Paadaume Naraharishvaraha, Sahasrashirsha Purushaha, Paathume Sarvashastanum. So, describe now. Surarajya Pradaha.
You can give heavenly opulence to everyone. So, Paadaume Naraharishvaraha. So, please protect my feet.
Actually, all heavenly opulences, they come from the Lord. In fact, all the heavenly residents, it is said that they are Sada Vishnupadam Pashyanti Surya. They are meditating on the lotus feet of Vishnu, the abode of Vishnu.
So, the Lord who is meditated on by the heavenly residents, Lord from whose feet heavenly opulence can manifest, may that Lord protect my feet. And Sahasrashirsha Purushaha. Oh Lord, you have Sahasrashirsha.
You have thousands of heads and this way you can see in all directions. And Paathume Sarvashastanum. And so, let that Lord protect me from all directions.
So, Sahasrashirsha Purushaha, there is a Sahasrashirsha Purushasukta also is there, which is used to glorify the Supreme Lord. And that Lord is glorified over here. And He is saying, you can see all directions.
So, please protect me from all directions. And in this way, these verses go on. Now, after describing this, we will move forward to describing the various directions and how my dear Lord protect me from the various directions also.
Please protect me, my dear Lord, who are very ferocious from the eastern. So, often this counting, this invocation direction starts from the east. Now, we know that it is normally faced in the east direction.
So, it starts from the east and He goes in a cyclic way roundabout. So, let us see first. Please protect me from the eastern direction.
And then, So, those who are extremely heroic, among them you are agraja, among them you are the first, the foremost. Agnitaha. Agnitaha refers to… Now, there are in the Vedic understanding, different directions are protected by different devtas.
So, Agni is the God of fire. He protects the southeast direction. So, we are moving from the east towards the southeast.
So, that direction which is presided by Agni. People may go to Agni for protection, but I know, my dear Lord, among all Mahaviras, you are agraja. So, I am coming, not to you, to Agni for protection, but I am coming to you for protection.
Mahavishnur Dakshinetu. And then from south, oh Lord, you are Mahavishnu, you protect. Mahajvalastu nairitaha mahajvala.
So, you who are blazing in your effulgence, please protect me from the southwest. So, we are moving upward, the clonk upwards. Pashchime patu sarvesho.
Dishime sarvato mukhaha. Pashchime. So, now we come to the west.
Patu sarvesho. So, oh Lord, actually you are the controller of all directions. Dishime sarvato mukhaha.
Your faces are in all directions, so please protect me from all directions. So, now we wonder, if he has said that please protect me from all directions, why is protection from specific directions further mentioned? Actually, it is just another way to glorify the Lord, to meditate on the Lord more. So, yes, by meditating on different directions, meditating on the devatas of different directions and remembering how the Lord is the controller of even those devatas and therefore the supreme controller, his glory is more specified and therefore the meditation becomes enhanced.
Narsimha patu vayamyam saumyam bhushana vigraha. In the path, Narsimha, please protect me, vayamyam. So, now we are moving from the western direction to north-western, so vayamyam.
So, vayu is considered to be in charge of that direction. So, my dear Lord, you are the Lord of vayu also, please protect me. Saumyam bhushana vigraha.
And then bhushana vigraha. So, your form is the ornament, the supreme ornament. And saumya is related with the word soma.
So, now the north is considered to be the direction where soma is present. But you are, soma is now just like, the moon is considered to be the ornament of the sky, but you are the supreme ornament of all of existence and you are the Lord of moon. So, therefore, the direction which is presided over by moon, please protect me from that direction also.
First 20th verse. My dear Lord, who are Isha? Now, actually, the direction of the sun god is north-east. So, please protect me from that direction also.
And you are the giver of all auspiciousness. So, now, one of the greatest and auspicious things in this material existence is samsara. That, please protect me from the fear of samsara.
And you are vrityor vrityor narakeshari. So, you are the death of death personified. Now, what does it mean death of death personified? That actually, death refers to destruction.
So, destruction comes at the end of our life. But when that destruction doesn’t come, when that destruction at the end of our life is destroyed, that means the devotee doesn’t die because the Lord destroys the destruction at the time of death. So, the Lord takes the devotee beyond material existence, liberates the devotee.
So, in that sense, the Lord is the death of death. So, you remove the fear of death and remove death itself for the devotee. The body of the devotee may die, but the devotee will transcend and return back to you for eternal life.
So, my dear Lord, please protect me. Please protect me from this dangerous material existence and help me attain your abode back. So, we’ll continue in the next