For ages, Bhārata has faced constant invasions. Our civilization has fought and defeated every attempt that tried to harm the foundation of this eternal civilization. In all its glory and heritage, Bhārata has stood strong, braving the odds. As the cradle of wisdom, knowledge and rich culture, Bhārata has led the world from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light and from boundless materialism to spirituality. In this journey through the lows and the highs, Bhāratīyas have constantly sought the shelter of their devī-devatās. They've found themselves protected and empowered because of their devī-devatās. And the medium has been the invocation of kavaca stotras and rakṣā stotras. 

Kavaca basically means the protective armor of a deity that is invoked through the hymns. The real motive of a kavaca or a rakṣā stotra is not only to protect the devotee from external forces but also to ensure that the devotee is free from internal or mental chaos or anxiety. With the invocation of the devī-devatās through the kavacas and the rakṣā stotras, the protection of one's body and the entire family is ensured; it also calms the mind and guards one’s thoughts.

In our modern lifestyles, anxiety, depression, and concerns about mental wellness are becoming increasingly common, whereas until a few decades ago, all of these were rare and unknown. This also compels us to revisit the wisdom that lies in our vedas and the purāṇas and thereby find a way to deal with the problems we face today. 

The hymns for protection first appear in the Ṛgveda's 4th and 10th maṇḍala. The Rakṣoghna sūkta is a set of verses from the Ṛgveda that were meant to protect the ṛṣis, believers, and their yajña from the attacks and disturbances of rākṣasas. In this particular sūkta, Agni is invoked as the deity. Later, in the Atharvaveda, we find many rakṣā mantras. Some of them are the Abhaya sūkta, Āyuṣya sūkta and Śatrunāśana sūkta. The vedas and kavacas seem to have evolved with the evolution of society. In the Ṛgveda, the purpose of the sūktas was to protect the yajña from the demons, but in the Atharvaveda, the purpose changes to the protection of the house, of life and of living beings. It thus becomes personal. With time, the sūkta evolved into separate kavaca stotras and rakṣā stotras while continuing with the inherent aim to protect the invocator. The purāṇas have given us the gift of the kavacas that are still chanted.

Every kavaca has a systematic process in which it first invokes the deity, specifies the chanda, śakti, ṛṣi and the viniyoga, and then is followed by the kavaca stotra itself. On the other hand, the rakṣā stotra can be chanted both in times of crisis and regularly, and does not involve an elaborate process. The paths may differ, but they serve the same purpose of seeking the shelter of the divine. 

The depth of the invocation is evident from the fact that the kavacas have been chanted through countless turmoils and continue to be approached by devotees today. Kavacas and rakṣā stotras have, since time immemorial, been a means of invoking the devī-devatās. Devotees have been chanting them not just to seek protection but also to ensure that the deities bring peace and wellness into their lives. The Nārāyaṇa kavaca from Bhāgavata purāṇa, the Devī kavaca from Mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇa, and the Narasiṃha kavaca from Brahmāṇḍa purāṇa are some of the popular kavacas, while the Śiva rakṣā stotra and the Rāma rakṣā stotra have ensured that devotees feel safe and secure. 

Sanātana dharma does not just focus on one aspect of life but treats every aspect of life with respect. The Vedas and purāṇas carry the same essence. Humans are not powerful by themselves; rather, it is their śraddhā in their devī-devatās that empowers them. For the dharmāvalambīs, there’s certainly nothing above the protection of their devī-devatās.

Devī kavaca

Devī kavaca emerges from the Mārkaṇḍeya purāṇa and is a part of the Durgā Saptaśatī. It is chanted right before the Caṇḍī pāṭha along with Argalā stotra and Kīlaka. The kavaca stotra, invoking Devī Ādiśakti, encompasses a detailed mapping of the body parts, with each part being protected by a particular devī's form.

रक्षाहीनं तु यत्-स्थानं वर्जितं कवचेन तु ।

तत्सर्वं रक्ष मे देवि! जयन्ती पापनाशिनी ॥ (DK, 42)

This particular śloka requests Mā Ādiśakti to protect even the parts that haven't been named in the stotra. This symbolizes not just the wisdom of our ancestors but also the vast scope to which the stotra extends. The kavaca even protects from the unnamed realms and any unforeseen vulnerabilities. The ṛṣis have ensured that no part of the body or life remains unprotected, thereby covering not just the body but also life and its aspects:

गोत्रमिन्द्राणी मे रक्षेत्पशून्मे रक्ष चण्डिके ।

पुत्रान् रक्षेन्महालक्ष्मीर्भार्यां रक्षतु भैरवी ।।(DK, 40)

This hymn covers the protection of lineage, pet animals, the wife and the son of the one chanting the stotra. The magnitude of this kavaca is ascertained from this aspect as well. With Mārkaṇḍeya ṛṣi enquiring from Brahma deva about a means of protection, Brahma deva himself answers with this kavaca. 

Nārāyaṇa kavaca

Nārāyaṇa kavaca originates from the 6th canto of the Bhāgavata purāṇa. This kavaca re-engages the colossal structure of the universe with the protection of an individual. It is spoken by ṛṣi Viśvarūpa to Devarāja Indra. This kavaca invokes bhagavān Viṣṇu and seeks his protection. This kavaca is different from the devī kavaca. In this stotra, the army of bhagavān Viṣṇu protects the devotee. His weapons and avatāras are invoked and asked to grant protection:

चक्रं युगान्तानलतिग्मनेमि भ्रमत्समन्ताद्भगवत्प्रयुक्तम् ।

दन्दग्धि दन्दग्ध्यरिसैन्यमाशु कक्षं यथा वातसखो हुताशः॥ (Nārāyaṇa kavaca, 23)

In the above śloka, the Sudarśana cakra is invoked and prayed for the destruction of the enemies. This resonates with the faith one needs to call out to the deity, knowing He/ she will definitely protect. In the following śloka, the Narasiṃha avatāra is invoked. He is requested to protect from all directions, both from within and from outside:

विदिक्षु दिक्षूर्ध्वमधः समन्ता-दन्तर्बहिर्भगवान्नारसिंहः ।

प्रहापयँलोकभयं स्वनेन स्वतेजसा ग्रस्तसमस्ततेजाः ॥

(Nārāyaṇa kavaca, 35)

This brings us to the third kavaca, which is as powerful as the other kavacas mentioned before.

Narasiṃha kavaca

The Narasiṃha kavaca is dedicated to the fierce avatāra of bhagavān Viṣṇu, Narasiṃha Deva. This kavaca appears in Brahmāṇḍaa purāṇa, where Prahlāda recited this to seek Narasiṃha Deva's protection. While the deity is ugra or ferocious, it is spoken by a bhakta- devotee- and thus pacifies Narasiṃha. This kavaca seeks to protect the devotee through the power of the ferocious form itself. There's nothing that's left unprotected; even the threat gets driven away. For this particular kavaca, there is no elaborate process; it only requires bhakti, śaraṇāgati, and unflinching faith in the divine. Remember Prahlāda!

The three kavacas mentioned above are just a glimpse of how deep Sanātana dharma and its wisdom are. There isn't just yajña, japa, tapa and dāna- there's so much more to those who seek wisdom. Devī kavaca protects from within and around, ensuring that every body part gets protection. Nārāyaṇa kavaca deals with the circumstances, making the surrounding environment safe for the devotee. These are just three among the many kavacas and hint at the realms of the wisdom preserved through the yugas.

The Rakṣā Stotras

The Śiva rakṣā stotra is dedicated to Mahādeva and spoken by ṛṣi Yajñavalkya. This stotra describes bhagavān Śiva as the supreme protector, and his forms protect the body parts. Ṛṣi Yajñavalkya, in the very first verse, stresses that bhagavān Śiva is the most merciful and he alone can bless a devotee with dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa:

चरितं देव-देवस्य महादेवस्य पावनम् । 

अपारं परमोदारं चतुर्वर्गस्य साधनम् ॥१॥ (Śiva rakṣā stotra,1)

Śrī Rāma rakṣā stotra, composed by Budha Kauśika ṛṣi, invokes Śrī Rāma and his śaktis. Dedicated to bhagavān Śrī Rāma, the presiding deity of the stotra is devī Sītā. The stotra begins with the description of bhagavān Śrī Rāma. The stotra, like other kavacas and stotras, invokes various forms of Śrī Rāma and seeks protection for different parts of the body. By the end of the stotra, Śrī Rāma's shelter is sought:

श्रीरामचन्द्रचरणौ मनसा स्मरामि

श्रीरामचन्द्रचरणौ वचसा गृणामि ।

श्रीरामचन्द्रचरणौ शिरसा नमामि

श्रीरामचन्द्रचरणौ शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥ (Śrī Rāma rakṣā Stotra, 29)

Everything in Sanātana Dharma begins with śraddhā, and śraddhā leads to bhakti. Bhakti empowers the person to realize the purpose of life. There are many incidents that entail a detailed account of how our devī-devatās have come to our rescue time and again. It begins with the famous Candraśekhara aṣṭakam that describes how Mārkaṇḍeya calls out to bhagavān Śiva to protect him from Yama. Then, in the famous Gajendra mokṣa stotra, we learn how bhagavān Viṣṇu, seated on Garuḍa, comes to rescue Gajendra the elephant. Gajendra calls out just once with a pure heart, and the divine rushes to rescue his devotee. 

Prahlāda was saved by bhagavān Viṣṇu in the form of Narasiṃha. Similarly, in the epic Mahābhārata, we witness Draupadī calling out to Śrī Kṛṣṇa during the chīra-haraṇa and Sri Kṛṣṇa coming to save her. This is also echoed in the Govinda Dāmodara Stotra by Śrī Bilvamangal ācārya:

अग्रे कुरूणामथ पाण्डवानां दुःशासनेनाहृतवस्त्रकेशा ।

कृष्णा तदाक्रोशदनन्यनाथा गोविन्द दामोदर माधवेति ॥

(Govind Dāmodara Stotra, 1)

There are several instances in our itihāsas and purāṇas that underscore the importance of śraddhā, bhakti and karma. When the three are synchronized, divine intervention arrives to protect. While the kavacas and rakṣā stotra ensure protection, they also reinforce the need to have faith in the divine. 

Today, when the world witnesses constant chaos, these kavacas and the rakṣā stotras are what we must take refuge in. There are so many people suffering from stress, depression and pain. They continue to suffer because they fail to realize the wisdom they have been blessed with. It is not just important but necessary that all of us realize that taking refuge in this age-old wisdom will help us live lives of purpose and service.