Kanda Sashti Kavacham (opening) · Devaraya Swamigal

Meaning

Kappu (protection verses): O heart, fix yourself on the feet of Kumaran, who waged war to end the sufferings of the devas. For those who praise it, hard karma goes and sorrow goes; for those who set it in their hearts, wealth comes to fruit and rises high, and steadiness in meditation is gained: the Kanda Sashti Kavacham, by the grace of the spotless Lord.

1–8. Looking to the Sashti, Saravanabhava, the lord of the shining red spear who helps the righteous, comes. On his two feet anklets of many gems sing, his little bells dance; he who rides the peacock and dances in the centre, comes with the spear in his hand to guard me. Come, come, Lord of the spear! Come, come, come, rider of the peacock!

9–16. While Indra and the guardians of the eight directions praise you, come, come, beautiful spear of mantra! Come, come, son-in-law of Indra! Come, you who keep in mind the beloved daughter of the hill tribe, Valli! Come, Lord with six faces! Come every day, spear-bearer who wears the holy ash! Come quickly, spear-bearer of Siragiri! Come at once, Saravanabhava!

About this bhajan

Devaraya Swamigal composed six kavachams, one for each of Murugan’s six padai veedu; this one, for Tiruchendur, is the one sung in nearly every Tamil home. Tradition places its first recital at the hill temple of Chennimalai near Erode, and the line “Siragiri velavan” names that hill. It is a prayer of protection: after the opening, the kavacham asks the vel to guard each part of the body in turn, and then every danger by name. During the six days of Skanda Sashti in Aippasi, devotees fast and recite the whole kavacham, many of them several times a day. These are the protection verses and the first sixteen lines.

Devaraya Swamigal, Kandar Kavacham 2 (Tiruchendur), kappu and lines 1–16, Project Madurai e-text pm0034_02 (spelling ‘சரஹணபவனார்’ as in that edition)