கந்தர் சஷ்டி கவசம்

The sufferings great will vanish for those who pray,
The riches will increase for those who paste it in their mind,
All penance will surely bear fruit,
By this Sashti Kavacham written by the grace of God.

Mind, oh mine, meditate
On the feet of that Young God,
Who waged the war,
To end the problems of devas, great.

Welcome to thee Oh, Lord,
Who rides on the peacock,
Who comes to help his devotees,
Who comes accompanied by sweet songs,
Who comes with pleasing sound of ringing anklets,
Made by numerous bells tied to your feet.
And I pray Lord Saravana Bhava,
To bless this poem on Sashti.

Come, come son in law of Indra,
Come darling of the lady of mountain,
Come my master who has six faces,
Come daily he who holds the Vel*,
And who applies the ash,
Come with speed, Oh Lord of Sira Mountain,
Come with speed, Of holder of the Vel.

Oh Lord Saravana bhava, Come with speed,
rahana bavasa ra ra ra ra ra ra ra
rihana bavasa ri ri ri ri ri ri ri
vinabava sarahana,
Salutations and salutations to the great hero,
nibava sarahana nira, nira, nirena

(Some words are reproduced, because they are the interplay of the letters that make “Saravana Bhava” written in Tamil and have been added to make the verse musical. They may have hidden meaning, which this translator is not aware of).

Come, come friend who lives within me,
Come lord who spoiled the lives of Asuras,
Come with the wide open twelve graceful eyes,
Come with weapons and pasa and angusa in your twelve hands,
Come, Oh young lord, who rules over me.

(Pasa is the rope and Angusa is a weapon to control).

Come Oh, Lord of Vel to protect me fast,
Let Aaim, Klim and Saum which reach to you,
The Saum with its brilliant light,
The Klim which is like the soul,
And Klim, Saum and the sweet sounding Aaim,
Stand and shine before me.

(Aaim, Klim and Saum form the part of the Bhija manthra (seed invocation) that denotes Lord Skanda).

Come Oh, Six headed one,
With your brilliant light,
Come daily without fail, great Lord,
Who has attained the Kundalini,
And come with thine six faces with six crowns,
With holy ash applied on your forehead,
With your long eye brows,
And with your twelve eyes and coral like mouth.

(Kundalani is the thousand-petal lotus in the bottom of the brain. It is believed that on opening it, all knowledge will automatically be yours).

Come Oh Lord,
With decorations of nine gems in your forehead,
With pretty ear rings shining in your twelve ears,
With several ornaments and pendant shining.
In thine, handsome trunk with twelve arms,
And with the garland of nine gems inlaid with precious stones.

Come Oh Lord,
With the holy three stringed thread,
With your chest decorated with pearls,
With your very pretty abdomen which has been praised,
With silken sash and girdle around your waist,
And with nine gems chain adorning your silken robes,
with the beauty of the two thighs and adjoining knees,

Come Oh Lord,
With anklets in thine holy feet,
Which make jingling sounds, like,
seha gana seha gana seha gana segana
moga moga moga moga moga moga mogana
naha naha naha naha naha naha nahena
digu kuna digu digu digu kuna diguna

ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra
ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri ri
du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du
dagu dagu digu digu dangu dingugu
Oh Lord who rides the peacock, come quickly.

Rush Oh rush, my Lord who has the Vel,
Oh Lord of Swami Malai*, who rules over me,
Who is so prettily dressed,
And who is so playful.
Grant this boon with smile to your son,

Please save me, who has firm faith in thine feet,
And who has placed his head on your feet,
Oh God who is my soul of souls protect,
Please protect this child with your twelve eyes,
Let your pretty Vel protect my face.

Let your pure Vel protect my ash adorned forehead
Let your shining Vel protect my two eyes,
Let he holds the Vel protect my two ears,
Let your good Vel protect my two nostrils,
Let your great Vel protect the mouth, which speaks.

Let your sharp Vel protect my thirty-two teeth,
Let your perfect Vel protect my tongue, which tells,
Let your shining Vel protect my two cheeks,
Let your sweet Vel protect my tender neck,
Let your gem studded Vel protect my chest.

Let your holy Vel protect my chest,
Let your straight Vel protect my two shoulders,
Let your great Vel protect my two napes,
Let your graceful Vel protect my back,
Let your youthful Vel protect my sixteen ribs.

Let your victorious Vel protect my abdomen,
Let your pretty Vel protect my thin waist,
Let your good Vel protect my waist thread,
Let your pretty Vel protect the reproductive organs,
Let your big Vel protect my two kidneys.

Let your big Vel protect my round colon,
Let your heavy Vel protect my two thighs,
Let your bright Vel protect the two knees and calves,
Let your graceful Vel protect my two feet,
Let your merciful Vel protect my two hands.

Let your strong Vel protect my two forearms,
Let Goddess Lakshmi reside in my arms,
Let Goddess of knowledge reside in my tongue,
Let your good Vel protect my belly button.
Let your sharp Vel protect the three nerve currents.

Let your great Vel always protect me,
Let your golden Vel come fast,
To protect me as long as I am alive,
Let your diamond Vel protect me in day time,
Let your glittering Vel protect me in darkness.

Let his flowing Vel protect me all the sections of the night,
Let his craft Vel protect me from delays,
Let the golden Vel protect and protect,
Let it be seen quickly and quickly,
Let it strike and strike and remove all my problems.

Please see and see that my sins are powdered,
Let the black magic and great enmity go away,
Let great devils and those who shake their tails,
Let the uncontrollable Muni, which creates problems,
Let the back yard Muni which eats babies,
Let the ghosts with fire in their mouth,
Let the ghosts which steal my speech,
And let the Brahma Rakshasas which follow ladies,
Run away screaming when they see me.

(Muni is an evil spirit in Tamil Nadu. It also indicates a sage in a different context).

Let the Irusi Katteri and Idumba sena,
Let Mannar who is seen every where in the night
Let Kali and all others, who kill us on meeting,
Let Vittan Karar and other ghosts and devils,
Let Thandai Karar and debased humans,
As soon as they hear my name,
Run away as if struck by thunder.

(These are ghosts believed to roam especially at night. Each of them will have story of origin attached to them).

Dolls with spells, placed in our home,
Hairs of cat, bones of babies,
Claws, hairs, skulls with long hairs,
Dolls placed in several pots,
Buried in different parts of the house,
Dolls pierced, pierced shapes,
Coins and money, cooked rice, with vegetables
Spell cast yellow-black balms, which travel in one direction’
Let all these get confused and be afraid on seeing me,
Please make them shiver on seeing me always,
And make strangers and bad men salute me.

(These are supposed to be signs and symbols of black magic done by your enemies).

Make all of them afraid of me,
Make them roll in the floor out of fear,
May them shout loudly and get mad,
Let them dash their head on my door steps,
Tie them with your Pasa rope,
Tie them tight,
Roll them after tying,
And break their hands and legs.

Tie and tie them, till they loudly cry out,
Dash and dash them till the joints split,
Step on them, step on them, till they break in the mud,
Pierce and pierce them with your Vel.
Catch and catch the fire of the Sun,
Set fire, set fire till they wilt in the fire,
Throw and throw your Vel till they scare and run.

Let the tiger, fox, wolf, rat and bear,
Continue to run away from me,
Let the poisons of scorpion, snake, millipede,
Which has entered in and will stay in my body
After being bitten by them,
Come out of my body with great speed.

Let wounds, sprains, one sided head ache,
Arthritis, cold fever, fits and bile,
Piles, fistula, carbuncles, strains,
Diseases of intestines, itching of the skin,
Partial paralysis, ring worm, skin ailments,
Biting of cat, dog and spider,
Tooth ache and all the diseases and attacks,
Vanish and run away, As soon as they see me,
Please Lord bless me always so that,
All these do not tarry and run away from me.

Let the seven worlds be my friends,
Let gents and ladies, and kings who rule,
Become my relations with pleasure and happiness.

Let me praise your holy names,
He who originated from Saravana,
He who originated from flashing light,
He who was born to Tripura,
He who originated from holy sound,
He whose feet is adorned with anklets,
He who severs the cords of attachment,
He who is the nephew of Vishnu and Lakshmi,
He who protected the army of devas,
He who released them from prison,
He who is called Skanda and Guha,
He who holds the resplendent Vel,
He who is the son of Karthika maidens,
He who lives in Kadamba forest,
He who is Muruga with the sweet Vel,
Who defeated Idumba and Kadamba asuras.

(Guha and Muruga are other names for Skanda. When he was born, he took the form of six babies who were looked after by the six Karthika maidens, He loves to live in Kadamba forest. He is supposed to have defeated two asuras called Idumba and Kadamba and made them his devotees).

Hey lord who lives on Thiruthani mountains,
Hey lord who is the son of Lord Shiva,
Hey Lord Muruga, with shining Vel,
Hey Lord, Who lives in Kathirgamam,
Hey young Kumara who lives in the city of Pazhani,
Hey pretty Vela, who lives in Thiruvavingudi,
Hey, Sengalva raya who lives on Senthil mountains,
Hey king, Shanmuga who lives in Samarapuri,

(Thiruthani, Kathirgamam, Pazhani, Thiruvavingudi, Senthil Mountains and Samarapuri are famous temples of Skanda. He is also known as Vela and Kumara).

When the Goddess of knowledge,
With her dark black tresses,
Placed herself on my tongue,
I did sing about you,
And I sang about my father Murugan,
Then Danced, went in to ecstasy,
And sought the company,
Of the great Lord of Thiruvavinkudi.

When I adorned with love, my forehead with your sacred ash,
The ropes attaching me to the fate were untied,
And I reached your feet to attain your grace.
So please protect me with love, give me food and wealth,
Oh Velayudha slowly and gracefully.
Bless me with your grace,
And let me live in a great manner.

Long live, long live, the rider of peacock,
Long live, long live, the holder of Vel,
Long live, long live, the god of mountains,
Long live, long live, he with the mountain girl, Valli.
Long live, long live, he with the flag of a cock,
Long live, long live,
Let my poverty be driven out,

You are my father and teacher,
Goddess Valli is my mother,
And it is your duty to pardon,
Any number of errors that I make,
Any number of mistakes that I make,
Without parting away from this your child,
With Happiness love this son of yours,
And give protection to all devotees, who seek,
And love this Skanda Sashti Kavacham.

Daily in the morning and evening,
All those who clean themselves,
With religious fervor and read,
Thirty six times* a day

(* alternate meaning: mu = three, paththu (pattru) = slags (impurities) i.e. ANavam - kanmam - mAyAi (arrogance, karma, delusion), ur = extinguishing. So it means - we should chant Kandha shashti Kavacham without any desire or malams).

This Skanda Sashti Kavacham,
Which has been composed,
By the young Deva Rayan,
And meditate on that god with concentration,
And wear the sacred ash,
Will get the great blessings,
Of all the devas from all eight directions,
And the guardians of the eight directions.

All strangers would come and salute them,
The nine planets will become happy,
And shower their blessings,
They would shine in prettiness.
They would happily live on all days,
If they recite this Kavacham,
Which is equivalent to a Vel.

If seen as a way, this Kavacham would show the truth,
If seen of Ghosts by their eyes, they will get scared,
It would powder bad people,
And the good people would dance with joy,
And all their enemies will be exterminated

Oh Lord, Let my mind that has understood you,
Pray Veera Lakshmi among the Ashta Lakshmis
My salutations to the feet of Small baby of Pazhani,
Whose hands killed Soora Padman,
Who gave deathless nectar for the twenty-seven,
And who is my teacher on the Pazhani Mountain

Salutations to the Skanda with the Vel
Who has occupied my mind,
So that I am always His,
Salutations to commander of the devas
Salutations to the darling of Valli,
Who is the daughter of a mountain tribe.

He whose form is strong and dazzling, Praise be to Thee!
He who conquered Idumba, Praise be to Thee!

Salutations to the ablest of Gods,
Who has a very holy form,
Salutation to him, who conquered Idumba,
Salutations to him who wears Kadamba flowers
Salutations to him who is Kanda,
Salutations to the Vel which wears Vetchi flowers,
Salutations to the king of the golden hall of the mountain.

I surrender to flowery feet of my Lord,
Who travels on the peacock,
I surrender, surrender and surrender to the Saravanabhava,
I surrender, surrender and surrender to the Shanmuga.