Sri Chandra Kavacham

A kavacha is armour made of words: the devotee names each part of the body and asks the deity to guard it. In this short kavacha the protector is Chandra, the Moon, and the opening lines give it the usual formal setting. Its rishi is Gautama, its metre is anushtup, its deity is Shri Chandra, and it is recited to win the Moon's favour. A dhyana verse follows, picturing Chandra with four arms, radiant with armlets and a crown, and naming him the eye of Vasudeva and the ornament of Shankara, since the Moon is one of Vishnu's eyes and sits as a crescent in Shiva's hair.

How the armour is laid

The kavacha moves from head to foot, using a different name of the Moon for every limb. May Shashi protect my head and Kalanidhi, the treasury of digits, my forehead; may Chandrama guard my eyes and Nishapati, lord of the night, my ears. Kumudabandhava, friend of the night lotus, is asked to protect the face, Soma the throat, Sudhakara, the store of nectar, the hands, and Shankarabhushana, Shiva's ornament, the navel. Tarapati guards the thighs, Mriganka the knees, Abdhija, born of the ocean, the shins, and Vidhu the feet. The last line asks Chandra to protect the whole body and every limb not yet named.

Significance

The phalashruti is a single verse: this divine kavacha grants both worldly enjoyment and liberation, and whoever reads it or even listens to it will be victorious everywhere. In jyotisha the Moon governs the mind, the emotions, wealth and motherhood, so devotees recite the kavacha for a calm and steady mind, for prosperity, for success in new efforts, and when the Moon is weak or afflicted in the horoscope, including during a Chandra dasha. These are the tradition's hopes for the practice, not a substitute for care in daily life.

How and when to chant

Monday, Somavara, is the Moon's day, and Purnima evenings are the most favoured time, ideally after moonrise. Offer white flowers, a little milk or rice, and recite the dhyana and the kavacha facing the north-west, the Moon's direction in navagraha worship. Many who keep the Monday vrata to Shiva recite it in the evening before breaking the fast, and it pairs well with the Chandra ashtottara.