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Brahmavaivarta Purana Prakrti Khanda Chapter 4
Adoration of Sarasvati and her Kavacha
Narada said—О lord, by your grace I have been able to listen to the nectar-like story of the lord; now you enlighten me about the Prakrtis.
О sage, which one of the gods has adored which one of the goddess first of all and how was it made known on earth. Who adored whom earlier offering the prayers.
You enlighten me about the kavacas, Stotras, dhyana, their influence and the story of each one of them including the boons granted by each one of them.
Narayana said—Durga is the mother of Ganesha, besides Radha, Lakshmi, Sarasvati and Savitri are the five goddesses who emerged at the time of the creation of the universe.
The influence of their adoration is astonishing and quite will known. Their life stories are like nectar and bestow all the welfare.
О Brahman, such of the goddesses who form part of Prakrti and those who have the form of Kali, I shall tell you all the stories about them you listen to me attentively.
The goddesses like Van! (Sarasvatl), Vasundhara (earth), Ganga, SasthI, Mangalacandika, TulasI, ManasI, Nidra, Svadha, Svaha and dalcsina are the goddesses who are like in lustre, qualities and merits. I shall narrated to you the stories about them which will relieve the people of all the sins.
The great stories about Durga and Radhika will be narrated by me subsequently. You please listen to me.
О best of the sages, Lord Krishna first of all started by the grace of whom even the foolish fellows achieve wisdom.
Goddess Sarasvatl was born out of the tongue of lord Krishna and when becoming passionate intentions and he then spoke of Sarasvati the mother of all the beneficial words which were truthful and bestowed welfare at the end.
Lord Krishna said О chaste lady, Lord Narayana emerged out of my body and is youthful like me, he is beautiful and possesses all the qualities. You should, therefore, serve him as a wife. He is the one who fulfils the desires of all the ladies and is beautiful like the crores of gods of love. In the divine play, he excels even the god of love.
О lady, if you want to remain here as my wife, it would not be beneficial for you since Radha happens to be more powerful than you.
О Sarasvati, one who is quite powerful can protect others but the one who himself his weak cannot protect himself. I am the lord of everyone and the ruler but I am unable to rule over the Radha because she possesses the same type of splendour, beauty and qualities as I do.
She is the presiding deity of my life and who is so competent as to abandon his life. Only a life is the dearest a men then all other objects.
Therefore, О lady, you go to Vaikuntha and you will meet with your welfare there. You accept lord Vishnu as your husband and enjoy all the pleasures with him.
Lakshmi is of course free from grief, attachment, lust, agony, violence and she is as equal as you in beauty, virtues and splendours.
If you remain lovingly with her, your life will meet all the pleasures. And your husband will also love both of you equally.
O beautiful one, with the influence of my boon all the people of the universe get pleased besides the Manus, the gods, the truth seekers, the ascetics, yogis, siddhas, nagas and Kinnaras will adore you every year on the bright fifth day in the month of Magha or at the time of sharing of learnings and celebrating great festivity at that time, they will perform sixteen type of pitja for you.
You will be adored appropriately according to the rites prescribed in the kavacha branch by the self disciplined people. They will invoke you in a kalasa or a book. Your flowers will be decorated by them with the flowers and kept gracefully in gold amulet and shall adore it with offering the sandal-wood paste and tie it around the right arm as armlets.
During the time of ptijd as well as after that, the wise people will recite your stotras. Thus speaking, lord Krsna adored the goddess.
Thereafter the gods like Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, Ananta, Dharma and sages like Sanaka and others also adored her.
Thus all the gods, the Manus, the kings and the humans adored the goddess since then.
Narada said—О best of the gods, you tell us the method of adoration of goddess Sarasvati, her stotra, dhyanam and the kavaca besides Naivedya, flowers and the application of sandalwood paste. I am feeling quite anxious to listen to the same which will be quite pleasant to hear.
Narayana said—О Narada, I will now spell out the method prescribed in the Kanva-sakha for the adoration of goddess of Sarasvati has been detailed.
The bright fifth day of month of Magha is the date for initiating a child. Observing self- discipline and getting purified after bath, one should perform the daily routine besides consecrating the pitcher filled with water.
Then presenting Naivedya and other offering to Ganesha, Surya, Agni, Vishnu, Siva and Parvati, the family god should be adore.
The wise Vrati should recite the dhyana- mantra and should adore the sacred pitcher observing the sixteen types of formalities.
Whatever Naivedyas are prescribed in the Vedas and in the saslra are now being spelt out by me.
They include butter, curd, milk, paddy, sea- same balls, white sugar cane and its juice, sugar balls (guda), honey, sweet dish, sugar, white paddy, unbroken rice, unboiled rice, white sweet balls, ghee, saltish preparation, the cereals required for performing home, the stuffs made of barley and wheat and fried m ghee, ripe banana fruit, the sweet prepared ripe banana, beautiful sriphala (wood-apple), Badari (Zuzubi), seasonal fruit, fragrant white flowers, fragrant sandalwood, new white clothes, beautiful conch, the garland of white flowers and pearls, gems and other ornaments should be offered to goddess Sarasvati.
The dhyanam which has been prescribed in the Vedas for the goddess is pleasant to here and remove the illusion. I am going to tell you the same.
The body of Sarasvati has fair complexion, she wears a serene smile over her face and his full of the lustre of crores of moon rays and quite glorious.
She is clad in the costumes purified by Agni, has a smiling face and is adorned with all the beautiful ornaments studded with gems. The gods like Brahma, Vishnu, Siva and others besides the best of the sages, the Manus and the humans adores her with great devotion.
Thus meditating upon the goddess she should be adored reciting the basic mantra with suitable offerings. Thereafter the kavaca should be recited and the wise devotee should prostrate before her.
О sage, such of the people who are devoted to her and recite her name regularly she bestows all her grace on them. On the day of the starting of the education, at the end of the year, of should adore Sarasvati, on the bright fifth day of the month of Magha “Shreem Hreem Saraswathye Swaha” is the basic mantra of the goddess prescribed in the Vedas and is beneficial to all.
Those who recite other mantras of Sarasvati, the said mantras are the basic mantras for them. The word Sarasvati should be added to the fourth division adding the word Svaha to the same, before that the seed of LaksmI (Shreem) and illusory seed (Hreem) should be added. Thus the formation “Shreem Hreem Saraswathye Swaha” would be made which would be like the wish fulfilling tree for the devotee.
This mantra was first of all given by Narayana to Valmiki at the bank of the Ganga in the country of Bharata at the time of solar eclipse.
Thereafter the same mantra was repeated by Bhrgu to Sukra at Pushkara kshetra. thereafter the same was given by Kasyapa the son of Marichi to Brihaspati at the time of the lunar eclipse.
Thereafter Brahma gave it to Bhrgu quite delightfully in Badrikasrama. Then Jaratkaru gave it to Astlka at the shore of the ocean of milk and Vibhandaka gave it to Rsyasniga at Meru mountain.
О sage Siva gave it to sage Gautama besides Kanada. Surya gave it to Yajnavalkya and Katyayana, to the serpent Ananta. Sesa gave it in the nether world to the king Bali and also to Panini, the intelligent Bharadvaja and Sakat ayana.
One meets with success by reciting it four lakhs of times. After achieving success in the mantra one becomes as intelligent as Brhaspati.
О best of the Brahmanas, now I am going to speak to you about the kavaca which was given over by Brahma to Bhrgu in the earlier times for being victorious in the universe.
Bhrgu said—О Brahman, you are the best of those who have the knowledge of Brahman and well-versed in the divine knowledge, you are all knowledgeable, the creator of all and are adorable by all.
О lord, you kindly enlighten me about the kavacha which provides victory to the devotee in the universe besides the mantra by which one achieves great success.
Brahma said: “O son, I shall now speak to you about the kavaca which fulfils all the desires. This kavaca is the tattva of the Vedas, pleasant to listen, established in the Vedas and is supported by them.
Lord Krishna, who is the lord of rasa and eternal (lord, had revealed this kavacha to one at the time of the performing of the divine dance in the Goloka. It is extremely, secret and is like the kalpavriksa. It comprises of unheard and astonishing combination of mantras.
O’ Brahmana! by reciting it or holding it, Brhaspati acquired intelligence and Sukra was announced as the a preceptor of the demons.
By virtue of reciting and holding this kavacha, the sage ValmTki became a poet laurate and the renowned orator.
Similarly, Kanada, Gautama, Kanva, Panini, Sakatayana, Daksa and Katyayana composed and various texts, by reciting it. Svayambhuva Manu was adored by all by bearing it. Krsna- Dvaipayana Vyasa, easily distributed the Vedas created all the Puranas.
By bearing it, Satatapa, Samvartta, Vasistha, Parasara and Yajnavalkya created many scriptures. The sages like Rs yasrnga, Bharadvaja, Astlka, Devala, Jaiglsavya and Jabali, were adored by all.
О best of the Brahmanas, Prajapati is the Rsi for this kavaca, Brhati is the meter and Rasesvara is the God. It enshrines knowledge of all the tattvas, gives success for all, is involved at the time of the creation of the poetry as one takes the resolve for all this.
For Sarasvati of the form of Shreem Hreem Saraswati, the offering of faith or belief is made. She should protect my head from all the sides. For “Om Shreem Vagdevata” the offering of Sraddha is made. She should protect my forehead.
For Om Shreem Saraswati the offering of Sraddha is made. She should always protect my ears. For Om Shreem Bharathi, the offering of Sraddha is given.
She should always protect my both the eyes. For Om Shreem Vagvadini, the offering of Sraddha is made, she should protect my nose from all the sides.
For Om Hreem the Goddess of knowledge, we offering of Sraddha is made; She should always protect my ears.
For Om Hreem Bhrahmim the offering of Sraddha is made, She should protect the lines of teeth, Aim is single letter mantra which should always protect my throat.
От Shreem Hreem should protect my neck and Sri should protect the shoulders. She goddess Srividya is made the offering of Sraddha. She should protect my chart.
Offering is made to the goddess aft firen, who should protect my naval. For Om Hreem Vidya Goddess of speech offering of Sraddha is made. She should protect my back.
For Om Sarvatmika Goddess, the offering of Sraddha is made. She should protect both the feet. For the supreme goddess of learning the offering of Sraddha. is made. Let her protect all my limbs.
I make the offering to the Goddess residing over the tip of the tongues. Let her protect the east direction.
She mantra “Om Aim Hreem Shreem Sarasvatye brudhajanaye Swaha” should protect the southern direction.
She three letter mantra Om Hreem Shreem should protect the south-western direction. She goddess who resides over the tip of the tongue of the poets is given the offering of Sraddha, let her protect the western direction.
Offering of Sraddha is made to the goddess residing in prose and poetry. Let her protect the northern direction.
For the goddess of all the scriptures offering of Sraddha is made let her always protect the north-eastern direction. Offering is made to the goddess who is adored by all. Let her always protect the upper regions.
For Aim Hreem goddess dwelling in the scriptures, offering of Sraddha is made. Let her protect the lower regions. She offering of Sraddha is made to the goddess bearing the form of the seed of all. Let her protect me from all the sides.
O Brahmana, this is the kavacha which overpower the universe. It happens to be the time form of all the mantras and represents the Brahmana, which has been revealed by me to you. Initially this was revealed to me by Dharma, at the Gandhamadana mountain. I have revealed the same to you because of my attachment for you. Therefore, you don’t disclose it to any me.
One should adore his teacher prostrating before him, offering clothes, ornaments and the sandal-paste and this kavacha should be borne.
She kavacha meets with success after reciting it for five lakhs of times. She are who does so shines bleu Brihaspati on earth.
Не becomes a great orator and becomes violations in the three worlds. With the influence of this kavaca he gets Victorians everywhere.
O sage, I have thus revealed to you the kavacha as prescribed in the Kanva-sakha, including stotra, method of adoration and dhyanam etc.
