difference between stotras and kavach of deities

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Dear Shri, Dheeraj:

 

I am in agreement with Shri. Narasimha Rao's views posted in the forum. That

is why I did not post anything further to it.

 

Kavachas give you protection. Sthothras are basically essence of the vedic

concepts presented in such a way that can be used by everyone without any ritual

taboos. The rigid mantric procedures and guidelines do not apply to sthothraas.

 

Kavachas should be chanted with some sort of ritual purity. Actually kavachas

are mandatory before chanting certain moola mantra japams. When intense

saadhanas are done, the nervous system may undergo severe strain due to the

forceful awakening of the kundalini energy through the nervous system till

brain. This can sometimes cause people to lose their mental balance. Chanting

of kavachas before the chant of moola mantra protects and insures against such

possibility. Of course, it is not all mantras that are dangerous like that.

The example of a mantra that can prove dangerous without the corresponding

kavacha is " Mohini kavacha " without which the Mohini mantra (On Lord

Mahavishnu's Mohini avatar) can be dangerous.

 

There are other kavachas like Saraswathy kavacham from the Kanva Saakha

samihita which are for improvement of medha (enlightenment). It is said that

anyone who chants Saraswathy kavacham for 3 lakh times will win over the three

worlds! One who chants Gayathri kavacham and gets siddhi of it will gain the

strength of 1000 elephants. Generally, one who regularly chants kavacham of

deities is protected and will experience miraculous escape during

life-threatening circumstances.

 

Both sthothrams and kavachams have a common purpose - that of securing the

Grace of Deities to the aspirant.

 

You can chant them at your convenience. But, while chanting kavachams you

should be more careful with the pronunciations. There might be printing errors

in the works which you should get corrected by experts in your area. I will

tell you one real life incident....There was a great Ganapaadigal (one who is

expert in chanting the vedas in a form called Gana - a special permutation of

chanting the japams by repeating the syllables in a specific sequence) who used

to do regular chanting of Durga Sapta Sathi. All his wives were dying one after

the other....He approached the then Sringeri Sankaraachaarya for remedy(this

incident happened about 300 years back, and has been related to me by my elders

who inturn had been informed of this by their own elders), who was a great Shri

Vidyaa Upaasakaa. The Aachaarya closed His eyes in meditation for sometime and

then suddenly asked the Ganapaadigal to chant the Devi Kavacham.....The

Ganapaadigal started chanting....There is a

point in the Devi Kavacham " Bhaaryaam rakshatu Bhairavi " which means " Let

Goddess in Her form Bhairavi protect my wife " ....but the Great Sanskrit Scholar

and Vedic expert, has been chanting it as " Bhaaryaam Bhakshatu Bhairavi " as the

palm leaf copy from which he had been chanting had this error! " Bhakshatu "

literally means " eating " which in mantrik parlance could mean destruction of the

wife instead of protection! The aacharyaa corrected the mistake and asked him

to chant it correctly henceforth and there would be no more deaths of wives for

him. The Ganapaadigal married later and had a good and long marital life for

many years. I am saying this to insist that kavacha mantras are very powerful

and in many cases, they are using the moola mantra beejams in appropriate places

and are capable of giving results as you chant them! So, you should be careful

about them.

 

 

But sthothras are not bound by such rigid rules. It is like a child's calling

a close relative....though the child may call without clarity, the elders will

know whom the child is calling....like that even if there is a slight mistake in

chanting simple slokhas and sthothras, the side effects will not be severe,

because it is almost like a child addressing its elders in the family. That is

why sages have given sthothras out of their kindness for the use of everyone.

 

Though I said I might be quitting the Vedic Astrology groups, as this message

contains some information that might be useful for everyone, I am posting a copy

of it to the group. My stance regarding further participation in the group

remains unchanged from my earlier stated view of the evening.

 

PS: Dear Shri. Khosla.... Please do not address me as clairvoyant or anything

like that; I do not think I am perfect in that! You can address me as Panditji

because I have learnt my subject thoroughly and earned the title; the same

cannot be said about calling me clairvoyant. I do not think I know the past,

present, and future perfectly; only then can you call me a clairvoyant!

 

Blessed be.

Pandit R.DAKSHINAMOORTHI

 

dheeraj khosla <khosladheeraj wrote:

Namaste Panditji,( clair voyant)

You are always been humble on me as teaching

me astrology. Big thanks to you forever.Respected sir , i want to know

the difference between stotra and kavach of deities or planets.i have

a book which is full of sanskrit stotras and kavachs of deities.

What are the basic elements behind these

holy scriptures.Are there uses different or same. In what conditions

we use them differently.Please give me this knowledge.

 

So nice of you , as your teachings give me the feeling of

fragrance of beautiful Tamil shastras and tradition. Its great and un

defined in just few words.

 

thanks,

Charan sparsh,

dheeraj khosla

 

 

 

 

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Pandit. R.DAKSHINAMOORTHI

ASTROLOGICAL AND REMEDIAL CONSULTANT

Plot no. 1/29

Eleventh Street

Babanagar

Villivakkam

Chennai 600 049.

 

 

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