ශ්රීදත්තාත්රේය වජ්රකවචම්
Dattatreya Vajra Kavacham in Sinhala · සිංහල
Read in your language / script
Origin & Story
Datta-sampradaya and Tantric tradition (associated with the Rudrayamala); traditionally revealed to the sage Narada · Traditional (revealed of old to the sage Narada within the Datta tradition) · Ancient (Puranic / Agamic)
The Vajra Kavacham belongs to the rich protective literature of the Datta-sampradaya, in which Lord Dattatreya — the avadhuta union of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva — is invoked as an invincible shield. Cast in the classic form of an anga-rakshana (limb-by-limb protection), it summons the Lord, who pervades the sahasrara, the senses and all the directions, to guard the devotee completely. The tradition holds that this 'thunderbolt armour' was first sung to the celestial sage Narada and has since been recited by Datta devotees for protection from every kind of danger and disease.
✦ As told in scripture
The Datta tradition abounds with accounts of devotees who, wearing this 'vajra' armour through daily recitation, were shielded from accidents, illness, hostile sorcery and grave danger — for the Kavacha itself declares that even those parts left unguarded are ever protected by the sky-clad Dattatreya, who never abandons one who takes refuge in him.
Complete Text with Meaning
Tap any line — or the ▶ button — to hear it recited
ඕං දත්තාත්රේය ශිරඃ පාතු සහස්රාබ්ජේෂු සංස්ථිතඃ. භාලං පාත්වානසූයේයශ්චන්ද්රමණ්ඩලමධ්යගඃ..
Om Dattaatreya Shirah paatu Sahasraabjeshu samsthitah. Bhaalam paatv-Anasuyeyash-Chandra-mandala-madhya-gah.
Meaning:Om. May Lord Dattatreya, who abides in the thousand-petalled lotus, protect my head; may the son of Anasuya, who dwells in the centre of the lunar orb, protect my forehead.
කූර්චං මනෝමයඃ පාතු හං ක්ෂං ද්විදලපද්මභූඃ. ජ්යෝතීරූපෝ(අ)ක්ෂිණී පාතු පාතු ශබ්දාත්මකඃ ශ්රුතී..
Koorcham mano-mayah paatu Ham Ksham dvi-dala-padma-bhooh. Jyoti-roopo'kshinee paatu paatu shabdaatmakah shrutee.
Meaning:May he, the very mind, who arises in the two-petalled lotus (with the seeds Ham and Ksham), protect the space between the brows; may he, of the form of light, protect my eyes, and may he who is the essence of sound protect my ears.
නාසිකාං පාතු ගන්ධාත්මා මුඛං පාතු රසාත්මකඃ. ජිහ්වාං වේදාත්මකඃ පාතු දන්තෝෂ්ඨෞ පාතු ධාර්මිකඃ..
Naasikaam paatu gandhaatmaa mukham paatu rasaatmakah. Jihvaam vedaatmakah paatu dantoshthau paatu dhaarmikah.
Meaning:May he who is the essence of smell protect my nose; may he who is the essence of taste protect my mouth; may he who is the essence of the Vedas protect my tongue; and may the righteous one protect my teeth and lips.
කපෝලාවත්රිභූඃ පාතු පාත්වශේෂං මමාත්මවිත්. සර්වාඞ්ගං පාතු සර්වේශඃ සර්වගඃ සර්වතෝමුඛඃ..
Kapolaav-Atri-bhooh paatu paatv-ashesham mam-aatma-vit. Sarvaangam paatu Sarveshah Sarva-gah sarvato-mukhah.
Meaning:May the son of Atri protect my cheeks, and may the knower of my Self protect all the rest; may the Lord of all, all-pervading and facing every direction, protect my entire body.
රක්ෂාහීනං තු යත්ස්ථානං වර්ජිතං කවචේන තු. තත්සර්වං මේ සදා පාතු දත්තාත්රේයෝ දිගම්බරඃ..
Rakshaa-heenam tu yat-sthaanam varjitam kavachena tu. Tat-sarvam me sadaa paatu Dattaatreyo Digambarah.
Meaning:Whatever part has been left without protection and omitted by this armour — may all of that be ever guarded for me by the sky-clad Lord Dattatreya.
ඉන්ද්රාදිදික්ෂු මාං පාතු ශඞ්ඛචක්රගදාධරඃ. වජ්රිණං වාරුණීශං ච පාතු පාශධරෝ හරිඃ..
Indraadi-dikshu maam paatu Shankha-chakra-gadaa-dharah. Vajrinam Vaaruneesham cha paatu paasha-dharo Harih.
Meaning:May the bearer of the conch, discus and mace protect me in the quarters of Indra and the other guardians; may Hari, holding the noose, protect me where the wielder of the thunderbolt (Indra) and the lord of the waters (Varuna) reside.
ඉදං තු කවචං දිව්යං වජ්රකල්පං මහාද්භුතම්. දත්තාත්රේයස්ය යෝගීන්ද්ර නාරදාය පුරා ජගෞ..
Idam tu kavacham divyam vajra-kalpam mahaadbhutam. Dattaatreyasya yogeendra Naaradaaya puraa jagau.
Meaning:This is the divine armour, mighty and wondrous, hard as the thunderbolt — the Vajra Kavacha of Lord Dattatreya, lord of yogis — which was sung of old to the sage Narada.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Click any word to hear its pronunciation
Benefits of Chanting Dattatreya Vajra Kavacham
Invokes Lord Dattatreya as an all-encompassing 'vajra' (thunderbolt) armour of protection
Guards every limb, sense and the eight directions, leaving nothing unprotected
Traditionally recited to ward off fear, danger, disease, black magic and negative forces
Bestows courage, safety and the steady, surrounding presence of the Sadguru
Believed to heal illness, since Datta is praised as the remover of all afflictions
Strengthens devotion and complete reliance on Datta's grace
Especially powerful when recited on Thursdays and on Datta Jayanti
How to Chant Dattatreya Vajra Kavacham
Sit facing east before an image of Lord Dattatreya, after a bath, and light a lamp. Recite the Vajra Kavacham slowly, mentally placing Datta's protection on each part of the body as it is named (anga-nyasa). It is ideally chanted in the morning to armour the whole day, and may also be recited before travel or in times of danger. Conclude by surrendering oneself wholly to the protection of the sky-clad Lord.
Frequently Asked Questions
You May Also Like
ॐ
Read the full Dattatreya Vajra Kavacham with verse-by-verse meaning, or explore more sacred texts