Haribol,
Does anyone here know the significance of wearing a kavaca? I know it's for protection, but beyond that, I can't find much information on it.
Does one need to have a pujari, priest, or advanced devotee prepare this for him or her to wear?
Thanks for your help.
philip :Ying Yang:
I remember Guru Maharaja once saying to a group that they should purchase such things from one devotee who had a shop that sold various items.He then went on to say that when they become devotees then they can donate them back,implying that they are not very important. I know some devotees who wear Nrsingha medallions or chant the Nrsingha Kavaca,but actually Srila Prabhupada told that devotees could call on Nrsinghadeva for protection,explaning that He is the protector of the SANKIRTAN MOVEMENT. I think many devotees,who wear His medallions etc. think more in terms of protecting their bodies.That is more like what Hiranyakasipu was after. Besides if God wants you dead,nothing can save you,and if He wants you alive,nothing can kill you.Better to become His friend(Bhoktaram yajna tapasam)and have no need to worry.
By adjusting astrology and such,we can temporarily sidestep our karma(which may have some utility) but ultimately we must face it . Guru Maharaja told one story of how after a class in which Srila Prabhupada told how we should embrace our just due in the spirit of finishing it and going forward,devotees in the kirtan were calling out "YAMARAJA". In a simplistic way they were saying",bring it on,whatever I'm due,I'm not afraid".
I have a nice knecklace,gold in the shape of a tilak with a diamond,that was recommended by an astrologer.Looks nice,but I can't say I notice any differrence when I wear it.
If it is Maya that you want to be protected from,it is said that the best defense is is a good offense(awfence).Keeping the senses engaged in service is a more sound proposition than hoping that something will protect you, particularly when we aren't even sure if/how these things work.Many things along these lines are said to be not so effective in Kali yuga.But the holy name is Especially effective in this age.
This is one viewpoint,there may be others.
In a box of old audio tapes I have three tapes of devotees' conversations with Visvambhar Goswami, the late head of Radha-Raman Temple. (I met him in California in the '80s and had a couple of nice conversations with him.) In these talks he discusses various things, such as worship of Salagram-shila, Govardhan-shila, and preparation of kavacas. From what I remember, it sounds as though someone who knows the science needs to prepare the kavaca and present it to the wearer. (I'll try to find the tapes, as well as some time to listen to them to glean whatever information I can, if you like.
I don't think of this as particularly essential. I think I wore one for a while, but I can't say whether or not it helped me in any substantial way. My dedication to my service at the time (managing a gurukula in Honolulu) had the greatest influence on the development of my faith then. My older daughter, Krishnamayi, used to wear a Nrsingha kavaca. I think she still wore it when she was struck by a car while riding her bicycle to the university about 5 years ago. She was found unconscious in the road, her helmet destroyed. (It was a hit and run.) Perhaps it was Lord Nrisinghadeva who's responsible for her surviving the incident. She still worships a little murti of Lord Nrisngha, along with Radha-Shyama.
If you find that it somehow strengthens your faith to wear a kavaca, there's probably no real harm in doing so.
I used to wear a lot of kavacas at the beginning, and although I knew the word means "armour", I never really used them for protection. To be honest it was mostly vanity, but at any rate, the devotees tend to make kavacas fillled with holy dusts, or wood from sacred places, rather thatn yantras made by brahmanas, so it was more a matter of meditation than protection. I have a peace of wood of the siddha bakula, where Haridasa Thakura used to chant, a piece of rope from the Ratha of Jagannatha, Vrnadavana dust, Jagannatha's dress, etc.
I learnt only later of the astrological use and purpose of kavacas.
I am no expert in the field of kavacas, but i wear one that has maha-prasadam from jagannatha puri. I find it comforting to wear and whether it gives me "added" protection is not the primary reason, although that is a partial reason.
As babhru says, it doesn't hurt to wear one. And i believe anyone can wear one. I don't see why not.