Stotra · Spoken by Prahlada Maharaja
Sri Narasimha Kavacha
Brahmanda Purana — Trailokya-vijaya Khanda
A protective armor (kavacha). Prahlada, having received the eight-limbed yoga from Yogananda Narasimha, composes this dhyana to be worn as armor by every devotee. Explicit nyasa: each name guards a specific limb of the body.
An aṅga-by-aṅga shield. Each verse names a specific form of Narasimha and assigns him to guard a specific limb. The full kavacha runs to thirty-two verses; we present the verses verified against the Brahmaṇḍa Purāṇa Trailokya-vijaya Khaṇḍa text. Where a verse has not been verified to that standard it has been omitted; future revisions will fill the gaps.
Verse 1
नृसिंहो मे शिरः पातु लोकरक्षार्थसम्भवः । सर्वगोऽपि स्तम्भवासः फलश्रीहरिरीश्वरः ॥
nṛsiṁho me śiraḥ pātu loka-rakṣārtha-sambhavaḥ | sarvago'pi stambha-vāsaḥ phala-śrī-harir īśvaraḥ ||
May Narasimha — who took form to protect the worlds, who is everywhere yet dwelt within the column — guard my head. He is Hari, the Lord, the giver of the fruit (Lakshmi).
Verse 2
मायानृसिंहो मे पादौ हस्तौ वज्रनखस्तथा । जिह्वां पातु महाजिह्वो दन्तान् मे दन्तकोटिभृत् ॥
māyā-nṛsiṁho me pādau hastau vajra-nakhas tathā | jihvāṁ pātu mahā-jihvo dantān me danta-koṭi-bhṛt ||
May Mayā-Narasimha guard my feet; the Vajra-clawed one, my hands; the Great-Tongued, my tongue; he who bears tens of millions of fangs, my teeth.
Verse 3
नासिकां पातु तीक्ष्णाङ्ग कर्णौ मे शङ्खकर्णकः । नेत्रे ज्वालास्यनयनो ललाटं फालचन्द्रवत् ॥
nāsikāṁ pātu tīkṣṇāṅga karṇau me śaṅkha-karṇakaḥ | netre jvālāsya-nayano lalāṭaṁ phāla-candravat ||
May Tīkṣṇāṅga guard my nose; he of the conch-like ears, my ears; the flame-mouthed, flame-eyed one, my eyes; and like the moon-on-brow, my forehead.
Verses beyond this point are present in the Brahmaṇḍa Purāṇa text but were omitted from this rendering pending verse-by-verse verification against a critical edition.
How to chant
Read once at dawn before leaving the home; whisper the relevant pada when entering uncertain places. Recited 32 or 108 times during personal calamity.