ॐ सर्ववर्णात्मिकायै स्वाहा पादयुग्मं सदावतु । ॐ वागधिष्ठातृदेव्यै स्वाहा सर्वं सदावतु
May the mantra 'Oṃ Sarvavarṇātmikāyai Svāhā' always protect both my feet; may 'Oṃ Vāgadhiṣṭhātṛdevyai Svāhā' always protect my entire being.
ॐ सर्वकण्ठवासिन्यै स्वाहा प्राच्यां सदावतु । ॐ सर्वजिह्वाग्रवासिन्यै स्वाहाग्निदिशि रक्षतु
May the mantra 'Oṃ Sarvakaṇṭhavāsinyai Svāhā' always protect me in the east; may 'Oṃ Sarvajihvāgravāsinyai Svāhā' protect me in the direction of fire (southeast).
ॐ ऐं ह्रीं क्लीं सरस्वत्यै बुधजनन्यै स्वाहा । सततं मन्त्रराजोऽयं दक्षिणे मां सदावतु
May the mantra 'Oṃ Aiṃ Hrīṃ Klīṃ Sarasvatyai Budhajananyai Svāhā'—the king of mantras—always protect me on the south.
ऐं ह्रीं श्रीं त्र्यक्षरो मन्त्रो नैर्ऋत्यां सर्वदावतु । ॐ ऐं जिह्वाग्रवासिन्यै स्वाहा मां वारुणेऽवतु
May the three-syllable mantra 'Aiṃ Hrīṃ Śrīṃ' always protect me in the southwest; may 'Oṃ Aiṃ Jihvāgravāsinyai Svāhā' protect me in the west.
ॐ सर्वाम्बिकायै स्वाहा वायव्ये मां सदावतु । ॐ ऐं श्रीं क्लीं गद्यवासिन्यै स्वाहा मामुत्तरेऽवतु
May the mantra 'Oṃ Sarvāmbikāyai Svāhā' always protect me in the northwest; may 'Oṃ Aiṃ Śrīṃ Klīṃ Gadyavāsinyai Svāhā' protect me in the north.
ॐ ऐं सर्वशास्त्रवासिन्यै स्वाहैशान्यां सदावतु । ॐ ह्रीं सर्वपूजितायै स्वाहा चोर्ध्वं सदावतु
May the mantra 'Oṃ Aiṃ Sarvaśāstravāsinyai Svāhā' always protect me in the northeast; may 'Oṃ Hrīṃ Sarvapūjitāyai Svāhā' always protect me above.
ॐ ह्रीं पुस्तकवासिन्यै स्वाहाधो मां सदावतु । ॐ ग्रन्थबीजस्वरूपायै स्वाहा मां सर्वतोऽवतु
May the mantra 'Oṃ Hrīṃ Pustakavāsinyai Svāhā' always protect me below; may 'Oṃ Granthabījasvarūpāyai Svāhā' protect me on all sides.
इति ते कथितं विप्र ब्रह्ममन्त्रौघविग्रहम् । इदं विश्वजयं नाम कवचं ब्रह्मरूपकम्
Thus, O brāhmaṇa, I have described to you the embodiment of the multitude of Brahma mantras; this is the armor called 'Conquest of the Universe,' having the form of Brahma.
पुरा श्रुतं धर्मवक्त्रात्पर्वते गन्धमादने । तव स्नेहान्मयाख्यातं प्रवक्तव्यं न कस्यचित्
Long ago, this was heard from the mouth of Dharma on Mount Gandhamādana; out of affection for you, I have explained it—this should not be told to anyone else.
गुरुमभ्यर्च्य विधिवद्वस्त्रालङ्कारचन्दनैः । प्रणम्य दण्डवद्भूमौ कवचं धारयेत्सुधीः
Having duly worshipped the guru with garments, ornaments, and sandal paste, and having bowed down to the ground like a staff, the wise should wear this armor.
पञ्चलक्षजपेनैव सिद्धं तु कवचं भवेत् । यदि स्यात्सिद्धकवचो बृहस्पतिसमो भवेत्
By reciting it five hundred thousand times, the armor becomes perfected; if one has perfected the armor, one becomes equal to Bṛhaspati.
महावाग्मी कवीन्द्रश्च त्रैलोक्यविजयी भवेत् । शक्नोति सर्वं जेतुं च कवचस्य प्रसादतः
One becomes a great orator, a foremost poet, and a conqueror of the three worlds; by the grace of the armor, one is able to conquer all.
इदं च कण्वशाखोक्तं कवचं कथितं मुने । स्तोत्रं पूजाविधानं च ध्यानं च वन्दनं शृणु
This armor, as spoken in the Kanva branch, has been described to you, O sage. Now listen to the hymn, the method of worship, the meditation, and the salutation.
याज्ञवल्क्यकृतं सरस्वतीस्तोत्रवर्णनम् श्रीनारायण उवाच वाग्देवतायाः स्तवनं श्रूयतां सर्वकामदम् । महामुनिर्याज्ञवल्क्यो येन तुष्टाव तां पुरा
The praise of Sarasvati composed by Yajnavalkya. Shri Narayana said: Hear the hymn to the goddess of speech, which grants all desires, by which the great sage Yajnavalkya once worshipped her.
गुरुशापाज्ज स मुनिर्हतविद्यो बभूव ह । तदा जगाम दुःखार्तो रविस्थानं सुपुण्यदम्
Because of his teacher's curse, the sage lost his knowledge; afflicted by sorrow, he went to the highly sacred place of the sun.
सम्प्राप्य तपसा सूर्यं लोलार्के दृष्टिगोचरे । तुष्टाव सूर्यं शोकेन रुरोद च मुहुर्मुहुः
Having reached the sun through austerity, and seeing the shining orb within his sight, he praised the sun in his grief and wept again and again.
सूर्यस्तं पाठयामास वेदं वेदाङ्गमीश्वरः । उवाच स्तौहि वाग्देवीं भक्त्या च स्मृतिहेतवे
The sun, lord of the Vedas and their limbs, taught him the Veda and said: 'Praise the goddess of speech with devotion for the sake of memory.'
तमित्युक्त्वा दीननाथोऽप्यन्तर्धानं चकार सः । मुनिः स्नात्वा च तुष्टाव भक्तिनम्रात्मकन्धरः
Having said this, the compassionate lord disappeared. The sage, after bathing, worshipped her with devotion and a bowed head.
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच कृपां कुरु जगन्मातर्मामेवं हततेजसम् । गुरुशापात्स्मृतिभ्रष्टं विद्याहीनं च दुःखितम्
Yajnavalkya said: Show mercy, O Mother of the Universe, to me whose brilliance is destroyed; cursed by my teacher, deprived of memory and knowledge, and suffering.
ज्ञानं देहि स्मृतिं विद्यां शक्तिं शिष्यप्रबोधिनीम् । ग्रन्थकर्तृत्वशक्तिं च सुशिष्यं सुप्रतिष्ठितम्
Grant me knowledge, memory, learning, and the power to awaken my disciples; also the ability to compose texts, and a well-established, excellent disciple.
प्रतिभां सत्सभायां च विचारक्षमतां शुभाम् । लुप्तं सर्वं दैवयोगान्नवीभूतं पुनः कुरु
Bestow inspiration in noble assemblies, and auspicious capacity for discernment; restore everything lost by fate, making it new again.
यथाङ्कुरं भस्मनि च करोति देवता पुनः । ब्रह्मस्वरूपा परमा ज्योतीरूपा सनातनी
Just as the deity causes a sprout to emerge even from ashes, so too, O eternal, supreme, radiant, and Brahman-formed One.
सर्वविद्याधिदेवी या तस्यै वाण्यै नमो नमः । विसर्गबिन्दुमात्रासु यदधिष्ठानमेव च
To her, the goddess presiding over all knowledge, to Vani, I bow again and again; to her who is the foundation of visarga and bindu alone.
तदधिष्ठात्री या देवी तस्यै नित्यै नमो नमः । व्याख्यास्वरूपा सा देवी व्याख्याधिष्ठातृरूपिणी
To that goddess who is the presiding force over them, to her who is eternal, I bow again and again; that goddess who is the form of explanation, and the presiding force of exposition.
यया विना प्रसंख्यावान् संख्यां कर्तुं न शक्यते । कालसंख्यास्वरूपा या तस्यै देव्यै नमो नमः
Without her, it is not possible to enumerate or count; to that goddess who is the form of time and number, I bow again and again.
भ्रमसिद्धान्तरूपा या तस्यै देव्यै नमो नमः । स्मृतिशक्तिज्ञानशक्तिबुद्धिशक्तिस्वरूपिणी
To that goddess who is the form of the principle of error, I bow again and again; she who is the embodiment of the power of memory, knowledge, and intellect.
प्रतिभाकल्पनाशक्तिर्या च तस्यै नमो नमः । सनत्कुमारो ब्रह्माणं ज्ञानं पप्रच्छ यत्र वै
She who is the power of inspiration and imagination, to her I bow again and again; where Sanatkumara once asked Brahma for knowledge.
बभूव मूकवत्सोऽपि सिद्धान्तं कर्तुमक्षमः । तदाऽऽजगाम भगवानात्मा श्रीकृष्ण ईश्वरः
Even he became like one mute, unable to establish the doctrine; then the blessed Lord, Shri Krishna, the Supreme, arrived.
उवाच स तां स्तौहि वाणीमिष्टां प्रजापते । स च तुष्टाव तां ब्रह्मा चाज्ञया परमात्मनः
He said to him: 'Praise the desired Vani, O creator.' And Brahma, by the command of the Supreme Self, worshipped her.
चकार तत्प्रसादेन तदा सिद्धान्तमुत्तमम् । यदाप्यनन्तं पप्रच्छ ज्ञानमेकं वसुन्धरा
By her grace, he then established the highest doctrine; and when the earth asked Ananta for singular knowledge.