Chandra Kavacham
चन्द्रकवचम्
Also known as: chandra kavach · moon kavacham · soma kavacham · samam chaturbhujam vande · chandra kavacham lyrics
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✦ Meaning
The Chandra Kavacham is a protective 'armour' hymn to Chandra, the Moon-god (Soma), whose rishi is the sage Gautama. After a meditation verse picturing the serene four-armed Moon — the eye of Vishnu and the crescent on Shiva's head — it invokes the Moon under his many lovely names (Shashi, Kalanidhi, Sudhakara, Mrigankha) to guard the devotee's body from head to foot. Its closing verse declares that whoever recites or even hears this divine armour gains both worldly enjoyment and liberation and becomes victorious everywhere.
Origin & Story
Chandra Kavacha Stotram (Graha kavacha tradition) · Sage Gautama (rishi of the mantra) · Classical / Puranic
The Chandra Kavacham belongs to the cycle of Navagraha kavachas — protective armour-hymns for each of the nine planets — with the sage Gautama named as its rishi. It pictures Chandra as the serene, four-armed Moon who is at once the eye of Vishnu and the crescent ornament on Shiva's head, and entreats him by his many lovely epithets to shield the devotee limb by limb. As the Moon governs the mind and emotions, this kavacha is especially recited for inner peace and to harmonise a troubled Moon.
✦ As told in scripture
The kavacha's closing verse promises that whoever recites or even merely hears this divine armour of the Moon becomes 'sarvatra vijayi' — victorious everywhere — and attains both worldly happiness and liberation; devotees afflicted by restlessness of mind chant it on Mondays to draw the Moon's cooling, healing grace.
Complete Text with Meaning
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॥ श्रीगणेशाय नमः ॥ अस्य श्रीचन्द्रकवचस्तोत्रमन्त्रस्य गौतम ऋषिः । अनुष्टुप् छन्दः, श्रीचन्द्रो देवता, चन्द्रप्रीत्यर्थं जपे विनियोगः ॥
|| śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ || asya śrīcandrakavacastotramantrasya gautama ṛṣiḥ | anuṣṭup chandaḥ, śrīcandro devatā, candraprītyarthaṃ jape viniyogaḥ ||
Meaning:Salutations to Sri Ganesha. For this Chandra Kavacham hymn the sage is Gautama, the metre is Anushtup, the deity is Sri Chandra; it is recited to please the Moon.
समं चतुर्भुजं वन्दे केयूरमुकुटोज्ज्वलम् । वासुदेवस्य नयनं शङ्करस्य च भूषणम् ॥ १॥
samaṃ caturbhujaṃ vande keyūramukuṭojjvalam | vāsudevasya nayanaṃ śaṅkarasya ca bhūṣaṇam || 1||
Meaning:I revere the serene, four-armed Moon, resplendent with armlets and crown — the eye of Vasudeva (Vishnu) and the ornament upon the head of Shiva.
एवं ध्यात्वा जपेन्नित्यं शशिनः कवचं शुभम् । शशी पातु शिरोदेशं भालं पातु कलानिधिः ॥ २॥
evaṃ dhyātvā japennityaṃ śaśinaḥ kavacaṃ śubham | śaśī pātu śirodeśaṃ bhālaṃ pātu kalānidhiḥ || 2||
Meaning:Having meditated thus, one should daily recite the auspicious armour of the Moon. May Shashi guard the region of my head, and Kalanidhi (the treasury of digits) my forehead.
चक्षुषी चन्द्रमाः पातु श्रुती पातु निशापतिः । प्राणं क्षपाकरः पातु मुखं कुमुदबान्धवः ॥ ३॥
cakṣuṣī candramāḥ pātu śrutī pātu niśāpatiḥ | prāṇaṃ kṣapākaraḥ pātu mukhaṃ kumudabāndhavaḥ || 3||
Meaning:May Chandrama guard my eyes, and the Lord of the night my ears; may the maker of the night guard my life-breath, and the friend of the night-lotus my mouth.
पातु कण्ठं च मे सोमः स्कन्धे जैवातृकस्तथा । करौ सुधाकरः पातु वक्षः पातु निशाकरः ॥ ४॥
pātu kaṇṭhaṃ ca me somaḥ skandhe jaivātṛkastathā | karau sudhākaraḥ pātu vakṣaḥ pātu niśākaraḥ || 4||
Meaning:May Soma guard my throat, and the life-giving Moon my shoulders; may the nectar-rayed one guard my hands, and the night-maker my chest.
हृदयं पातु मे चन्द्रो नाभिं शङ्करभूषणः । मध्यं पातु सुरश्रेष्ठः कटिं पातु सुधाकरः ॥ ५॥
hṛdayaṃ pātu me candro nābhiṃ śaṅkarabhūṣaṇaḥ | madhyaṃ pātu suraśreṣṭhaḥ kaṭiṃ pātu sudhākaraḥ || 5||
Meaning:May Chandra guard my heart, and the ornament of Shiva my navel; may the best of the gods guard my middle, and the nectar-source my waist.
ऊरू तारापतिः पातु मृगाङ्को जानुनी सदा । अब्धिजः पातु मे जङ्घे पातु पादौ विधुः सदा ॥ ६॥
ūrū tārāpatiḥ pātu mṛgāṅko jānunī sadā | abdhijaḥ pātu me jaṅghe pātu pādau vidhuḥ sadā || 6||
Meaning:May the Lord of the stars guard my thighs, and the deer-marked one ever my knees; may the ocean-born guard my shins, and Vidhu ever my feet.
सर्वाण्यन्यानि चाङ्गानि पातु चन्द्रोऽखिलं वपुः । एतद्धि कवचं दिव्यं भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदायकम् । यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि सर्वत्र विजयी भवेत् ॥ ७॥
sarvāṇyanyāni cāṅgāni pātu candro'khilaṃ vapuḥ | etaddhi kavacaṃ divyaṃ bhuktimuktipradāyakam | yaḥ paṭhecchṛṇuyādvāpi sarvatra vijayī bhavet || 7||
Meaning:May the Moon guard all my other limbs and my whole body. This divine armour bestows both enjoyment and liberation; whoever recites or even hears it becomes victorious everywhere.
॥ इति श्रीचन्द्रकवचं सम्पूर्णम् ॥
|| iti śrīcandrakavacaṃ sampūrṇam ||
Meaning:Thus ends the Chandra Kavacham.
Word-by-Word Meaning
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Benefits of Chanting Chandra Kavacham
A limb-by-limb 'kavacha' (armour) invoking the Moon's protection over the entire body from head to feet.
Recited to strengthen a weak, debilitated or afflicted Moon in the horoscope, which governs the mind, emotions and peace.
Said to calm the mind and steady the emotions — the Moon (Chandra) is the karaka of mental peace and contentment.
Its phalashruti promises that whoever recites or hears it gains both worldly enjoyment (bhukti) and liberation (mukti) and is victorious everywhere.
Chanted on Mondays (Somavara), the weekday of the Moon, and during Chandra or Navagraha puja, and on Purnima (full moon).
Invoked for relief from anxiety, insomnia, restlessness and the malefic effects of the Moon's periods.
How to Chant Chandra Kavacham
Bathe and sit facing east or north-west, ideally before an image of Chandra (or the Navagraha), with white flowers, white sandal and a ghee lamp; offerings of milk or rice are appropriate to the Moon. Recite the viniyoga, the dhyana verse, the kavacha verses guarding each limb, and the closing phalashruti. It is most auspicious on Mondays and full-moon nights, and may be recited daily for peace of mind and to soften an afflicted Moon.