chandramoonsomanavagraha

Chandra Kavacham

चन्द्रकवचम् in English · English

🕉️ hindu·📿 1× repetitions·🕐 Mondays (the day of the Moon), full-moon nights, and during Chandra or Navagraha puja·📜 Chandra Kavacha Stotram (Graha kavacha tradition)

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ 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.

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Complete Text with Meaning

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Verse 1

|| 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.

Verse 2

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.

Verse 3

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.

Verse 4

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.

Verse 5

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.

Verse 6

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.

Verse 7

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.

Verse 8

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.

Verse 9

|| iti śrīcandrakavacaṃ sampūrṇam ||

Meaning:Thus ends the Chandra Kavacham.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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candra / śaśī / soma🔊The Moon — Chandra, also Shashi ('the hare-marked') and Soma

samam🔊Serene, even-natured (the calm Moon)

caturbhujam🔊Four-armed

keyūra-mukuṭojjvalam🔊Resplendent with armlets and a crown

vāsudevasya nayanam🔊The eye of Vasudeva (Vishnu) — the Moon as Vishnu's eye

śaṅkarasya ca bhūṣaṇam🔊And the ornament (crescent) upon the head of Shiva (Shankara)

evaṃ dhyātvā japennityam🔊Having meditated thus, one should recite daily...

śaśī pātu śirodeśam🔊May Shashi (the Moon) protect the region of the head

kalānidhiḥ🔊Treasury of the digits (kalas) — guarding the forehead

niśāpatiḥ🔊Lord of the night — guarding the ears

kṣapākaraḥ🔊Maker of the night — guarding the life-breath (prana)

kumudabāndhavaḥ🔊Friend of the night-lotus (which blooms by moonlight) — guarding the mouth

jaivātṛkaḥ🔊The life-giving Moon — guarding the shoulders

sudhākaraḥ🔊Source of nectar (amrita) — guarding the hands and waist

niśākaraḥ🔊Maker of the night — guarding the chest

tārāpatiḥ🔊Lord of the stars (and husband of Tara) — guarding the thighs

mṛgāṅkaḥ🔊The deer-marked one — guarding the knees

abdhijaḥ🔊Ocean-born (the Moon arose from the churning of the milk-ocean) — guarding the shins

vidhuḥ🔊The Moon — guarding the feet

bhukti-mukti-pradāyakam🔊Bestower of both worldly enjoyment (bhukti) and liberation (mukti)

sarvatra vijayī bhavet🔊Becomes victorious everywhere

Benefits of Chanting चन्द्रकवचम्

✦

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 चन्द्रकवचम्

Repetitions1times

Best TimeMondays (the day of the Moon), full-moon nights, and during Chandra or Navagraha puja

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete चन्द्रकवचम् written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

The Chandra Kavacham is a protective hymn (kavacha = spiritual armour) to Chandra, the Moon-god, also called Soma. The sage Gautama is its rishi. Each verse asks the Moon, under one of his many poetic names, to guard a particular part of the body, surrounding the devotee with the Moon's cool, protective grace.

The Moon (Chandra) governs the mind, emotions and mental peace. The kavacha is recited to strengthen a weak, debilitated or afflicted Moon in the birth chart, and to bring calm during a difficult Chandra dasha or transit. It is usually chanted on Mondays with white flowers and a lamp.

On Mondays (Somavara), the weekday of the Moon, and on full-moon (Purnima) nights, as well as during any Chandra or Navagraha puja. For a remedy it may be recited daily for peace of mind and emotional steadiness.

Beyond bodily protection, its concluding verse states that whoever recites or even hears this divine armour gains both worldly enjoyment and liberation and becomes victorious everywhere. It is especially valued for calming the mind, easing anxiety and restlessness, and pacifying the Moon's malefic effects.