Sri Rudra Kavacham
Sri Rudra Kavacham
zrI rudra kavacam
OM asya zrI rudra kavacastotra mahAmantrasya dUrvAsRSiH anuSThup chandaH tryambaka rudro devatA hrAM bIjaM zrIM zaktiH hrIM kIlakaM mama manaso'bhISTasiddhyarthe jape viniyogaH |
hrAmityAdi SaDbIjaiH SaDaGganyAsaH ||
dhyAnam |
zAntaM padmAsanasthaM zazidharamakuTaM paJcavaktraM trinetraM
zUlaM vajraM ca khaDgaM parazumabhayadaM dakSabhAge vahantam |
nAgaM pAzaM ca ghaNTAM pralaya hutavahaM sAGkuzaM vAmabhAge
nAnAlaGkArayuktaM sphaTikamaNinibhaM pArvatIzaM namAmi ||
dUrvAsa uvAca |
praNamya zirasA devaM svayambhuM paramezvaram |
ekaM sarvagataM devaM sarvadevamayaM vibhum || 1 ||
rudra varma pravakSyAmi aGga prANasya rakSaye |
ahorAtramayaM devaM rakSArthaM nirmitaM purA || 2 ||
rudro me cAgrataH pAtu pAtu pArzvau harastathA |
ziro me IzvaraH pAtu lalATaM nIlalohitaH || 3 ||
netrayostryambakaH pAtu mukhaM pAtu mahezvaraH |
karNayoH pAtu me zambhuH nAsikAyAM sadAzivaH || 4 ||
vAgIzaH pAtu me jihvAM oSThau pAtvambikApatiH |
zrIkaNThaH pAtu me grIvAM bAhUMzcaiva pinAkadhRt || 5 ||
hRdayaM me mahAdevaH IzvarovyAt stanAntaram |
nAbhiM kaTiM ca vakSazca pAtu sarvaM umApatiH || 6 ||
bAhumadhyAntaraM caiva sUkSmarUpaH sadAzivaH |
svaraM rakSatu sarvezo gAtrANi ca yathA kramam || 7 ||
vajrazaktidharaM caiva pAzAGkuzadharaM tathA |
gaNDazUladharaM nityaM rakSatu tridazezvaraH || 8 ||
prasthAneSu pade caiva vRkSamUle nadItaTe |
sandhyAyAM rAjabhavane virUpAkSastu pAtu mAm || 9 ||
zItoSNAdatha kAleSu tuhi na drumakaNTake |
nirmanuSye'same mArge trAhi mAM vRSabhadhvaja || 10 ||
ityetadrudrakavacaM pavitraM pApanAzanam |
mahAdevaprasAdena dUrvAso munikalpitam || 11 ||
mamAkhyAtaM samAsena na bhayaM vindati kvacit |
prApnoti paramArogyaM puNyamAyuSyavardhanam || 12 ||
vidyArthI labhate vidyAM dhanArthI labhate dhanam |
kanyArthI labhate kanyAM na bhayaM vindate kvacit || 13 ||
aputro labhate putraM mokSArthI mokSamApnuyAt |
trAhi trAhi mahAdeva trAhi trAhi trayImaya || 14 ||
trAhi mAM pArvatInAtha trAhi mAM tripurantaka |
pAzaM khaTvAGga divyAstraM trizUlaM rudrameva ca || 15 ||
namaskaromi deveza trAhi mAM jagadIzvara |
zatrumadhye sabhAmadhye grAmamadhye gRhAntare || 16 ||
gamanAgamane caiva trAhi mAM bhaktavatsala |
tvaM cittaM tvaM mAnasaM ca tvaM buddhistvaM parAyaNam || 17 ||
karmaNA manasA caiva tvaM buddhizca yathA sadA |
jvarabhayaM chindi sarvajvarabhayaM chindi grahabhayaM chindi || 18 ||
sarvazatrUnnivartyApi sarvavyAdhinivAraNam |
rudralokaM sa gacchati rudralokaM sagacchatyonnama iti || 19 ||
iti skandapurANe dUrvAsa proktaM zrI rudrakavacam ||
About This Stotram
Overview
Sri Rudra Kavacham is a kavacham (armor hymn) of 19 verses dedicated to Lord Shiva in his fierce Rudra form. A kavacham is a set of mantras recited to invoke divine protection over the body. This text draws on Vedic imagery of Rudra as a protective deity and belongs to the Shaiva tradition.
What are the benefits of chanting Sri Rudra Kavacham?
- Recitation is said to create a protective shield against fear and danger.
- It is used to ward off negative energies and harmful influences.
- Devotees chant it for strength and courage in difficult situations.
- It supports spiritual practice by removing obstacles.
- Regular recitation is associated with fulfillment of sincere requests.
When is the best time to recite this?
Sri Rudra Kavacham is recited during morning and evening prayers. It is particularly recited during Maha Shivaratri, the Shravana month, and before undertaking challenging tasks. Devotees also recite it during Rudra Abhishekam and other Shiva pujas.
Historical and traditional background
The worship of Rudra as a protective deity originates in the Vedic period. The Rudram hymns in the Taittiriya Aranyaka of the Krishna Yajurveda are the foundational source for Rudra-related prayers. Kavachams as a genre developed over centuries within Shaiva and Tantric traditions. This specific 19-verse version is a recension that has gained use in certain Shaiva devotional lineages. The author is not recorded.
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 to read it in your preferred script.
Related Texts
- Sri Rudram Namakam — the core Vedic hymn to Rudra, which this kavacham supplements.
- Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra — another Shaiva protective mantra recited alongside kavachams.