Shri Balabhadra Kavacham

Shri Balabhadra Kavacham is a protective hymn from the Garga Samhita, in the Balabhadra Khanda (chapter 11). A kavacha means "armour": a prayer in which each place, each part of the day, each direction and each danger is placed under the care of a name of the Lord. The text is framed as a dialogue. Duryodhana, who is remembered in tradition as a pupil of Balarama in mace-fighting, asks Sage Pragvipaka for the divine, all-protecting armour that the wise Gargacharya once gave to the Gopis. The sage answers with twelve verses. Garga Samhita is a Vaishnava text in praise of Krishna and Balarama, and its Balabhadra Khanda is devoted to Balarama (see the Balarama Ji page).

Who is Balabhadra? Balarama is the elder brother of Krishna, the son of Rohini and Vasudeva, and in the Bhagavata tradition an avatar of Sheshnag, the serpent on whom Vishnu rests. He is called Sankarshana because the seventh child of Devaki was drawn across into Rohini''s womb to save him from Kamsa. He is Haladhara (carrier of the plough), Mushali (carrier of the pestle or club), Rauhineya (son of Rohini), Revatipati (husband of Revati), Baladeva and Balabhadra. Many of these names appear in the verses, so reading the Kavacham is also a way of remembering his life. His birth is celebrated as Baldeo Chhath on Bhadrapada Shukla Shashthi.

Verse 1: the request. Duryodhana says: O great sage, please give me that divine armour that gives protection from everything, which the wise Gargacharya gave to the Gopis. The Gopis of Braj were ordinary people who lived near danger, and the armour was given for their safety. The verse sets the purpose of the hymn: protection, and not power over others.

Verse 2: the method. Sage Pragvipaka says: bathe in water, wear silk or clean clothes, sit on kusha with kusha grass in hand, purify yourself with mantras, remember and bow to Balarama, the elder brother of Achyuta (Krishna), and then take up the Kavacham with a calm and righteous mind. This verse tells us that the hymn is read with cleanliness, focus and respect.

Verse 3: protection from enemies and on the earth. The Lord of Goloka, the Supreme Ishvara of sacred glory, is asked to protect against enemies. The second half says that he on whose head the whole earth seems like a mustard seed should protect on this earth. This refers to Sheshnag, who is said to bear the earth on his hoods, and shows the scale of the protector that the devotee is calling on.

Verse 4: armies, battle, forts and forests. Sheerapani (the one with a plough in his hand) protects in armies. Hali (the plough-bearer) protects in battle. Mushali, wearing a garland of forest flowers, protects in difficult forts, and Sankarshana, the primal deity, protects in forests. Each name is a weapon or a form of his, and each is matched to the kind of danger it suits.

Verse 5: water, fire, air, sky and ocean. The one who held back the force of the Yamuna (Kalindi) is asked to protect in water. This recalls the story in which Balarama, while enjoying the water play at Vrindavan, called the river to come to him and drew its course with his plough when she did not obey, until she bowed and came. Neelambara (the one in a blue garment) protects in fire, Rama (Balarama) in air, Baladeva in the sky and Anantavapu, whose form is endless, in the great ocean.

Verse 6: mountains, calamity, the body. Vasudeva protects in mountains, Sahasrasheersha (the thousand-headed) in great calamity, Rauhineya in every pore of the skin and Kamapala (the protector of wishes) in adversity. The mention of the pores shows that the prayer covers the whole body, down to its smallest part.

Verse 7: protection from the inner enemies. This is the most meaningful verse. It asks protection from lust (kama) through Dhenukari, the enemy of Dhenuka, from anger (krodha) through the slayer of Dwivida, from greed (lobha) through Velvalari, the enemy of Valvala, and from delusion (moha) through Magadhari. Each name recalls a story of Balarama:
(a) Dhenuka was a demon in the form of a donkey who guarded the Talavana palm grove near Vrindavan, and the cowherd boys could not eat its fruit for fear of him. Balarama seized him by the hind legs, whirled him and threw him at a palm tree, and the grove became safe.
(b) Dwivida was a mighty ape, a friend of the demon Narakasura, who troubled people and once insulted Balarama while he was enjoying himself on Mount Raivataka. Balarama killed him with his plough and club.
(c) Valvala was a demon who disturbed the sacrifices of sages, and Balarama killed him, as told in the Bhagavata Purana.
(d) Magadhari means the enemy of Magadha, which recalls the long fight against Jarasandha, the king of Magadha, who attacked Mathura many times.
The verse teaches that the greatest enemies of a person are within: desire, anger, greed and delusion.

Verse 8: protection through the day. Vrishnidhurya (the foremost of the Vrishnis) protects in the morning, the Lord of Mathura in the forenoon, Gopasakha (friend of the cowherds) at noon and Swarat (self-ruling) in the afternoon.

Verse 9: evening and night. Phanindra (lord of serpents) protects in the evening, Paratpara (beyond the beyond) at pradosh, Durantaveerya (of endless valour) at midnight and Eesha at dawn. Together with verse 8, the whole day and night is covered, which is why many people read it before sleep or before going out.

Verse 10: all directions. Revatipati protects in the corners, Pralambari (the enemy of Pralamb) in the main directions, Yaduttama from below, Balabhadra from above and Baladeva from all around, near and far. Pralamb was the demon who came as a cowherd boy and tried to carry Balarama away on his back, but was killed by him.

Verse 11: inside and out. Purushottama protects within, the mighty Lord of playful serpent-like grace (Nagendra-leela) protects outside, and Hari himself, the complete and supreme great Lord, protects the inner soul. The verse closes the circle: protection from outside dangers, from inner enemies and for the soul.

Verse 12: the fruit (phalashruti). The last verse says: know this armour of Balarama to be the destroyer of the fear of gods and demons, a fire to burn the fuel of heaped-up sins, the remover of all obstacles and a giver of siddhi. This is stated as a matter of faith and devotion. The text ends with the colophon: "Iti Shri Gargacharya Samhitayam Shri Balabhadra Khande Pragvipaka Duryodhana Samvade Stotra Kavacha Varma Varnanam Nama Ekadasho Adhyayah."

The wider message. The Kavacham moves outward and inward: places and elements (3 to 6), the inner enemies (7), time (8 and 9), direction (10) and the inner soul (11). Its central idea is that real protection is not only against outside danger but also against desire, anger, greed and delusion, and that the Lord is to be remembered at every moment. The benefits mentioned, such as courage, calm and freedom from fear, are matters of faith. A prayer is best taken alongside care and common sense, and for health, money or legal problems please also take proper professional advice.

How to read it. Read it slowly and with the meaning, in the morning after a bath, before a journey or a big task, and on Baldeo Chhath. Read other hymns to Balarama too: the Balabhadra Stotram, Baladevashtakam, Balarama Chalisa and Balabhadra Sahasranama. See also the Dauji Maharaj Temple, Baldeo.