Shree Kalika Kavach: The Tantric Armour for Destroying a Merciless Enemy

The speaker opens by describing the kind of enemy this is for. Sometimes our enemies are so fierce and so merciless that they can strike in any way; they stand so high in strength, wealth, fame and social standing that no one can capably confront their wickedness from the front. When a dharmic person, who cannot harm anyone in any way, comes up against such a wicked enemy, no path is left to him. The Kalika Kavach, he says, is for exactly that most extreme situation: when you are walking the path of dharma and some utterly low, petty, wicked man casts an evil eye on your wealth, your honour, the prestige of your house — your daughter, daughter-in-law, sister — your land, property and money, and you have no capacity: you are getting no help from the administration and you have no strength of money to do anything. Use it in that condition. In ordinary situations a BrahmastraThe supreme, ultimate weapon of Tantric and mythological lore — used as a byword for a practice or knowledge of unmatched, decisive power. is never to be used. This Kavach comes under the Kalika Kalpa of the Rudrayamala Tantra, and its viniyog is only for the destruction of enemies. When you read the kavach, he says, you will see there is no viniyog in it for the Devi's pleasure or affection; its use is only for shatru samhar. So use it with care. Never use it on someone to cause harm over small matters — otherwise you will have to bear its ill result yourself.

The speaker sets the threshold: when no path is left — someone in the family has already lost their life, or the state of things has formed where it looks like a loss of life will happen. If you know for certain that this particular person is doing it, then you can take the SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. by his name. But if the name is not known, take it in the name of known and unknown enemies. And if someone has directly threatened to shoot you, and it feels that a situation of murder is about to arrive — then, he says, drop the matter of deliberation altogether, drop the matter of tantra-mantra; even then you can use it. By now, he adds, the greatness of this kavach and what it is used for should be clear.

Before the method, the speaker gives a precaution. This Kavach, he says, is svayam-siddha in itself — it gives immediate effect. But if you have no TapobalSpiritual power accumulated through austerity and sustained practice — the counterweight that must exceed accumulated black-magic or negative energy for an affliction to fully lift. whatsoever, and especially if you are a householder, then be careful and try to do it exactly the way it is being told. His purpose in the video, he says, is solely to give information. If you do this sadhana under the direction of a highly knowledgeable and discerning person, that will be even better. His purpose is also not to produce hatred or malice in anyone's mind toward another person. It is only this: keeping the shastric maryada in view, when no path remains, one does this for the protection of one's own life and takes refuge in the Devi — so that no dharmic, rightly behaving Sanatani person comes to harm.

The first task, the speaker says, is to look at the method of recitation given in the kavach itself. In this method you never recite the Kavach at home. Its recitation must be in a temple of Kali ji. And never, in the beginning, go straight to a shmashan or similar ground to recite it. The full vidhan described in the PhalashrutiThe closing section of a hymn or scripture that lists the benefits and results promised to whoever recites it. — the Marana Prayoga and so on — is not done directly; initiated people do that. But the vidhan that can be done in the most extreme situation, that you should know. So first find a Kali temple. Any Kali ji's temple will do: Raksha Kali, Bhadrakali ji, Dakshineshwari Kali, Adya Kali, or any other Kali. It should not be on shmashan ground; it will be outside that. If it lies outside the shmashan's boundary, nearby is fine. Do it in a Kali temple. If there is a Shiva temple together with the Kali temple, that is excellent. The second option is to do it in a Shiva temple: if the Kali temple is far, not nearby, or there is none at all, then do it in a Shiva temple — and the more secluded and remote the Shiva temple, the better. Only, it must not be on shmashan ground.

When you begin this sadhana, the speaker says, it should be the Ashtami or Chaturdashi tithi of Krishna Paksha, or else you start it on a Tuesday or Saturday of Krishna Paksha. The clothing is red only. The asana is a red blanket. Two lamps are lit: one a mustard-oil lamp with a single wick, in the name of Bhagavati Kalika ji, and the other a four-wick lamp that runs in the name of Bhairav ji — Kaal Bhairava ji. For NaivedyaThe food offering (Bhog) presented to a deity during worship, accompanied by water offerings and dedicatory mantras., in two places at least one boondi laddu each must be offered, and on each there should be one cardamom and two cloves. After the recitation, on the ground itself, place at least two pieces of camphor together. The camphor must be completely pure — what is called brass camphor, or bhimseni camphor, the tablet kind; do not use the two-rupee camphor. Good camphor, with a pair of cloves placed on top, in two places — that is, two pieces of camphor together with two cloves on them — and then light it. This is done at the end. Along with it a Bali of jayaphal is also to be given. So the whole thing, he says, is in a way Dakshinachara and somewhere comes under the most ugra prayogs.

On eating and drinking, the speaker says you have no restriction. You eat garlic and onion — eat. You take meat — take it; there is no restriction on that. But if there is no restriction, that does not mean there is no check. If you keep the rules with purity, it is much better. If you eat and drink and do the sadhana having eaten and drunk, then you will also have to give a Bali at the Kali temple once a year. If you do not give the bali, there will be ghaat — know this clearly. If you eat, give the bali, and offer madira to Bhairava ji. If you do not eat and drink such things, then no such compulsion will apply to you. Keep this in mind; then what you are doing will be more than sufficient.

For the japa, the speaker says, you must recite the mool Kavach 108 times every day, and the time is sandhya. From the day or tithi on which you begin, you may eat during the day — it is not that you cannot; eat your food in the daytime. In the evening go to the temple, and there from 6 or 7 PM up to 8, 9 or 10 PM, as long as it can go on. You may also sit outside the temple, but it must be the temple's courtyard. First remember the Guru and Ganesha, light the lamps and so on, do the opening acts such as AchamanaThe ritual sipping of water for self-purification before worship, one of the opening Shatkarma/Pavitrikaran rites., and only then recite Bhagavati Kalika's kavach — 108 recitations of the mool kavach. Leave out the purva-pithika and the PhalashrutiThe closing section of a hymn or scripture that lists the benefits and results promised to whoever recites it. and recite only the mool kavach 108 times; the last time, recite the phalashruti and so on. Having done 108 recitations, offer it in samarpan.

Having explained the 108 paths, the speaker turns to how to count them and offer them — and if you want to make it even more intense, one more vidhan, which he says will be excellent. Take whole black urad — the full, unsplit grain — and count out 108 seeds. Keep an earthen lamp or a KhapparThe skull-bowl, named to the region's peeth in certain offerings. and put a little camphor in it beforehand, bhimseni camphor. Hold one black urad seed in the hand, do one full recitation of the mool Kavach — not the purva-pithika or PhalashrutiThe closing section of a hymn or scripture that lists the benefits and results promised to whoever recites it. — and drop it into that khappar. Do 108 recitations like this and fill the khappar. Then put more camphor on top, invoke Bhagavati Kalika and tell her mentally: "O Bhagavati, accept the energy of this kavach and grant me the capacity that whenever I take a sankalp and use this kavach for someone, all that Bhagavan Bhairava and Bhagavan Shiva have said in this kavach be accomplished; may my dharmic work be wholly complete." Saying this, light it. In place of black urad, he says, you can use cloves if you wish. If you use cloves, you do not afterwards need to give the separate clove-and-camphor Bali; but if you use black urad, it still has to be given later. When the urad burns it will crackle a little — do not be alarmed. Cloves burning also crackle. Do not worry "it crackled, it fell, Guru ji what does it mean?" — it means nothing. Just quietly carry on.

About the NaivedyaThe food offering (Bhog) presented to a deity during worship, accompanied by water offerings and dedicatory mantras. and bhog that will be offered, the speaker says: if it has been placed near the Mother's image, there is no problem. But if you have placed it down below somewhere, then place it on a paan leaf or in an earthen vessel or the like. That naivedya you can feed to any animal — you can feed it to a cow, you can feed it to a dog. If a dog is found at night, feed it to the dog. And the dog, which is the vahan of Bhairava ji, you must serve without fail every day.

How many days is this to be done? At least 41 days, the speaker says — one Mandala must certainly be completed. If you are in the most extreme situation — some bhoot-pret problem that is not getting caught, you are very badly and completely trapped — then continue for three months, or 108 days. If you are a woman, you can also do it. But he says one thing: if a woman does this kind of prayog, she may later have a slight issue. It can happen — he is not saying it will — but if she is unmarried, then after marriage she may have difficulty in conceiving. So women should try to think carefully and do it only when there is no other option; otherwise it is best that the men of the house do this prayog. Later in the talk he adds firmly: mothers and sisters should not do such a long sadhana. Even if the situation is most extreme, do at most 21 days. If you do more than that, the ugrata increases very greatly, and if the ugrata rises, how to control it has to be your own affair — understand this, and only then proceed.

The second matter, the speaker says, is how to give the jayaphal Bali each day once the recitation is complete. Give the jayaphal as an agni bali only — do not give the bali that is done by cutting. For it, place three or four or five pieces of camphor together in one spot. It is to be placed on the ground itself; it is not to be given in an earthen vessel here. He notes that 99% of the time he always says to give in an earthen vessel, but this is the harshest, most ugra prayog, so keep it on the ground. Yes — if someone objects that it must not be burnt on the ground, then put it in an earthen vessel; otherwise on the ground. Set the jayaphal on it and say to Bhagavati: "Mother, accept this bali, be pleased, grant siddhi" — and saying this, light it. Then take water in the hand and make the samarpan, or offer it mentally to the Mother. Be sure to pour water under the asana and touch it to the forehead.

In this whole vidhan, the speaker says, the puja of Shiva ji will be absolutely compulsory. Those who stopped listening halfway through the video and left will have trouble later. Why? Because this is a most ugra prayog and you are a householder — so that no dosha of any kind attaches to you. Therefore every day, from the day you begin the pujan up to the last day, in the morning, at the same temple where you are worshipping Kali ji and doing the sadhana — if that temple has a ShivlingThe aniconic form of Lord Shiva worshipped at home and in temples., excellent; otherwise at some other Shiva temple near that temple — do abhishekaA ceremonial bathing of a deity’s image or symbol, usually with water and other prescribed substances. of Shiva ji with milk, curd and jaggery, light a ghee lamp, and recite the Rudrashtakam, or recite Shiva ji's 108 names, whichever you can manage; or jap five or ten malas of the Panchakshari Mantra. Whether you wear a YajnopavitaThe sacred thread ceremony marking initiation into Vedic rites (Janeu) — if lapsed across generations, expiation (Prayashchitta) for each known generation is required before it can be resumed. or do not, jap without the Pranav. Mothers too will jap without the pranav.

So first make the kavach siddha in this way, the speaker says. After that, when it has to be used, go to the same temple for whoever is troubling you. Though in fact, while you are doing this sadhana, the enemy will receive fitting punishment in the middle of the sadhana itself — so on that count you can stay unworried. But if the need arises again some time in life, then after the 41- or 108-day sadhana you have done outside in the temple, continue at home: one recitation in the morning and one in the evening. There is no need for more recitations than that; it is only so that it stays in memory, in smriti. Later, whenever the need comes, take a SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. at that time. If there is a known person troubling you, take the sankalp with his name: "O Bhagavati, this person is troubling us in this and this way; give him a fitting punishment so that he stops troubling us" — if that is the situation. After that, do 108 recitations of the Kavach.

The speaker names the times that make the kavach hardest. Whenever it is the time of a Grahan, or Diwali, or Mahashivratri, or the night of Ashtami in Sharadiya Navratri — which is the time of Bhagavati Kalika's manifestation — and the time of the sandhi puja: at these times, if you light 108 lamps, give deep-dan, and recite this Kavach, the kavach becomes like a vajra. It becomes most ugra and amogh, he says, and on being used it gives immediate effect.

The speaker closes with the warning. If you use it without cause, use it on some person who is not in the wrong, or act with adharma — then take note: it will give a tremendous double effect upon you; it will destroy you yourself. When it is used on an enemy, he says, there is a further method as well, in which Bali and the like are given. Used by that method, the enemy becomes completely nistej — he becomes without lineage, without wealth; there is a great deal to it. But he is not teaching that: use only as much as he has tried to set out before everyone, in balanced form; in that much you will get a very large result. And choose this Kavach only as the last option of the last path, when no way is seen. Keep this in mind.