Acharya Mahaprajna
-29—
Simhaa-sane mani-mayookha-shikha-vichitre, Vibhraa-jatetavavapuhhanakaa-vadaatam|
Bimbamviyad-vilasa-damshu-lataa-vitaanam, Tungo-dayaadri-shira-seevasahasra-rashmeh||
Sitting on a throne, under the scintillating hue of gems, your bright golden body appears resplendent just as the rising sun on the peak of the eastern mountain, radiating rays under the canopy of the sky.
—30-
Kundaa-vadaata-chala-chamara-chaaru-shobham, Vibhraa-jatetavavapuhkala-dhauta-kaantam|
Udyach-chha-shaanka-shuchi-nirjhara-vaari-dhaara, Much-chais-tatamsura-gire-rivashaata-kaumbham||
Your graceful body looks as delightful as the peak of the golden mountain, Meru, with the streaming waterfall which is as white as the rising moon; because of the floating chanvar which is just like a glowing jasmine flower.
The composer is eulogizing his adorable Lord using various perspectives. He sees both the worlds - internal as well as external. He analyses the specialities of both the worlds. In Jain philosophy - Upadan (main cause) and Nimitta (auxiliary cause), both causes hold equal importance. A person with ingrained qualities of politeness, truthfulness and honesty is considered as a good person. This is caused by upadan. A person's external appearances caused by nimitta.
Acharya Maantung analyses the specialties of both the worlds by understanding the influences of the two causes. We should not ignore auxiliary causes. The importance of a person changes through external auxiliary causes i.e. one's external appearance or personality. If a person wears clothes sagaciously they will certainly look elegant. It is said - "A properly dressed person has better command over his audience. Clothes and surrounding atmosphere tend to cause a change in the personality and influences their status in the society."
Aura of Dawn
Acharya Maantung evaluates the personality of Lord Rishabh in the context of his surroundings.
-29—
Simhaa-sane mani-mayookha-shikha-vichitre, Vibhraa-jatetavavapuhhanakaa-vadaatam|
Bimbamviyad-vilasa-damshu-lataa-vitaanam, Tungo-dayaadri-shira-seevasahasra-rashmeh||First, he observed the beauty of Lord Rishabh's physique under the Ashok tree. Next, he analyses the Lord's image seated on a bejeweled throne. The throne is embedded with jewels, ornaments and diamonds. The gleam of the diamonds and gems emit all around. The body of Lord Rishabh looked serene sitting on the throne and enveloped by luminous rays mat glowed like pure gold.
Early morning rays of the sun in red hue were spreading all around. The reddish hues of the mid-day sun are different to the sun rays at dawn that we see on top of mountain Uday.The Lord radiates like the morning sun when he is seated on the throne. The rays of the sun are spreading all around from the top of the mountain ‘Uday', and on the other side rays are spreading from the gems studded in Lord's throne. Just as the sun's rays have a beautiful rainbow of light emerging from it, the rays from the gems have a colorful radiance emerging from it. Just like the sun that illuminates between its' rays, similarly, in the light of the throne, the body of Lord Rishabh scintillates like gold.
Ashok tree, throne, chanvar(flywhisk) - these pratiharyas are considered as Atishay. There are multiple beliefs regarding the throne of teerthankars. Some believe that heavenly beings prepare the throne. Others believe that even the flagstone brightens when Lord sits on it. The aura of the Lord illuminates it. The composer sees the throne of the Lord as an Atishay. The aura of a Siddha Yogi is known to spread like rays wherever they sit, although not everyone can perceive it.
His Holiness Gurudev was in Delhi. A person came to him from Chittor. He used to study the science of aura. A common person cannot see another's aura, but he had the power to study aura and recognize its purity or impurity. Another aura specialist from overseas came to Rajaidesar. He had a camera that could take pictures of aura. He analyzed the personalities of people by taking a picture of their thumb.
It seems that a symbolic form has been given to one of the extraordinary features (pratiharya) of teerthankar. Presenting it scientifically it can be said that frequencies that emit from the rays of an aura radiate outwards. There are various perspectives to present something. Sometimes the subtle world is understood by giving a symbolic form to the gross world. Often incidents occur at the level of subtle consciousness which manifest at the level of gross world. A particle can be presented as a mountain in eulogical context.
According to Kavyanushashan, authors and poets have their own metaphors to enliven their scriptures. For them, factual truth or its absence does not matter. For a poet merely articulating that a lotus grows in ocean holds true, whereas a common person knows that it is not true. Lotus cannot grow in salty ocean water, only in sweet pond water. Poets have a vivid imagination and they use it to build beautiful eulogies and stories.
Here the composer compares Lord Rishabh and his throne to the beautiful sunrise on top of the mountain Uday as follows: Mount Uday and Throne, Sun Rays and luminescence from Gems, the Sun and Body of Lord Rishabh.
White Chanvar
After considering Ashok tree and the throne, Acharya Maantung focused on chanvar(flywhisk). One of the extraordinary features of teerthankars is that of fanning the chanvars. Acharya Maantung wondered –
—30-
Kundaa-vadaata-chala-chamara-chaaru-shobham, Vibhraa-jatetavavapuhkala-dhauta-kaantam|
Udyach-chha-shaanka-shuchi-nirjhara-vaari-dhaara, Much-chais-tatamsura-gire-rivashaata-kaumbham||How does teerthankar look in between two fanning chanvars? We usually decide something based on the surroundings or from a particular perspective or context. There is no point of determining a meaning without context. When Acharya Maantung imagined Lord's body with chanvars the conceptualization of his body changed. White chanvars are being winged around Adinath making him appear pervasively white. Here the composer compares white chanvars to jasmine flower and suggests that they appear fascinating when emanating white glow all around. It can be visualized as a rain of jasmine flowers being showered on the body of Lord Rishabh making it glow like white gold.
It seems that a white pure waterfall is cascading down the summit of Mount Meru. The fanning of the chanvars appears as water falling from the top. Your body is like Mount Meru. The whisk's radiation of whiteness surrounding the body of Lord Rishabh is making his body glow like white gold. Similarly the summit of Mount Meru is resplendent with the white brightness of the waterfall just like the rising moon.
Here the comparisons are - body of Lord Rishabh with Mountain Meru, chanvar with waterfall, bright whiteness of chanvar to the brightness of jasmine flowers and the dazzling whiteness of a waterfall to the brightness of the rising moon.
Acharya Maantung is mesmerized by the various hues encompassing the Lord. He says - 'Lord, when I see you under the Ashoka Tree you appear blue in colour to me. When I see you sitting on the bejeweled throne you appear as sunrise red and when I see you surrounded by flywhisks you glow in whiteness.'
Blue, sunrise red and white - all three, are significant colors for practicing meditation. Reciting their shlokas and meditating over them is a powerful combination that can help one appreciate the prowess of Lord Rishabh. One who recites the eulogical shlokas without concentrating on the meaning is merely just pronouncing the shlokas. They are unable to conceive the depth of the shlok. Recitation of shlok is undoubtedly beneficial, but just rote reading cannot help one attain the level they aspire to. Why do we do stuti? It is done to achieve certain benefits. If its efficacy is not apparent, then its utility cannot be acknowledged either.
One ascetic got initiated by his Guru in childhood and became his disciple. He used to live with his Guru and offer his services to him. The disciple spent his days helping the Guru in daily chores. One day while cleaning the room of the Guru the disciple broke his Guru's favorite idol. The disciple became nervous about this and thought - "this idol was handed over to my Guru by his own Guru. He loves it and respects it. How will he react when he finds out that I broke it? What should I do?"
The disciple had an idea. When the Guru came to his room the disciple bowed down and offered his salute to the Guru. He then said - "Guru! I have a question, could you please answer it?"
Guru - "What do you want to ask?"
"I want to know the cause of a person's death. Why does one die?"
Guru - "That's a simple one! One dies when his time has come."
The disciple immediately pulled out the broken idol and placed it in front of his guru and said- “Gurudev this idol has broken.”
Guru - "How did it happen?"
He replied - "Gurudev, its time had come. You said when time comes, man dies. Similarly, when time comes objects too get destroy."
Guru was impressed by this response of his disciple. The name of that disciple was - Bokoju.
To impart wisdom to his disciple, the Guru said - "Bokoju! This broken idol has therefore taught you that when your loved ones die you should always think -their time has come and so they died. Other than this you should not distress yourself with other thoughts."
Bokoju said- "Gurudev, I will always remember the lesson I learnt by the damage of this idol. I will never forget it." Bokoju practiced what he promised. Each time an incident occurred leading to destruction or loss he would tell himself - "it's time had come".
Every incident can teach us a lesson if we recognize it.
The moral of this is that even the departure of loved ones should not disappoint or distress anyone. He, in his life lived with this fact - "whoever comes into our contact certainly departs from us.”Every incident can teach us a lesson if we recognize it. These three shlokas (28, 29, and 30) of Bhaktamar impart profound message to us. One can solve problems by meditating on Adinath in blue, sunrise red and white colours.
Leshya Dhyan(Colour Meditation)
These three shlokas of Bhaktamar constitute three practices of Leshya dhyan (colour meditation). If we only do stuti but fail to visualize the Lord in his right surrounding and do not establish oneness with him, the impact of that stuti is lost. Verbal recitation of the shlokas does not lead to the desired impact. It is important to understand what one is seeking while reciting. The shlokas below have their own individual significance and are combined with the right 'colour' visualization of the Lord.
It is said in Logic - "na hi kapardikaa maatrena dhanavaan ityuchyate". Only by having a kowdi (barter token of very lowvalue) one cannot be called rich. Similarly, only by reciting the shlokas one cannot be called bhakt (devotee). Conjunction of word, meaning, connotation of the words, and the experience of the oneness with the Lord bring the desirable result of stuti.
1.0 Prayer for Mental Peace
Blue colour (analogous to peacock's neck) is the colour of healing and peace. One who meditates on blue colour does not need to take a tranquilizer or any other medicine to calm down. Recite the shlok below and visualize Lord Rishabh surrounded by a blue aura sitting under the Ashok tree. Ashok tree with bright blue colour, Lord Rishabh and blue colour aura - all three needs to be visualized simultaneously while reciting the shlok. It will aid one to achieve mental peace and subdue their passions.
Uchchaira-shoka-taru-samshrita-mun-mayookharMaabhaatirupa-mamalambhavatonitaantam|
SpashtolAasatkirana-masta-tamo-vitaanam, Bimbam rave-rivapayodhara-paarshva-varti||2.0 Prayer for Inner Power
When we meditate on Lord Rishabh sitting on the throne we should visualize him in a bright sunrise red aura. This color meditation is a technique of exploring the inner power and awakening the third eye (intuition). Glowing sunrise is the colour of vigour, activeness and awakening. It helps in increasing vigor or enthusiasm, and awareness. One must recite the below shlok by visualizing the Lord seated on the throne with an upsurge of reddish rays and rising sun enveloping him. Practice of this meditation will help in awakening and intensify the inner power.
-29—
Simhaa-sane mani-mayookha-shikha-vichitre, Vibhraa-jatetavavapuhhanakaa-vadaatam|
Bimbamviyad-vilasa-damshu-lataa-vitaanam, Tungo-dayaadri-shira-seevasahasra-rashmeh||
3.0 Prayer for PacificationThe third practice is to meditate on Lord Rishabh by visualizing a white aura around him. One should recite the below shlok in a serene voice while visualizing the fanning of chanvars (flywhisk, white rays of moon, white jasmine or white streams of water falling from the top of Mount Meru and Lord Rishabh sitting amidst them. Meditation of bright white colour is an important practice to pacify passions and all negative emotions.
-30-
Kundaa-vadaata-chala-chamara-chaaru-shobham, Vibhraa-jatetavavapuhkala-dhauta-kaantam|
Udyach-chha-shaanka-shuchi-nirjhara-vaari-dhaara, Much-chais-tatamsura-gire-rivashaata-kaumbham||Bhaktamar is an important stotra. It is believed that there were miracles when Acharya Maantung composed this stuti. He became free from shackles. Such miracles are not possible by mere rote reading of the shlokas. True powers are released when one understands the essence of the shlokas and are able to visualise the Lord.
There are five seed mantras of the five elements. Those mantras are yam, vam, ram, lam, ham. These seed mantras become powerful by a strong deep feeling of oneness. This is an established fact. If the mantra 'ram' is recited thousand times with full engrossment it increases the temperature by one degree. Similarly, the recitation of 'vam' thousand times increases coolness by one degree. We should analyse the power of engrossment. The form of Lord which has been conceptualized by Acharya Maantung is really useful for meditation. One should reflect upon the scientific benefits expressed in these three shlokas. By visualizing and practicing the meditation, one will comprehend the deep meaning of stuti and will get closer to the path of becoming like Lord Rishabh.
