Rādhā Kavacam

kailāśa vāsin bhagavān bhaktānugrahakāraka |
rādhikā-kavacaṁ puṇyaṁ kathayasya mama prabho |1|
yadyasti karuṇā nātha trāhimāṁ dukhato bhayāt |
tvamevaśaraṇaṁ nātha śūlpāṇe! pinākadhṛk |2|

Pārvatī said: O ye resident of Kailash! O my Lord, who bestows your favour upon the devotees. Please recite to me the most pure syllables describing Śrī Rādhā, that are as like a suit of armour (kavaca) to protect one. (1) O my Lord, bearer of a trident and bow! I have taken shelter of you. If you feel merciful to me, then please protect me from this fear of suffering that is bewildering me. (2)

śṛnuṣva girije tubhyaṁ kavacaṁ pūrva-sūcitam |
sarva rakṣākaraṁ puṇyaṁ sarvahatyāharaṁ param|3|
haribhakti-pradaṁ sākṣāt bhukti-mukti prasādhanam |
trailokyākarṣaṇaṁ devi harisānnidhyakārakam |4|

Śrī Śivajī replied: O daughter of the Mountain, please listen. I will now recite before you this most ancient and untainted kavaca that delivers one from all sins and affords one protection from all sides. (3) This kavaca bestows devotion to Lord Hari and directly awards the fulfillment of one’s desires and ultimately liberation. Ohe Devi! One who recites this kavaca can attract the ruler of the three worlds. Simply by reciting this kavaca one is brought close to Śrī Hari. (4)

sarvatra jayadaṁ devi sarva śatru-bhayāvaham |
sarveṣāṁ caiva bhūtānāṁ  manovṛtti haraṁ paraṁ |5|
caturthā mukti-janakaṁ sadānanda- karaṁ param |
rājasūyāśvamedhānāṁ yajñānāṁ phala-dāyakam |6|

This kavaca strikes hear into the hearts of one’s enemies, bestowing upon the reciter a sure and certain victory. Simply by the recitation of this mantra the hearts (mentalities) of all living entities change. (5) The recitation of this kavaca bestows continual ecstasy, awarding upon the reciter the four kinds of liberation. It awards the results of performance of the Rājasūya and Aśvamedha sacrifices. (6)

idaṁ kavacamajñātvā rādhā-mantraṁ ca yo japet |
sanāpnoti phalaṁ tasya vighnastasya pade pade |7|
ṛṣirasya mahādevo’nuṣṭup chandaśca kīrtitaḥ
rādhā’syadevtatāproktā rāṁ bījaṁ kīlakaṁsmṛtam |8|

In the absence of this kavaca, if anyone simply chants (japo) Śrī Rādhā mantra they will not achieve the result, furthermore obstacles will arise at every step. (7) I am the ṛṣi of this kavaca, composed in the metre known as anuṣṭup; Śrī Rādhā is the presiding Deity; rāṁ is the bīja, the central pivot upon which to focus remembrance. (8)

dharmārthakāmamokṣeśu viniyogaḥ prakīrtitaḥ |
śrī rādhā me śiraḥ pātu lalāṭaṁrādhikā tathā |9|
śrīmatī netryugalaṁ karṇaugopendra-nandinī |
haripriyānāsikāṁ ca bhrū yugaṁśaśiśobhanā |10|

Dharma (religiousity), artha (economic development), kāma (sense gratification) and mokṣa (liberation) are all bestowed through the glories of this kavaca. May Śrī Rādhājī protect my head and Rādhikā my forehead; may Śrīmatī protect my two eyes; may GopendraNandinī protect my ears; Śrī Haripriyā my nose, and ŚaśiŚobhanā my two eyebrows. (10)

oṣṭhaṁ pātu kṛpā devī adharaṁ gopikā tathā |
vṛśabhānusutā datāścibukaṁ gopanandinī |11|
candrāvalī pātu gaṇḍaṁ jihvāṁkṛṣṇa-priyā tathā |
kaṇṭhaṁ pātu hari-prāṇā hṛdayaṁ vijayā tathā |12|

May Śrī KṛpāDevī protect my upper lip, and Gopikā my lower lip, while my upper teeth are protected by Śrī Vṛṣabhānu Sutā; may Śrī GopaNandinī protect my chin. (11) May Candrāvalī protect my cheeks and Śrī KṛṣṇaPriyājī my tongue; Śrī Haripriya my throat and Vijayā my heart.

vāhūdvau-candra vadanā udaraṁ śrīdāmnaḥ svasā |
kaṭiyogānvitā pātupādau sobhadrikātathā |13|
nakhāścandramukhī pātu gulphau gopālavallabhā |
jānudeśaṁjayā pātu gopīpāda talastathā |14|

May CandraVadanā protect my two arms; Suvalasvasā my stomach; Yogānvitā my hips, and Saubhadrikā my legs. (13) CandraMukhī my nails, GopālaVallabhā my ankles; Jayā my knees, and may Gopī protect my feet. (14)

śubha-pradā pātu pṛṣṭhaṁ kakṣau śrīkāntavallabhā |
jānu-deśaṁ jayā pātu hariṇī pātu sarvataḥ |15|
vākyaṁ vāṇī sadā pātu dhanāgāraṁ dhaneśvarī |
pūrvādiśaṁ kṛṣṇaratā kṛṣṇaprāṇā ca paścimām |16|

May ŚubhaPradā protect my back; Śrī KāntaVallabhā my knees, and may Jayā and Hariṇī protect me at all times and in all places. (15) May Vāṇī (Sarasvati) protect my speech; Dhaneśvarī my treasury. May KṛṣṇaRatā protect me from the East, and KṛṣṇaPrāṇā from the West. (16)

uttarāṁ haritā pātu dakṣiṇī vṛśabhānujā |
candrāvalī niśameva divākṣveḍita-mekhalā |17|
sobhāgyadā madhyadine sāyānhe kāma-rūpiṇī |
raudrīprātaḥ pātumāṁhi gopinī rajanīkṣaye |18|

May Haritā protect me from the North; Vṛṣabhānujā from the South. May Candrāvalī protect during the night and Mekhalā during the day. (17) May Saubhāgyadā protect me at noon; Kāmarūpiṇī while sleeping; Raudrī in the early morning and Gopinī during the dawn. (18)

hetudā saṅgame pātu ketumālā divādhike |
śeṣā’parānha samaye śamitā sarva sandhiṣu |19|
yoginī bhoga-samaye ratau rati-pradā sadā |
kāmeśī kautukīnityaṁ yoge ratnāvalīmama |20|

May Hetudā protect me during the sangams (when the day meets the night); Ketumālā as the day progresses; Śeṣā in the afternoon and Śamitā during all the junctures (sandhiṣu). (19) May Yoginī protect me while engaged in enjoyment and RatiPradā (the giver of Love) always. While engaged in yoga may Ratnāvalī protect me and Kāmeśī and Kautukī at all times. (20)

sarvatrā sarva kāryeṣu rādhikā kṛṣṇa mānasā |
ityetatkathitaṁ devi kavacaṁ paramādbhutam |21|
sarva-rakṣā karaṁ nāma mahārakṣā karaṁ param |
prātarmadhyāhne-samaye sāyāhne prapaṭhedyadi |22|

May KṛṣṇaMānasā Śrī Rādhikā protect me at all times, in all places and in all activities. Ohe Devi! Thus have I recited before you this most wonderful kavaca. If one recites these names in the morning, noon or evening he must necessarily be protected to the ultimate extent.

sarvartha-siddhistasya syāt yadyanmanasi vartate |
rāja-dvāre sabhāyāṁ ca saṅgrāme śatru saṅkate |23|
prāṇārthanāśasamaye yaḥ paṭhetprayato naraḥ |
tasya siddhibhaviddevi na bhayaṁ vidyatekvacit |24|

Recitation of this kavaca bestows all perfection, awarding the fulfillment of all one’s desires. At the door of the king, in an august assembly of pandits, while fighting with one’s enemy, in any dangerous situation, or at the time of death, if a human being recites this kavaca, Ohe Devi! all perfection is bestowed upon him and he becomes completely free from fear.

ārādhitā rādhikā ca tena satyaṁ na saṁśaya |
gaṅgā snānaddhadernāma grahaṇādyatphalaṁ labhet |25|
tatphalaṁ tasya bhavati yaḥ paṭhetprayataḥ śuci |
haridrārocanācandrāmaṇḍitaḥ hari candanam |26|
kṛtvā likhitvā bhūrje ca dhārayeta mastake bhuje |
kaṇṭhe vā deva deveśa saḥ harirnātr asaṁśayaḥ |27|

Without a doubt, this is the true worship of Śrī Rādhikā, bestowing the same results as bathing in Mother Gaṅgā or remembering the names of Śrī Hari. Recitation of this kavaca bestows these same results and keeps one always pure. If one writes this mantra with turmeric, gorocana or candana (sandalwood) on leaves and binds that on his head, arms or neck, then, without a doubt, he dances with Śrī Hari.

kavacasya prasādena brahmā sṛṣṭisthiti hariḥ |
saṁhāra cāhaṁ niyataṁ karomi kurute tathā |28|
vaiṣṇavāya viśuddhāya virāgaguṇaśāline |
dadyāt kavacamavyagramananyaṁ dharmamāpnuyāt |29|

By the mercy of this kavaca, Lord Brahmā is able to create the universe, Śrī Hari (Viṣṇu) maintains the universe and I annihilate the same universe. This kavaca should only be given to those supremely pure Vaiṣṇavas, endowed with a spirit of renunciation and adorned with saintly qualities, whose intelligence is not inquisitive. By awarding this mantra to those who are unqualified one will spoil his own dharma.

śrī nāradapañcarātra jñānāmṛtasārokta śrī rādhā kavaca kī bhāṣā ṭīkā sampūrṇa