Śrī Saubhāgya Kavacam ( श्रीसौभाग्यकवचम् ) - Part 1
Source – Manuscripts sourced from the Kashmir Raghunath Temple library on archive.org, as well as the rendition from Sanskritdocuments.org.
Special Note - This is the shorter of the two versions of this Kavacam, which are very similar. Revisions were made to a few verses, where it was felt necessary. For the exact versions, please refer back to the sources mentioned above.
Prologue –
Kavacam is an armor or shield that protects the devotees against harm. It serves two purposes – protects, propagates and conserves the benefits of the mantra japa as well as, protects the devotees and their loved ones against misfortune, diseases, enemies etc.
This kavaca stotra (hymn) is specifically geared towards the worshippers of Śrī Lalita Tripura Sundarī, who have been initiated into the worship of the coveted Śrī Cakra, which consists of nine āvaraṇas (coverings), that ensure success to the devotee in accomplishing any task, attracting anything that the seeker may desire and also ensures good health and general well-being. There is absolutely nothing that a sincere devotee cannot accomplish through the worship of the Śrī Cakra.
Bhāvanopaniṣad, a treatise on the internalization of the Śrī Cakra, clearly illustrates the human body itself, as a receptacle of the divine Śrī Cakra. This kavacam lists various deities of the nine coverings, including the coverings associated with the Śrī Cakra, as well as the pīṭhās – seats of power of the Divine Mother Śrī Lalita Tripura Sundarī and internalizes them in the human body, to activate and protect the various body parts and the cakras within our astral body, to help us accomplish all our objectives and goals associated with material prosperity as well as spiritual ascension.
In due course of time, one gains enormous control over the triads, accomplishes all tasks and rises to high echelons of power and fame. Ultimately, self-realization is gained and the path to liberation is laid thread bare to the seeker.
om̐ śrī gaṇeśāya namaḥ ।
ॐ श्रीगणेशायनमः ।
Namaḥ (salutations) to the om̐ (auspiciousness) and śrī (prosperity) bestowing Divine Lord Gaṇeśa!
śrī gurubhyo namaḥ hariḥ om̐ ।
श्रीगुरुभ्योनमः हरिः ॐ ।
Namaḥ (salutations) to the om̐ (auspiciousness) and śrī (prosperity) bestowing grace of one’s own guru and the Divine Lord Hari, the Preserver!
kailāsa-śikhare ramye sukhasīnaṃ surārcitam ।
girīśaṃ girijā natvā stotrair-vedārtha-gocaraiḥ ॥ 1 ॥
कैलासशिखरे रम्ये सुखसीनं सुरार्चितम् ।
गिरीशं गिरिजा नत्वा स्तोत्रैर्वेदार्थगोचरैः ॥ १ ॥
Seated on top of the esteemed Kailāsa mountain (super-consciousness), in a delightful mood and comfortably disposed, the Divine couple Śiva and Śakti, bestow their grace upon the celestial Suras, who worship them eternally offering their obeisance in great reverence, in the form of recitation of stotras (hymns), vedas and holy scriptures.
praṇamya parayā bhaktyā tama-pṛcchat-kṛtāñjaliḥ ।
प्रणम्य परया भक्त्या तमपृच्छत्कृताञ्जलिः ।
May we fold our hands in deep reverence and contemplate upon the highest Divine Supreme, to show us the true path!
Śrīdevyuvāca (श्रीदेव्युवाच) -
[The Divine Mother Śrīdevi (Śakti) spoke thus - ]
rahasyaṃ rakṣaṇakaraṃ sarva-sampatkaraṃ vada ॥ 2 ॥
रहस्यं रक्षणकरं सर्वसम्पत्करं वद ॥ २ ॥
O my Lord! Can you please elucidate the highly secretive protection armor, which provides abundance, auspiciousness and success in all undertakings?
īśvara uvāca (ईश्वर उवाच) -
[ Lord Īśvara (Śiva) spoke thus - ]
etat-saubhāgya-kavacaṃ rahasyāti-rahasyakam ।
saubhāgya-kavacaṃ devi śṛṇu saubhāgyadaṃ param ॥ 3 ॥
एतत्सौभाग्यकवचं रहस्यातिरहस्यकम् ।
सौभाग्यकवचं देवि शृणु सौभाग्यदं परम् ॥ ३ ॥
O my dear, please listen attentively! The highly coveted Saubhāgya Kavacaṃ is extremely secretive and it bestows immense prosperity, luck and auspiciousness upon the seekers and most sincere devotees.
1.Viniyogaḥ (विनियोगः) -
asya śrī-saubhāgya-kavaca-stotrasya ।
śrī-ānanda-bhairava ṛṣiḥ ।
anuṣṭup chandaḥ ।
śrī-saubhāgya-sundarī devatā ।
om̐ klīm̐ sauḥ bījam ।
hrīm̐ klīm̐ śaktiḥ ।
ām̐ hrīm̐ krom̐ kīlakam ।
sarva-saubhāgya siddhyarthe pāṭhe viniyogaḥ ॥
अस्य श्रीसौभाग्यकवचस्तोत्रस्य ।
श्रीआनन्दभैरव ऋषिः ।
अनुष्टुप् छन्दः ।
श्रीसौभाग्यसुन्दरी देवता ।
ॐ क्लीँ सौः बीजम् ।
ह्रीँ क्लीँ शक्तिः ।
आँ ह्रीँ क्रोँ कीलकम् ।
सर्वसौभाग्य सिद्ध्यर्थे पाठे विनियोगः ॥
Meaning:- This prayer/mantra japa is to invoke Śrī Lalita Mahā Tripura Sundari (Super-consciousness) as Śrī Saubhāgya Sundarī and perform Her Kavaca stotra japa to obtain sarva-saubhāgya (all types of prosperity, abundance and auspiciousness). The ṛṣiḥ (sage) is Lord Śiva Himself described as Śrī Ānanda Bhairava - the One who evokes pleasure, happiness and ultimate bliss. The chandas (meter) for the mantra is Anuṣṭup, and the devatāḥ (deity) is the grantor of all types of prosperity, abundance and auspiciousness - Śrī Saubhāgya Sundarī. The seed syllable (bīja) is om̐ klīm̐ sauḥ, the power (śakti) associated with the kavacam is hrīm̐ klīm̐ and the key to unlock (kīlakaṃ) is ām̐ hrīm̐ krom̐.
2.Ṛṣyādi nyāsa ( ऋष्यादि न्यास: ) -
S.no. |
IAST |
Devanāgari |
Procedure |
1 |
Śrī Ānanda Bhairava ṛṣaye namaḥ śirasi |
श्री आनन्दभैरव ऋषये नमः शिरसि |
Open the right palm and touch the top of the forehead with the ring and thumb fingers joined at the top. |
2 |
Anuṣṭup chandase namaḥ mukhe |
अनुष्टुप् छन्दसे नमः मुखे |
Now touch the lips of the mouth with the above mudrā. |
3 |
Śrī Saubhāgya Sundarī devatāyai namaḥ hṛdi |
श्री सौभाग्यसुन्दरी देवतायै नमः हृदि |
Touch the heart with the right palm. |
4 |
om̐ klīm̐ sauḥ bījāya namaḥ guhye |
ॐ क्लीँ सौः बीजाय नमः गुह्ये |
Touch the genitalia with the right ring finger and thumb joined together. |
5 |
hrīm̐ klīm̐ śaktaye namaḥ pādayoḥ |
ह्रीँ क्लीँ शक्तये नमः पादयोः |
Touch the feet with the right ring finger and thumb joined together. |
6 |
ām̐ hrīm̐ krom̐ kīlakāya namaḥ nābhau |
आँ ह्रीँ क्रोँ कीलकाय नमः नाभौ |
Touch the navel area with the right ring finger and thumb joined together. |
7 |
Sarva-saubhāgya siddhyarthe pāṭhe viniyogāya namaḥ sarvāṅge |
सर्वसौभाग्य सिद्ध्यर्थे पाठे विनियोगाय नमः सर्वाङ्गे |
Run both the palms all over the body. |
8 |
iti ṛṣyādi nyāsaḥ |
इति ऋष्यादि न्यासः |
|
3.Karanyāsaḥ (करन्यासः) :-
S.no. |
IAST |
Devanāgari |
Procedure |
1 |
aim̐ aṅguṣṭhābhyāṃ namaḥ
|
ऐँ अङ्गुष्ठाभ्यां नमः |
Use both the index fingers and run them on both the thumbs. |
2 |
klīm̐ tarjanībhyāṃ namaḥ |
क्लीँ तर्जनीभ्यां नमः
|
Use both the thumbs and run them on both the index fingers. |
3 |
sauḥ madhyamābhyāṃ namaḥ |
सौः मध्यमाभ्यां नमः
|
Use both the thumbs on the middle fingers. |
4 |
aim̐ anāmikābhyāṃ namaḥ
|
ऐँ अनामिकाभ्यां नमः |
Use both the thumbs on the ring fingers. |
5 |
klīm̐ kaniṣṭhikābhyāṃ namaḥ |
क्लीँ कनिष्ठिकाभ्यां नमः |
Use both the thumbs on the little fingers. |
6 |
sauḥ karatalakarapṛṣṭhābhyāṃ namaḥ |
सौः करतलकरपृष्ठाभ्यां नमः |
Open both the palms; run the opened palms of the right hand on the front and back sides of the left palm and repeat the same for the other palm. |
7 |
iti kara nyāsaḥ |
इति कर न्यासः |
|
4.Aṅganyāsaḥ (अङ्गन्यासः) :-
S.no. |
IAST |
Devanāgari |
Procedure |
1 |
aim̐ hṛdayāya namaḥ |
ऐँ हृदयाय नमः |
Open index, middle and ring fingers of the right hand and place them on the heart chakra. |
2 |
klīm̐ śirase svāhā |
क्लीँ शिरसे स्वाहा |
Open middle and ring fingers of the right hand and touch the top of the forehead. |
3 |
sauḥ śikhāyai vaṣaṭ |
सौः शिखायै वषट् |
Open the right thumb and touch the back of the head. This is the point where the tuft of hair, is kept. |
4 |
aim̐ kavacāya hum̐ |
ऐँ कवचाय हुँ |
Cross both the hands and run the fully opened palms from shoulders to finger tips. |
5 |
klīm̐ netratrayāya vauṣaṭ |
क्लीँ नेत्रत्रयाय वौषट् |
Touch the eyes with the right index and ring fingers, with the middle finger touching the ājña cakra. |
6 |
sauḥ astrāya phaṭ |
सौः अस्त्राय फट् |
Open up the left palm and strike it three times with index and middle fingers of the right hand. |
7 |
iti ṣaḍaṅga nyāsaḥ |
इति षडङ्ग न्यासः |
|
भूर्भुवस्सुवरोमिति दिग्बन्धः॥
May all the directions be sealed and may no thoughts or disturbances impact our ability to recite the hymn.
dhyānam (ध्यानम्) -
śoṇa-prabhaṃ soma-kalāvataṃsaṃ pāṇi-sphurat-pañcaśarekṣu-cāpam ।
prāṇa-priyaṃ naumi pināka-pāṇiṃ koṇa-trayasthaṃ kula-daivataṃ me ॥ 4 ॥
शोणप्रभं सोमकलावतंसं पाणिस्फुरत्पञ्चशरेक्षुचापम् ।
प्राणप्रियं नौमि पिनाकपाणिं कोणत्रयस्थं कुलदैवतं मे ॥ ४ ॥
Let us meditate upon the Divine Mother Lalita Devi, who is crimson red in complexion and shining like the moon and possessing all its attributes (16 Nitya Devis). She is holding in Her arms, five flowery arrows representing all the pentads (Vārāhī Devi) and a sugarcane bow (Śyāmalā Devi). She is the beloved of the trident holder Lord Śiva and represents all the triads manifested in the entire Creation. Salutations to the Divine Mother who is the main deity of the Śrī Kulā tradition and the One who takes care of us all!
The sixteen Nitya Devis represent all the material achievements, attaining spiritual siddhis and everything that we can ask and may have a need for. There is absolutely nothing that we cannot accomplish by their grace! The Divine Mother Vārāhī Devi nullifies all our enemies, internal or external, helps us control our senses, desires and makes us follow the righteous path. She will also aggressively dig into our karmas and relieve us from sufferings. The Divine Mother Śyāmalā Devi grants us all the knowledge and experience that we will need, to aid in our quest for material accomplishments and also to assist in our spiritual journey and ascent of our consciousness towards the higher realms.
ikṣu-kodaṇḍa-puṣpeṣu-pāśāṅkuśa-catur-bhujām ।
udyat-sūryanibhāṃ vande devīṃ tripura-sundarīm ॥ 5 ॥
इक्षुकोदण्डपुष्पेषुपाशाङ्कुशचतुर्भुजाम् ।
उद्यत्सूर्यनिभां वन्दे देवीं त्रिपुरसुन्दरीम् ॥ ५ ॥
Let us meditate upon the Divine Mother Lalita Tripura Sundarī, who holds in Her four arms, a sugarcane bow (Śyāmalā Devi), five flowery arrows (Vārāhī Devi), a rope (Aśvarūḍḥā Devi) and an elephant goad (Sampatkarī Devi). She is of crimson red complexion, resembling the rising sun. Salutations to the Divine Mother, who represents all the triads manifested in the entire Creation.
The Divine Mother Aśvarūḍḥā Devi quickly fulfills our needs and corrects our path, when we go astray. The Divine Mother Sampatkarī Devi grants immense prosperity, grants the highest levels of recognition and helps tame the most stubborn karmas.
Click Here for Part 2
This article is written by Krishnavallpareddy and can be contacted at krishna@manblunder.com
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