Viśvarūpa’s Instructions - On Priesthood and the Armor of Nārāyaṇa

This article presents a thematic survey of Viśvarūpa's acceptance of priesthood and his detailed instruction on the Nārāyaṇa-kavaca (the armor of Lord Nārāyaṇa). It organizes the profound verses found in the Vaniquotes category Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by Viśvarūpa.

Viśvarūpa is a unique figure who bridges the gap between the demons and the demigods. As the son of Tvaṣṭā, he has demoniac relations, yet he is a master of the Vedas. When the demigods are left leaderless, they beg him to become their guru. His subsequent teaching of the Nārāyaṇa-kavaca to King Indra is one of the most significant protective prayers in the Vedic literature, demonstrating that true safety lies not in military strength, but in the shield of the Lord's holy names and attributes.

The Acceptance of Priesthood

When the demigods approach Viśvarūpa to become their priest, he initially hesitates. He explains that for a person cultivating spiritual knowledge, the profession of priesthood—which involves performing rituals for others' material gain—is considered low-class and detrimental to spiritual strength (brahma-tejas).

The Reproachable Profession

Viśvarūpa argues that a true brāhmaṇa should be satisfied with gathering grains from the field (śiloñchana) rather than selling the Vedas for livelihood. This highlights the high standard of brahminical culture, where independence and austerity are valued over wealth.

  • "Śrī Viśvarūpa said: O demigods, although the acceptance of priesthood is decried as causing the loss of previously acquired brahminical power, how can someone like me refuse to accept your personal request?"
  • "A brāhmaṇa who desires to achieve happiness by gaining wealth through professional priesthood must certainly have a very low mind. How shall I accept such priesthood?"
  • "O exalted governors of various planets, the true brāhmaṇa, who has no material possessions, maintains himself by the profession of accepting śiloñchana. In other words, he picks up grains left in the field and on the ground in the wholesale marketplace."
  • "All of you are my superiors. Therefore although accepting priesthood is sometimes reproachable, I cannot refuse even a small request from you. I agree to be your priest. I shall fulfill your request by dedicating my life and possessions."
  • "You are all exalted commanders of the entire universe. I am your disciple and must take many lessons from you. Therefore I cannot refuse you. I must agree for my own benefit."

The Nārāyaṇa-Kavaca (The Method)

Having accepted the role of guru, Viśvarūpa teaches Indra the ultimate protection: the Nārāyaṇa-kavaca. Before reciting the prayers, he explains the preliminary rituals of purification (ācamana) and aṅga-nyāsa (placing mantras on the body).

Preparation and Nyāsa

Viśvarūpa details how one must wash, face north, and touch different parts of the body while chanting the eight-syllable (oṁ namo nārāyaṇāya) and twelve-syllable (oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya) mantras. This process spiritualizes the body, creating a subtle armor that repels negative influences.

  • "Viśvarūpa continued: O Indra, this mystic armor related to Lord Nārāyaṇa has been described by me to you. By putting on this protective covering, you will certainly be able to conquer the leaders of the demons."
  • "If some form of fear arrives, one should first wash his hands and legs clean and then perform ācamana by chanting this mantra: oṁ apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā / yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ / śrī-viṣṇu śrī-viṣṇu śrī-viṣṇu."
  • "Then one should touch kuśa grass and sit gravely and silently, facing north. When completely purified, one should touch the mantra composed of eight syllables to the eight parts of his body and touch the mantra composed of twelve syllables to his hands."
  • "One should place the syllable oṁ on his heart, the syllable vi on the top of his head, the syllable ṣa between his eyebrows, the syllable ṇa on his tuft of hair (śikhā), and the syllable ve between his eyes."
  • "The chanter of the mantra should then place the syllable na on all the joints of his body and meditate on the syllable ma as being a weapon. He should thus become the perfect personification of the mantra."
  • "Preceding each syllable by the oṁkāra, one should place the syllables of the mantra on the tips of his fingers, beginning with the index finger of the right hand and concluding with the index finger of the left."
  • "Then one should chant the mantra in reverse, beginning from the last syllable (ya), while touching the parts of his body in the reverse order. These two processes are known as utpatti-nyāsa and saṁhāra-nyāsa respectively."
  • "While chanting the mantra (oṁ namo nārāyaṇāya), beginning with the syllable oṁ, one should touch his hands to eight parts of his body, starting with the feet and progressing systematically to the knees, thighs, abdomen, heart, chest, mouth and head."
  • "Thereafter, adding visarga to the final syllable 'ma,' he should chant the mantra 'maḥ astrāya phaṭ' in all directions, beginning from the east. In this way, all directions will be bound by the protective armor of the mantra."

Meditation on the Six Opulences

Viśvarūpa instructs Indra to meditate on the six-armed form of Lord Nārāyaṇa before chanting.

  • "After finishing this chanting, one should think himself qualitatively one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is full in six opulences and is worthy to be meditated upon. Then one should chant the following protective prayer to Lord Nārāyaṇa, the Nārāyaṇa-kavaca."
  • "The Supreme Lord, who sits on the back of the bird Garuḍa, touching him with His lotus feet, holds eight weapons - the conchshell, disc, shield, sword, club, arrows, bow and ropes."
  • "May that Supreme Personality of Godhead protect me at all times with His eight arms. He is all-powerful because He fully possesses the eight mystic powers (aṇimā, laghimā, etc.)."

The Nārāyaṇa-Kavaca (The Prayers)

The prayers themselves invoke specific incarnations of the Lord to protect the devotee from specific dangers, times of day, and directions. This comprehensive plea for safety recognizes that every aspect of existence is under the control of a specific form of the Supreme Lord.

Protection by Incarnations

Viśvarūpa invokes Matsya for protection in water, Vāmana on land, Nṛsiṁha in dangerous places, and Varāha from rogues. Each incarnation has a specific function in the Lord's pastime of protection.

  • "May the Lord, who assumes the body of a great fish, protect me in the water from the fierce animals that are associates of the demigod Varuṇa. By expanding His illusory energy, the Lord assumed the form of the dwarf Vāmana."
  • "May Vāmana protect me on the land. Since the gigantic form of the Lord, Viśvarūpa, conquers the three worlds, may He protect me in the sky."
  • "May Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, who appeared as the enemy of Hiraṇyakaśipu, protect me in all directions. His loud laughing vibrated in all directions and caused the pregnant wives of the asuras to have miscarriages."
  • "In His incarnation as Lord Boar, He raised the planet earth from the water at the bottom of the universe and kept it on His pointed tusks. May that Lord protect me from rogues on the street."
  • "May Parasurāma protect me on the tops of mountains, and may the elder brother of Bharata, Lord Rāmacandra, along with His brother Lakṣmaṇa, protect me in foreign countries."
  • "May Lord Nārāyaṇa protect me from unnecessarily following false religious systems and falling from my duties due to madness. May the Lord in His appearance as Nara protect me from unnecessary pride."
  • "May Lord Dattātreya, the master of all mystic power, protect me from falling while performing bhakti-yoga, and may Lord Kapila, the master of all good qualities, protect me from the material bondage of fruitive activities."
  • "May Sanat-kumāra protect me from lusty desires. As I begin some auspicious activity, may Lord Hayagrīva protect me from being an offender by neglecting to offer respectful obeisances to the Supreme Lord."
  • "May Devarṣi Nārada protect me from committing offenses in worshiping the Deity, and may Lord Kūrma, the tortoise, protect me from falling to the unlimited hellish planets."
  • "May the Personality of Godhead in His incarnation as Vyāsadeva protect me from all kinds of ignorance resulting from the absence of Vedic knowledge."
  • "May the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His incarnation as Dhanvantari relieve me from undesirable eatables and protect me from physical illness. May Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, who conquered His inner and outer senses, protect me from fear produced by the duality of heat and cold."
  • "May Yajña protect me from defamation and harm from the populace, and may Lord Balarāma as Śeṣa protect me from envious serpents."
  • "May Lord Buddhadeva protect me from activities opposed to Vedic principles and from laziness that causes one to madly forget the Vedic principles of knowledge and ritualistic action."
  • "May Kalkideva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appeared as an incarnation to protect religious principles, protect me from the dirt of the age of Kali."

Protection at Different Times

He prays for protection during all divisions of the day and night, invoking different names of the Lord (Keśava, Govinda, Nārāyaṇa, etc.) for each period.

  • "May Lord Keśava protect me with His club in the first portion of the day, and may Govinda, who is always engaged in playing His flute, protect me in the second portion of the day."
  • "May Lord Nārāyaṇa, who is equipped with all potencies, protect me in the third part of the day, and may Lord Viṣṇu, who carries a disc to kill His enemies, protect me in the fourth part of the day."
  • "May Madhusūdana, who carries a bow very fearful for the demons, protect me during the fifth part of the day. In the evening, may Lord Mādhava, appearing as Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara, protect me, and in the beginning of night may Lord Hṛṣīkeśa protect me."
  • "At the dead of night (in the second and third parts of night) may Lord Padmanābha alone protect me."
  • "May the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who bears the Śrīvatsa on His chest, protect me after midnight until the sky becomes pinkish. May Lord Janārdana, who carries a sword in His hand, protect me at the end of night (during the last four ghaṭikās of night)."
  • "May Lord Dāmodara protect me in the early morning, and may Lord Viśveśvara protect me during the junctions of day and night."

Protection by Weapons and Paraphernalia

Viśvarūpa invokes the personified weapons of the Lord—the Sudarśana disc, the Kaumodakī club, the Pāñcajanya conch—asking them to destroy enemies and ghostly entities. This demonstrates that the Lord's paraphernalia are conscious entities devoted to His service.

  • "Set into motion by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and wandering in all the four directions, the disc of the Supreme Lord has sharp edges as destructive as the fire of devastation at the end of the millennium."
  • "As a blazing fire burns dry grass to ashes with the assistance of the breeze, may that Sudarśana cakra burn our enemies to ashes."
  • "O club in the hand of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you produce sparks of fire as powerful as thunderbolts, and you are extremely dear to the Lord. I am also His servant."
  • "Kindly help me pound to pieces the evil living beings known as Kūṣmāṇḍas, Vaināyakas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Bhūtas and Grahas. Please pulverize them."
  • "O Pāñcajanya, you create a fearful sound vibration that causes trembling in the hearts of enemies like the Rākṣasas, Pramatha ghosts, Pretas, Mātās, Piśācas and brāhmaṇa ghosts with fearful eyes."
  • "O king of sharp-edged swords, you are engaged by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Please cut the soldiers of my enemies to pieces. O shield marked with a hundred brilliant moonlike circles, please cover the eyes of the sinful enemies. Pluck out their sinful eyes."

Protection by Associates

Viśvarūpa prays to Garuḍa and Viṣvaksena for protection from general dangers and for the glorification of the Lord's holy name.

  • "May the glorification of the transcendental name, form, qualities and paraphernalia of the Supreme Personality of Godhead protect us from the influence of bad planets, meteors, envious human beings, serpents, scorpions, and animals like tigers and wolves."
  • "May the Lord cover their influence by His own transcendental influence. May Nṛsiṁhadeva protect us in all directions and in all corners, above, below, within and without."
  • "May he protect us from all dangerous conditions, and may Lord Viṣvaksena, the Personality of Godhead, also protect us from all dangers by His holy names."
  • "Lord Garuḍa, the carrier of Lord Viṣṇu, is the most worshipable lord, for he is as powerful as the Supreme Lord Himself. He is the personified Vedas and is worshiped by selected verses."

Ultimate Protection

Viśvarūpa concludes that the Lord is the ultimate cause and effect, and therefore His protection is absolute.

  • "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the living entities, the material energy, the spiritual energy and the entire creation are all individual substances. In the ultimate analysis, however, together they constitute the supreme one, the Personality of Godhead."
  • "The subtle and gross cosmic manifestation is material, but nevertheless it is nondifferent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead because He is ultimately the cause of all causes."
  • "Cause and effect are factually one because the cause is present in the effect. Therefore the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can destroy all our dangers by any of His potent parts."
  • "According to their elevated spiritual understanding, the omniscient Lord, who manifests various forms, is present everywhere. May He always protect us everywhere from all calamities."

The History of the Kavaca

Viśvarūpa reveals that this knowledge was previously used by a brāhmaṇa named Kauśika and later by Citraratha, the King of Gandharvaloka, proving its efficacy even after the death of the practitioner.

  • "O King of heaven, a brāhmaṇa named Kauśika formerly used this armor when he purposely gave up his body in the desert by mystic power."
  • "Surrounded by many beautiful women, Citraratha, the King of Gandharvaloka, was once passing in his airplane over the brāhmaṇa's body at the spot where the brāhmaṇa had died."
  • "Suddenly Citraratha was forced to fall from the sky headfirst with his airplane. Struck with wonder, he was ordered by the great sages named the Vālikhilyas to throw the brāhmaṇa's bones in the nearby River Sarasvatī."
  • "This prayer, Nārāyaṇa-kavaca, constitutes subtle knowledge transcendentally connected with Nārāyaṇa. One who employs this prayer is never disturbed or put in danger by the government, by plunderers, by evil demons or by any type of disease."
  • "If one employs this armor, whomever he sees with his eyes or touches with his feet is immediately freed from all the above-mentioned dangers."

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

This article is a thematic compilation of the teachings presented in the Vaniquotes category Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by Visvarupa. We invite you to visit the link to read the complete collection of verses presented in alphabetical order.

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