Durga Kavach
Every question on the site tagged Durga Kavach, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
Notes from our sources
Which parts of Durga Saptashati should never be used to perform Havan?
The durga-kavach should never be offered directly in Havan, and the Siddha Kunjika Stotram should never be used for Havan at all — both are meant for recitation only.
Name-mantras for the Kavach, nine ahutis on Argala's first mantra, Kilaka's first alone, nothing for the Rahasyas
Kavach uses the individual name-mantras of the Nine Durgas or named powers, not its full verses; Argala uses nine Ahutis with only its first mantra; Kilaka uses only its first mantra, dedicated to Shiva; the Rahasya texts get no Havan offerings at all.
What does the Durga Kavach say about poison, and what does it require?
If it has been fed at a very high level then a little effect will fall upon you, he says — not much; it fell for a day or two, it fell for ten days, they will get well, and the punishment for it will reach him too. But if you do nothing at all and sit perfectly normal and relaxed, thinking nothing will happen to us, then there will be trouble. Because if someone is giving poison — if you recite the Shri Durga Kavach, the Chandi Kavach, it is written in it that artificial poison and natural poison will not work upon those who recite this kavach and wear it. Now if someone has read it once a day and has been reading it for ten days and says let it not fall upon me, that is not possible: at the least his japa should have been done in thousands upon thousands, up to forty thousand it is held; at least a purashcharan of forty thousand, living by the niyam and niti of Bhagavati's kripa — only then will it be that the effect does not fall upon him.
What about someone who wants to test the kavach?
It will not happen by mere thinking and pondering, he says; and if someone has indeed done a great deal but has no belief or shraddha at all, and wants to test it — that we have heard that by japa of the kavach the poison has no effect; now we have done fifty thousand japa, so come, let us test it, let us drink phenyl and see whether the effect of poison falls upon us or not — then nothing much will happen: he will drink the phenyl and after that will attain the Devi loka. It is in the phalashruti, is it not, that after death they attain the Devi loka. That is just what will happen, and there will be no return, no coming again.
Which shloka is missing from the Gita Press Saptashati kavach?
If it were not so, he asks, why would Bhagavati say in the kavach that such-and-such a shakti should protect a friend, protect our gotra — she would not say it. In the Saptashati that the Gita Press Gorakhpur people read, in the kavach path, it has not been said for the protection of a kanya. The shloka, as he recites it, is "धनम धन सुरक्षित कौमारी कन्या काम तथा रक्षण में सर्व गात्रणी दुर्गा दुर्गा पहारिणी" — it is absent from it. The shloka exists, he says; those people have not given it. They have kept only the protection of the son, that the mother should protect the son.
The date given is only of 2024; the tithi returns every year, and the teaching holds in whichever year it is heard
The day after tomorrow is Ganga Dashahara, he says — but whichever year you are hearing this video in, whenever you are hearing it, it is for every time. The date is only of 2024; it comes every year. Even ten years later, if YouTube survives and you are listening to this video, it will give you as much benefit today as it would have ten years earlier.
What if you cannot pronounce Sanskrit?
Then do it in Hindi. The whole vidhi-vidhan is published on the channel; but if you do not know how to pronounce Sanskrit, if you do not read it, learn to do it in Hindi. And do not attempt any vidhi-vidhan — at the very least perform the path of the Kavach, Argala and Keelak in Hindi, and if you can do the whole thirteen adhyayas daily then do so, and do the path of the three Rahasyas. Do that much.
What does the Durga Kavach say about shaktis siddha by upadesh alone?
The speaker points to the phalashruti of the Durga Kavach as recited in the Shri Durga Saptashati, in which it is written that the shaktis which are perfected by upadesh alone are bound and destroyed by the recitation of this kavach. Those, he says, are the kshudra shaktis: they become siddha by upadesh alone.
Can the Chandi Kavach be recited during the eclipse?
Absolutely, the speaker says: you can do the Chandi Kavach in the grahan.
What is the difference between the Chandi Kavach and the Rudra Chandi Kavach?
The Chandi Kavach in the Saptashati was spoken from Brahma's own mouth and is intensely sharp — you will understand when you recite it. The Rudra Chandi Kavach is not for everyone: if you are a beginning-level practitioner the speaker will forbid it. Do the Chandi Kavach.
Which asana should a householder use, and should the Kavach or the whole Saptashati be done daily?
Every householder practitioner should particularly use the Sukhasana first of all. On the daily count: it is your wish — if you are initiated, do the Saptashati daily; if you are not initiated, do the Kavach only.
Where did those nyasas come from, and who may use them?
In the Tantrokta granthas of the Durga Saptashati the nyasa of the seventh and thirteenth adhyaya is found, but not that of the mantras of the Kavach, Argala and Keelak. By Bhagavati's grace, capable sadhaks who hold such ancient books and granthas, still unpublished, gave what they had after discussion, for the welfare of the members of the Grihastha Tantra family. Whether you are diksha-holder or not, woman or man, whether you wear the janeu or not, he says there is no difficulty.
Was the darshan during the Kubjika Tantra Durga Kavach with open eyes?
Asked about a post concerning a person of great bhav who had darshan of Jagadamba while doing the Durga Kavach of the Kubjika Tantra, and whether that darshan was with open eyes, he says: yes, according to what that person says, it was with open eyes. But keep one thing in mind, he adds: even when it happens with open eyes, what the state must have been, and at what time it happens. Because when we repeat a mantra again and again, in that bhav, with the mind one-pointed, meditating on their form, she does give darshan even for half a moment. But a state of confusion arises when our bhav is somewhere incomplete: was it true, or only untrue.
When the problem is very great and no way out appears, a bali of eight jayfals is made in the names of the Ashtamatrikas
If your problem is very great and no way out is appearing, then make a budget: the eight Mahashaktis, the Mahadurgas, the Ashtamatrikas. Read the Durga Kavach in the Durga Saptashati and you will learn their names. In their names a bali of jayfal is to be made, in the same vessel — a large earthen vessel with the 128 cloves, camphor and eight jayfals.
Step two of tantra kaat at home: a daily path by every family member
The second task, the speaker says, is a daily path. Whatever form of Bhagavati the peeth belongs to — in his example Jayanti Mata, a form of Durga — recite something related to it: the Argala path, her 32-name namavali, the 108 names, or the Kavach path. Any one of these is to be recited morning and evening by every person in the house; if nothing else, everyone knows the Durga Chalisa, so recite that — but every person must do it, with the lamp kept burning while the path goes on.
Another teacher told women they need go to nobody and could recite the Chandi Kavach 108 times daily for twenty-one days themselves
The speaker says a great many people give very strange prayogas, and if by mistake you put a question there they begin speaking very crookedly about others. One such very great man, who he says listens to this channel and has his own Facebook group, gave the prayoga that women need not go to anyone if they daily do 108 recitations of the Chandi Kavach described in the Shri Durga Saptashati for twenty-one days continuously.
Why is nine hours of Chandi Kavach recitation impossible for a householder?
He wrote back that nine hours for any woman or man who is not a sadhak — or is one, but is a householder — for twenty-one days continuously would mean mothers and sisters abandoning all their housework to sit; you would have them ordering Zomato and Swiggy, and you would make them work more than at Navratri. He added that when he does it himself, taking a sankalp of eight or nine days, it takes him thirteen to fourteen hours, because sitting continuously for so long is not possible even for him.
The reply was that one who knew Sanskrit would finish comfortably, and only ignorance of it makes the recitation take thirteen or fourteen hours
His reply was that the speaker must not know how to read Sanskrit — that children of LKG and classes two and three read better Sanskrit than he does, and that if he knew Sanskrit he would do it comfortably; not knowing it, thirteen or fourteen hours, or even fifty hours, could be taken. And he wrote that he himself completes 108 recitations in three hours — which, worked out, means he recites the Chandi Kavach of the Durga Saptashati in one minute thirty seconds, that is, a minute and a half.
What rule should be followed before giving anyone an upaya?
Whatever upaya you give, whatever thing you tell — either you should have done it yourself, or had it done, or it should be such that an ordinary person can do it. He says the prayoga itself is a very good prayoga, do 108 for twenty-one days; but do not describe it wrongly. Try reciting it in Hindi, in Sanskrit: however fast you go, the pronunciation must still be done correctly. In a minute and a half it is not possible however fast you read; even reciting it like a poem it will not happen in a minute and a half.
How can one test what sawari is coming?
First, if any knowledgeable person is near you, show it to them. Second, if you are not getting fit guidance and are not even coming to know whose sawari is coming upon the body, then do at least 108 recitations of Bhagavati's Durga Kavach, the Chandi Kavach described in the Saptashati. Do nine recitations daily; if you cannot do even nine, do at least three in the morning and three in the evening. Do it continuously for a month and see: if that sawari is true it will begin to come openly, will give its introduction properly, and will also guide through dreams. If it is false, its coming will simply cease — it will not even feel that the body is becoming heavy, that someone is coming upon the body.
Is the Chandi Kavach from the Varaha Purana or the Markandeya Purana?
Asked whether the Chandi Kavach is from the Varaha Purana or the Markandeya Purana, he says it is described in places as composed by Harihar — and that, brother, it is in both.
The Chandi Kavach, Bhadrakali's veer kavach, Shiva's Aghor kavach, Virabhadra's and Panchmukhi Hanuman's
He says that in earlier times, what used to happen was that the brave warriors who went into the army had that very nyasa performed upon them for the sake of obtaining victory in war. In the same manner, he says, take the Chandi Kavach in the Shri Durga Saptashati and the like, the veer kavach of Bhagavati Bhadrakali, the Aghor kavach of Bhagavan Shiva, the raksha-granting kavach of Bhagavan Virabhadra, the kavach of Panchmukhi Hanuman ji — all these kavachas endowed with fierceness. The nyasa of all these kavachas: nyasa of the kavach here means the nyasa of the whole kavach.
Which small kavach of the Devi can men recite instead of the Chandi Kavach?
Told that the Chandi Kavach is very long and asked to name some small kavach of the Devi for men, he says you can also do any kavach of your own aradhya ishta; there are other kavachs of Durga ji as well. He says he will put up a small kavach of Durga ji before this coming Navratri.
How do Christians work tantra — is it from the Holy Bible?
Asking everyone to hear the answer, he says the healing meetings whose videos go viral will astonish people if they know the black truth behind them, although telling it is of no use because Hindu society does not believe in these things and does not believe in divinity, while others are using it. In the tantra granthas of Sanatan culture, he says, sixty-four kinds of Bhairav are told and fifty-two kinds of Brahm. In the phalashruti at the end of the Durga Saptashati it comes that Bhairavs run away on seeing one who recites this Kavach in all three sandhyas. The question arises: why should Bhairavs run away? How did Bhairav become an inferior deity? The answer is that among the sixty-four kinds of Bhairav — just as with the question of who Marhi Bhavani is — there are in the same way Bhairavs who are inferior shaktis, masanik shaktis, to whom the name of Bhairav has been given; those things move away and flee, and these very things are also made siddh in tantra.
Can the Durga Saptashati be recited in Hindi?
There is no difficulty at all, he answers. If you wish to do the path of thirteen adhyayas in one day in Hindi you can; the same vidhi will remain, do everything in Hindi. Recite the Kavach, Argala and Keelak in Hindi too, then recite the thirteen adhyayas in Hindi, and recite the three Rahasyas in Hindi as well. If you do it in the Mahavidya krama, that is thirteen adhyayas over seven days, then do it in Hindi in the same way, reciting on the day on which two adhyayas have been prescribed exactly as prescribed. The full vidhi-vidhan is in a playlist named Navratri 2022.
Why do some people's bodies sway when they begin puja?
He says he has met such sadhaks, who say that when they first started puja-path and did the lamp and wick morning and evening, their body would begin to sway, would begin to play, and they could not say anything and could not understand — they only swayed. Later, when they came into contact, he told them to do the Datta Mala Mantra, the Durga Kavach, and the sadhana with Durga ji's thirty-two Namavali. They now say there is much bliss and much desire to do puja-path, and they do it, but the body no longer sways. So somewhere there is such a negative shakti that becomes connected with the auspicious shaktis; that is a different kind of kriya of tantra.
How is the Durga kavach awakened?
Asked how to awaken the Durga kavach, the speaker says two videos on the subject are available on the channel — search "Durga kavach Grihastha Tantra" and both will come up. One vidhi makes a full mandala and shows how to make it siddh; the other is the simplest, easiest vidhi. Follow either one and awaken it in this Gupt Navratri.
Impure Sanskrit uchcharan in the Saptashati path
The speaker says someone who has never pronounced Sanskrit and is going straight to a Sanskrit path must first learn how it is recited — from a scholar or a knowledgeable person who does Saptashati or Chandi path, a sadhak, a brahmin, or a mother with Shakta diksha — sitting in their presence, learning the uchcharan purely and practising before them. Impure uchcharan causes trouble; saints relate cases where wrong pronunciation changed the fruit of the path. As one small example he gives the sixth shloka of the Durga Kavach, where भयार्ताः is read in a hurry as भरताः or भर्यताः, both wrong; many such mistakes happen in haste and the meaning turns into its opposite.
Rushing through the Saptashati versus chanting it in chhanda
The speaker says there is a popular saying that the Saptashati should not be sung, but it should be understood correctly: it is chanted in chhanda, and reciting in chhanda is the prescribed vidhan, so that one may do. What people actually do wrong is read very fast — he mimics rushing through the Kavach opening — whereas it should be read calmly, in the manner laid down. If reciting in Sanskrit, know how the Anushtup chhanda in which it is set is voiced; if you do not know, learn it.
Talking or rising from the asana in the middle of a Saptashati path
The speaker says one must neither speak nor rise from the asana during the whole path. Stopping between shlokas of the Kavach to say "something important" and then resuming is wrong. If an emergency forces you to speak, either start that recitation again from the beginning or first complete the whole Kavach, then talk, then do achaman and kshama prarthana before continuing. If you cannot manage all thirteen chapters in one sitting — new, unpractised, legs aching — do samarpan of what you have read before getting up, and when you sit again do achaman and Bhagavati's dhyan afresh before going on; never simply leave it midway.
Ahuti rules for the rakshoghna mantras, Kavach, Argala and Keelak in a Saptashati havan
The speaker says the rakshoghna mantras of chapter 4 — the four verses 24 to 27 beginning "शूलेन पाहि नो देवी पाहि खड़गिन चंबिके" that follow the 23-verse stuti — cannot be offered with sakalya: either recite them and leave them, or the chief officiant offers ghrit for them; sakalya ahuti with these too becomes a cause of ruin. Ahuti is not done with the full mantras of the Kavach and Argala. Argala's first mantra is offered, Keelak's first mantra is offered, and from the Kavach only the name-mantras of its shaktis — never the whole shlokas.
What order does the daily sitting follow, and are the Kavach, Argala and Kilak done every day?
Guru, Ganpati and Batuk Bhairav ji's Ashtottar Satnam first, then the recitation of that day in whatever manner the Mahavidya krama prescribes. And yes — perform the Kavach, Argala and Kilak daily, and only then go on to that day's recitation.
Can the Durga Saptashati kavach be recited in Hindi?
Yes, it can absolutely be recited in Hindi, the speaker says.
Can the Devi Kavach be recited and perfected independently?
Yes, the speaker says: the paath of the Devi Kavach can be done independently, and it can be made siddh.
What minimum does a guru give along with the Ashtakshari?
If not the whole of it, then at the least the guru will certainly give three things: Durga ji's kavach — not the Saptashati Chandi kavach, but the Durga kavach that goes with the Ashtakshari — and Bhairav ji's mantra. And he will give one adhyaya of the Saptashati, whichever it may be, depending on the kula parampara: if it is Kali ji's, he will say the Ratri Suktam; if the matter or the emphasis is connected with Lakshmi, he will say the fourth adhyaya; if it is after Bhagavati's grace and siddhi, he will say the Tantrokta Devi Suktam. But to say simply do this mantra just like that is a little improper. He marks this as his own view, and says the decision is the listeners' own.
Why a sadhana is kept secret: ten opinions rule out every kavach
The speaker says this is exactly why one is told to keep a sadhana secret: people make noise and take decisions from ten places. He acts out the chain — some baba said the Hanuman Chalisa gives results; someone else says the Chalisa can do nothing, 'we did it ten years, nothing happened, nothing will happen for you either'; the bajrang-baan should not be done because Hanuman ji gets angry; durga-kavach and Chandi Kavach must not be done because Bhairav ji gets bound in it, though it is the Devi herself who speaks of binding Bhairav; Kamakhya Kavach — 'Kamakhya is not worshipped at home, which fool told you to do it'; Bairi Nashan or Kalika Kavach — 'no, no, far too ugra a shakti'; Panchmukhi Hanuman Kavach — 'you would have to keep Brahmacharya and stay completely pure, not possible, how can we live without thinking wrongly about girls' — and so no kavach can be done at all. He calls that condition pitiable, lower than an animal: a person who cannot keep his mental state pure, cannot hold himself steady in one place, has no control over himself, and then casts aspersions on the devi-devatas. His closing charge: where you are protected and where you are not is a churning to hold within yourself — how you will guard against tantrik attack, which Kavach you will accomplish, with what vidhi and which rules, and who makes you negative, outsiders, insiders or you yourself; decide by self-churning, look within before blaming others, walk the path, and neither make others negative nor become negative yourself.
What does the Saptashati Kavach say about deities born with a child?
All those listening will be reciting the Kavach in the Durga Saptashati, in which it is read that the deities that arise together with the birth when a child takes birth are removed by the effect of the recitation of this Kavach. Which deities, then, appeared along with the birth? The question will have come into your mind at some time, the speaker says. The Saptashati is in itself a vast tantra.
Those able to do nothing else should perfect by japa the four raksha mantras of the Saptashati's fourth adhyaya
He requests everyone watching that if they are unable to do anything in their life, then in the navratra they should perfect by japa the four raksha mantras described in the fourth adhyaya of the Durga Saptashati. If you cannot do 108 recitations daily, do 27, do nine, do 11 — but continue it, do it for nine days; and if possible, do 108 each in these nine days.
Why the four mantras rather than the full Kavach?
The Kavach turns out long for you, he says: 54 to 55 shlokas come in it. If you go in the vriddhi krama it becomes larger still; some people do it additionally according to the various kinds given in the Saptashati and it grows further; the Sanskrit becomes difficult and the pronunciation does not come. So do only these four mantras. This everyone should do.
Where should the kul devta stand relative to the Shiva Panchayatan?
Asked whether the kul devta may be established at the side after establishing the Shiva Panchayatan, the speaker says the kul devta should have the most beautiful place of all. Establish the Shiva Panchayatan — but the kul devta is your all in all; they are the owner of your house. Your mother and father are not the owners; they are. They wished that you take birth in their kula, and so your birth occurred. This is why their respect is above all, and the puja of the kul devata and kul devi is above all.
Is there a havan of the Saptashati Kavach?
No, Archana ji, never do it, the speaker answers. There will be no havan of any astra mantra or kavach mantra. When you have completed the japa of the Saptashati Kavach — suppose you have done 1100 japa of the Saptashati Kavach and now wish that there should be a vidhi of havan and the like in it — then if you are a woman, with shakal and the rest; and if you are a man, with ghee, give the ahuti of Bhagavati's mool mantra, or of the first mantra of the Argala.
Special case: ahuti in a purashcharan of the Durga Kavach goes to the deities' names, not the shlokas
The speaker says that if you are doing a purashcharan of the Kavach and wish to offer its ahuti, the shlokas themselves are not offered; instead, the ahuti is given to the name of every deva and devi present in the Kavach. Where it says "sah kritrim cha Lakshmim", for example, the ahuti goes in the name of Bhagavati Lakshmi — so write down all the deities' names and offer with their name-mantras, and the grace of the Kavach's shaktis is obtained.
Since the Durga Saptashati is tantra, should it be done without a guru?
Every mantra of the Durga Saptashati is tantra, the speaker agrees — that is a correct statement, all of it is correct. With bhakti bhaav, for obtaining Bhagavati's grace, you may do her Kavach, Argala and Keelak.
Shakambhari anushthan setup and order of worship: cloth, direction, vigraha, nyas and kavach
The speaker says to use red or yellow cloth, a yellow or red asana, and to do the japa facing east or north, before an installed Shri Vigraha of the four-armed Jagadamba or, alternatively, of the eight-armed Durga, on which the archan and pujan are done. The order is smaran of Guru, Ganapati and the rest, then dhyan of Bhagavati Shakambhari Durga, then the viniyoga, rishi and other nyas, kar nyas, hriday nyas, dhyan mantra and japa mantra exactly as written in the PDF linked in the video description. Before that vidhi one may recite the Shakambhari kavach, or, if it is not available, Bhagavati's Chandi Durga kavach from the Saptashati, and then perform the anushthan of the mantra.
Which rishis and devatas stand in the Kavach, Argala and Keelak?
Everyone will know the Kavach, Argala and Keelak and everyone will recite them, the speaker says. Look in the Kavach: Brahma ji is the rishi. In the Argala, Vishnu ji is the rishi. And in the Keelak, Shiva ji is the rishi. But look at the devatas there. Brahma ji is the rishi — but who is the devata? Chandika, that is Kalika, Kali ji, Mahakali ji. Look in the Argala: Vishnu, Narayan, is indeed the rishi — but who is the devata? Mahalakshmi. And look in the Keelak: here Shiva ji is the rishi, but the devi is Mahasaraswati. It ought to have been, he says, that where Brahma ji is Saraswati ji would be, and where Shiva ji is Bhagavati Kalika would be.
If one already recites the Kali Kavach, must the Saptashati's kavach also be done?
If you are doing the paath of the Saptashati, the speaker says, then do only the Saraswati kavach; that alone is plenty. It comes under the angas, in the anga vidya. Of the six angas, one anga is the kavach, so you should do it.
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