Rahu Kavacham
Rahu Kavacham
राहु कवचम्
ध्यानम्
प्रणमामि सदा राहुं शूर्पाकारं किरीटिनम् ।
सैंहिकेयं करालास्यं लोकानामभयप्रदम् ॥ 1॥
। अथ राहु कवचम् ।
नीलाम्बरः शिरः पातु ललाटं लोकवन्दितः ।
चक्षुषी पातु मे राहुः श्रोत्रे त्वर्धशरिरवान् ॥ 2॥
नासिकां मे धूम्रवर्णः शूलपाणिर्मुखं मम ।
जिह्वां मे सिंहिकासूनुः कण्ठं मे कठिनाङ्घ्रिकः ॥ 3॥
भुजङ्गेशो भुजौ पातु नीलमाल्याम्बरः करौ ।
पातु वक्षःस्थलं मन्त्री पातु कुक्षिं विधुन्तुदः ॥ 4॥
कटिं मे विकटः पातु ऊरू मे सुरपूजितः ।
स्वर्भानुर्जानुनी पातु जङ्घे मे पातु जाड्यहा ॥ 5॥
गुल्फौ ग्रहपतिः पातु पादौ मे भीषणाकृतिः ।
सर्वाण्यङ्गानि मे पातु नीलचन्दनभूषणः ॥ 6॥
फलश्रुतिः
राहोरिदं कवचमृद्धिदवस्तुदं यो
भक्त्या पठत्यनुदिनं नियतः शुचिः सन् ।
प्राप्नोति कीर्तिमतुलां श्रियमृद्धि-
मायुरारोग्यमात्मविजयं च हि तत्प्रसादात् ॥ 7॥
॥ इति श्रीमहाभारते धृतराष्ट्रसञ्जयसंवादे द्रोणपर्वणि राहुकवचं सम्पूर्णम् ॥
About This Stotram
Overview
The Rahu Kavacham is a Sanskrit kavacham (protective hymn) of seven verses dedicated to Rahu, one of the Navagrahas in Vedic astrology. A kavacham systematically invokes the deity to protect different parts of the body, functioning as an armour of divine names. This text belongs to the tradition of Graha kavacham literature within Puranic and Tantric practice, used to address adverse planetary influence through devotional recitation.
What are the benefits of chanting Rahu Kavacham?
- Provides protection from Rahu's malefic astrological effects
- Counters negative influences associated with Rahu periods (dasha)
- Builds mental strength and courage
- Removes obstacles linked to karmic or planetary causes
When is the best time to recite this?
The kavacham is recited on Saturdays or during Rahu Kalam. It is also chanted during Rahu mahadasha or antardasha as a remedial measure in Vedic astrology.
What is the historical and traditional background?
Kavachams are a distinct genre within Sanskrit devotional literature, with roots in the Puranic and Tantric traditions of the first millennium CE. They follow a fixed structure — invoking a deity to guard specific limbs and directions — and are found for a wide range of deities and celestial bodies. The Rahu Kavacham belongs to this genre as applied to Navagraha worship. The specific text is not traced to a single canonical scripture; it belongs to the body of Graha devotional literature that accumulated in medieval India. The author is unknown.
Available scripts
This text is available in 14 scripts: devanagari, tamil, telugu, kannada, malayalam, gujarati, bengali, iast, gurmukhi, oriya, assamese, sinhala, itrans, hk. Use the script selector above to switch between them.
Related Texts
- Shani Kavacham — the parallel protective hymn for Saturn, another planetary deity commonly addressed alongside Rahu
- Navagraha Stotram — the collective stotram addressing all nine Navagrahas