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Oh! The mankind and all creatures are helplessly sinking into the ocean of worldly attachments…!
Who can be the savior, and save them from sinking?
We are all engrossed in the darkness of sins and ignorance. What can absolve them; within no time?
While the deities with their gem-clad crowns on their heads offer their prayers and bow down, the bright and dazzling rays of gems spread all over.
what can brighten even such rays?
There is only one answer: Jina-Pada-Yuga: The loctus-like feet of Bhagawan Adinatha.
Shree Manatunga Soorishwarjee’s heart is in great decisive delight. He says,” I will positively compose a Stavan on Lord Adidev,
the first Jain Tirthankara, who existed in the beginning of this age”.
There is a definite reason behind his decision. The leaders pave the way to be followed by common man.
Lord Rishabhadeva is worshipped by the Indras. These Indras have mastered the secrets of all the shashtrs. They are highly intelligent.
They have worshipped him with their generous and spell binding Stotras.
Therefore, Manatunga Soorishwarjee Maharaj, with his highest perseverance, energy and confidence decides to pray Bhagwan Adideva
through this extra-ordinary verse-the Bhaktamara Stotra.
Oh Lord! The devas have bowed down and rubbed their heads in your pious feet and Padapeeth, in adoration.
Oh Lord! You are great. Lord, allow me to worship You. Please shower Your blessing on me. You know that I have no wisdom:
But in spite of that. I have decided to compose a verse of prayer on you. I have a burning desire to feel you in my physique
and mind; and rightly so, I have no reservations at all. Lord! I am your child. I am innocent.
A lovely full moon in the sky is reflected in the lake. How cute does it seem! when a child craves for it and even dare to grab the moon up from the lake!
Many adults people may not do so. However, I am Your kid: and so not ashamed to pray you.
Oh, the ocean of virtues!
One does need to be highly intelligent to pray you for ypour virtues! Even the Guru of the Devas is not capable of assessing Your pious
attributes which are charming like the moon. And so, I should not be ashamed if i do not know how to pray you.
Oh, look at that ocean; at the time of of Pralaya it thunders. The wild and mountainous gigantic waves and dangerous crocodiles make it impossible to swim.
Oh my God! what would happen if someone asks to swim across this horrifying sea…? Who can do so…?
Oh Lord! Oh Lord! Who can narrate your Qualities?
Lord! Your attributes are infinite! I am finite.
But Oh Lord! Oh Leader of great sages!!
May be that I am short of words or unable to sing about Your great qualities. Doesn’t matter if I am considered a fool, may be, so am I.
Inspite of my senselessness, I want to sing about Your Glory. May be I have no ability to pray you properly, but I am Your sincere devotee.
All of my shortcomings will be pardoned in front of my sincere and craving devotion.
Look at that deer. She has just delivered her cubs. Her children are as much dear as her own life to her. The lion roared to her, but the
mother deer said,” Oh come on lion, I am willing to protect my children. I have accepted your supremacy till now, but today I will
fight with all my will and valor for my children. I am willing to fight until death!”
Who can challenge the mother’s love?
Who can put to test the love of a mother?
Here, Acharya Mantunga Soorishwarjee compares the critics of poetry with lions and hails himself and Bhaktamara Stotra with Mother Deer and her cub.
Oh Lord! I know my limitation and I cannot vie with highly knowledgeable people. I have not even heard as much as them, My humble
creation is just not to be compared with their great verses, prayers and poetry. I would ask all of them: -
“See, have I create all these prayers deliberately? No, not at all. Since My small heart is overflowing with the love of God:
therefore, some words and stanzas have fallen here and there from it! What can I do for that?”
Just look at the cuckoo. Just ask her if she knew the rules of music. Just ask her whether she knew about the meters and Ragas: Tala & Laya?
She will reply that she is not singing in an orchestra. Nor she is willing to get auditioned for music.
“See! Springs have arrived. That mango tree smiles. In fact, it is blossoming. The atmosphere is full of fragrance and very very tempting.
The blossoming mango, full of fragrance, tempts me to sing. If you want to listen, do so; and if you like, you may also sing.
You name it a poem or a pun as you like. Who cares?”
Similarly, Acharya Manatungsoori states that whether critics consider this Bhaktamara Stotra as a beautiful poem or a mere pun, he is indifferent.
Oh God! The cycle of birth and death rules us since beginningless time, in course of which attraction of happiness and hatred to agonies have
accumulated heaps and heaps of Karmas, but why should I be worried about them? I will loudly sing your prayers and merge myself with You.
Then?
The mountains of sins will disappear and perish within moments under the impact of your prayers.
Yes! sins do perish. Don't be surprised because sins perish within seconds. The night slowly went on gathering the darkness. She eventually
sunk the whole world into her pitch darkness; but the sun will rise in the morning and melt away the entire darkness within no time.
Oh God! I firmly believe that prayers to you will clear all my sins of from previous births and therefore I only seek Your glorious impact.
My composition may be taken as a prose or poetry, a prayer or a hymn, or just anything, but, it will be accepted and enjoyed by true devotees.
A drop of water is just a drop of water. But it looks more beautiful than the real pearl when it falls on the leaf of lotus.
God! There is no doubt that my prayer will be a rare contribution for the Bhaktas just like that drop of water which falls on the louts.
God! A perfect poem addressed to you and free from faults of prose and verse, words and literature, grammars and derivations, is no doubt full of
power to eliminate Karmas.
Sweet and serene prayer in high esteem is one things, but oh my Lord! Even a small exchange of word about You repels most ably the sins of all beings.
Thousands of sun rays wake up the universe but a thin line of ray is powerful enough to silently open the petals of lotus within seconds.
God! You take care of all the beings for their spiritual upliftment. You are the ornament and the whole world shines because of the light of your knowledge.
It's not at all surprising that one who sings the songs of Your virtues becomes like you.
A noble master bestows his wealth on his servants to bring them on equal status. Oh Lord! Thou art the Master of Triloka.
The people of the world will become egoless by singing Your Virtues. I will also throw away the bundles of my sins... to become Veetaraga, exactly like You.
Oh God! I saw You and I was lost in you. My eyes have stopped twinkling because of Your majestic appearance!
You are so magnanimous, that now all the fragrance and beauty of worldly objects or tantalizing deities cannot drag my attention.
God! My heart and soul cannot see any other object. It looks for You and You and You only. Bound to be;
who will prefer to drink salty and ugly waters of the sea when pure and cool milk from the Kshirasagr is ready to quench our thirst!
God, nothing is sweeter and soothing than you. For me, the entire world is sour.
Oh tilak (auspicious mark) on the forehead of triloka! I roamed around the world and saw king of kings, kings of devas and also masters of sages
the Ganadharas… but no one appeared as glorious as yourselves. God, there is crystal clear reason for this. The holy atoms which subsides all the
worldly desires, have already been utilised in formation of Your physical self-frame. And hence there are no such atoms left from which a gorgeous
personality like Yours can be formed.
Obviously, the atoms left behind are not at all capable of creating a magestic personality like your physical frame.
Billions of offerings to your gorgeous and majestic personality.
My Almighty, how aesthetically pleasing do You appear.
Deities are attracted to You; men are happier to have you in their eyes and hearts;
even the animals and birds are grateful to have your glimpse. No metaphor is enough to narrate Your appearance.
All the comparisons and metaphoric descriptions fall short…
The moon has no value in daytime; though it looks like prince in night, but it is plain in daytime….
Oh God! The whole world looks pale and tasteless when compared with you.
O, the lord of triloka! Your virtues are as pleasing and bright as the full moon in the cloudless sky, but it is surprising that how the
virtues which remained in your Atma, have spread throughout the universe! But one need not get astonished, as you are lord of universe and
virtues have taken shelter in you.
No one can stop (prevent) the roaming of the person according to his desire, who has taken refuge into the gigantic and majestic personality like yours.
O vitaraga! in spite of all Your qualities, you are so indifferent and unconcerned that even the fairies of heaven neither attract you, nor detract You!
The disastrous storm at the end of an eon topples other mountains as well. But no sooner it approaches mount meru, the king of mountains, turn into
breezes. Thunder is well aware that it might not work there. God, I have come to know by Your grace that the veetaraga cannot be lured even by
the best and most beautiful fairies. The one who is never lured is veetaraga, and veetaraga can never be lured.
Oh God Almighty! You are self-lit lamp and hence you do not need any external fuel of preachings of other saints. The stormy winds of illusion cannot
extinguish or fade Your light of infinite knowledge. Your unique existence does not emit smoke in the form of raga and dwesha. You also do not depend
upon the help of others on the path of salvation like an ordinary lamp relaying on cotton wick.
In fact, you are unique lamp to lighten the whole universe at a time by your theory of Anekantavada.
Oh Master of Munis! It is also possible for us compare Your qualities with the sun, because Sun rises and sets every day.
You are ever self-luminous and hence risings and settings are not there.
The star of solar energies enlightens only a small part of the universe, and then slowly moves to the other parts, leaving
darkness behind. Occasionally, Rahu also eclipses him.
But oh Master of Munis, as you enlighten the whole universe at a single time and as you possess the infinite knowledge as your
preachings can never be challenged by any logicin and as your most glorious shashan can never be shadowed or overcome by other schools
of philosophies, you surpass the sun.
Oh God! Since you can never be compared with the sun, can we now look for the moon?
Alas! Moon rises and sets at indefinite times; it shines in the night only. God, you are ever-risen
and showing the path of salvation to your devotees during the day and night alike.
All deserving souls suffering from their illusions from time immemorial are benefitted by
Your preachings and by undertaking the penance had destroyed their pitch darkness within no time.
The moon is eclipsed by Rahu time and again; but oh my Lord, you are so good to mankind, that You eclipse the fallacies and ill-thoughts forever.
The black sports are apparent on the face of the moon; whereas, while we see you, your clean personality glows with cool and soothing halo.
Moon looks pale in front of You!
Moon rises on one end of the earth and sets on the other; whereas You spread Your aura in entire universe at all times.
Oh Lord! What is the use of the moon in the night; and that of the Sun in the daytime! Is it necessary to depend on Sun and moon to dispel
the darkness?
No… No… No! On the contrary, they are not aware that the enlightenment which has come out of You has already removed the blinding darkness
within no time! They have nothing to do.
Those black clouds are filled with water and are ready to rain. But where is the need of rain for the harvest of rice grown-up in the field!
Lord, you have already cleared the darkness of ignorance.
And so, Oh Sun and Moon! Your process of rising and setting as usual is now a mere routines! And you have nothing to do to guide the living beings.
Lord! You are the ocean of pure and exclusive enlightenment. All Your attachments are gone and hence You belong to none and no one belongs to
You. All the desires of Yours have perished and hence You have no friend or foes. You are not bound by anyone, nor You bind anyone!
It is therefore that you see the world as it is. It is therefore that Your enlightenment is free of all preconditions and purely independent.
This is the very reason of your very distinctive respect to Yourself. Though we do not have any hate or disregard for Hari & Hara or any
spiritual or religious leader, but the imperfectness of their knowledge and their inclination toward attachment and hatred do not inspire us to
follow their path, But that of the Jineshwara.
Lord, your pure enlightenment is the outcome of total awareness and total detachment.
Look at that glowing halo! Naturally, a piece of glass or stone cannot shine as much as a jewel. Glass and diamond do reflect; but the reflection
from a glass is not as bright as the diamond.
Oh my Lord of Lords! Good that I became formally the follower of other religious leaders like Krishna and Mahadeva. But it was so good that they
made me realise the true nature of the vitaraga and ultimately I decided to take shelter.
Oh the almighty! It was also good that I saw you at last. Your conclusive touch is very pleasing. Now I will not think of any other deities.
In case of my following you earlier, I might have thought of roaming around with other delities. Am I not benefited by your holy sight? No, my Lord!
Now the truth realised by me will not allow me to go towards other religious leaders and their philosophies neither in dreams, nor in subsequent
births.
You have impressed my heart to such an extent that not only during the remaining period of this life, but even beyond, no other deities will attract my Atma.
This is my solemn affirmation till Moksha.
Oh great Rishabhadeva! Oh God Adideva!
Birth of babies is common course of affairs on the earth; but oh my Lord, Mother Marudevi was the greatest
mother of whom a great child, yourself was born, who first preached the religious values, code of conduct,
law of ethics, various science, arts & aesthetics and path of salvation of life. Undoubtedly true, the
Godly children cannot be born to mothers.
Look at those Northern, southern and western directions. Just on the onset of night, lots of stars are
seen and the whole sky is filled with them. But who produces the lamp to brighten the whole Universe?
The East only.
Oh Lord! your mother Marudeva was also a mother like eastern direction. A great and a unique Mother. Salutations unto such a Grate Mother of yours!
O The Master on Monks! Upon lot of thoughts and hypotheses, the scholar-saints have finally concluded that you are the only preacher
and giver of KEVAL JNANA the ultimate enlightenment, and hence you are a PARAM PURUSHA- the supreme super human! The thinkers,
who attained their status after a greatpenance, rightly address you as AMAL because there is no trace of any impurity in you.
Your omniscience and total detachment are seen in highest esteem by scholars and they rightly address you, your delusionless self
as” TAMSAH PARSTAT” – beyond darkness.! Hence oh Lord! I am fully convinced that death – the cycle of birth & death – can be overcome
and Moksha can be attained by following your preaching. One may try any other path for enlightenment, but oh Lord, the path preached by
you is the shortest, safest and ultimately accepted by all.
Oh my Lord!
Noble and serene saints and scholars pray to you with their following words and attributes.
Your eternal power is not going to corrode for time immemorial and hence they call you “AVYAYA”.
Oh God of the Gods!
Some people asked me,”It is all right about God Adinath, but who are BUDDHA, SHANKARA and BRAHMA?
Lord I have no words to describe their characters, I expressly told them that I know one and the only
Veetaraga, one and the only ADINATHA, one and the only TIRTHANKARA. Then I told them to listen the true
meaning of their names:
The one who possesses the entirely developed intelligence of KEVALJNANA is BUDDHA.
SHANKARA also is a direct meaning of your attribute,” Shan” means Kalyana and “Kara” means the performer.
So these words mean that the one who performs the process of implementing entrant bliss in mankind is “Shankara”.
By your justful observations, pious character, constant awareness and supreme Enlightenment, you are the only one,
by practicing whose preaching, one can attain salvation; and hence you are the true BRAHMA.
Your life is full of penance, awareness, enlightenment and is absolutely neutral. These attribute easily define you as the Greatest Man.
Oh my God! Simply bow at your feet because you are the destroyer the troubles of all the three lokas! Oh great ornament of the earth, accept my salutations in your feet.
Oh supreme God of Tribhuvan (i.e Devalok, Manav Loka and Danva Loka) accept my offerings in your feet. God! You are the only source with whose blessings, I can swim across
the salty waters of the Samsara –Sagara and overcome my short comings of Adhi, Vyadhi and Upadhi. Kindly accept my offerings for lifting humankind to Moksha.
Salutations…! Salutations…! Salutations…!
Crores and Crores of salutations unto you!
Oh my God ! Someone asked me “How is it that your God has all the good qualities only and no short – coming at all?”
I replied, “Look! There are envy and ire desires and attachments, wants and miseries and endless vices. I asked them
as to why do they avoid approaching Bhagwan Adinath?”
They all replies together, “We have found our comfortable abodes elsewhere.” For example, anger with Mahadeva, pride with Parashuram,
politics and attachment unto multiple rasas of senses with Krishna and sluggishness with Brahma. Your Adidev is KEVALJNANI, therefore,
what is the use of approaching him? He is having total enlightenment and constant awareness. How can we go there? We have no place to enter!”
Oh my God! I saw You with my inner eyes in the midst of several sages, saints, kings, herds and people from all walks of life. You were seated majestically
in Samvasarana under the shadow of Ashokaviksha which is twelve times taller than you.
Your golden appearance below the dark Ashoka tree made me feel like the golden edge of sunbeam shining on jet black clouds.
You seem magnification, under the Pratiharya of Ashoka tree.
Oh my Lord!
My voyage of concentration proceeds further and I see a golden throne of excellent workmanship and decorated with innumerable diamonds and precious stones.
You, with your golden body, look entirely majestic while seated on the throne. Your halo spreads like sunbeams rising from behind the Udayachala mountain.
God! The emittance of golden aura from yourself, sitting on a golden throne, may shower blessing on me and may bring the golden sunrise on my life!
Oh my Adinath!
I saw your throne; it was a marvellous experience! I further saw during my voyage of concentration that the milky white Chamras looking like daisy flowers are slowly fanning the air on your golden body. An unforgettable experience!
God, it looks as if the white streams are flowing from the top of Mount Meru, giving the cool and soothing effect like a rising moon.
The whole sight is very very pleasing!
Oh my Adinath!
My inner pilgrimage of contemplation goes ahead. Once again I see above your throne. I find three silverine ornaments umbrellas on you; below the leaves and branches
of Ashokavirksha protecting your body from the harsh Sun rays.
But my Lord. I know that those umbrellas are not just making a silent appearance around you. They are cheerfully announcing that they are privileged by their position
above yourself and making it known to all that you are the undisputed emperor of all the three Lokas.
O glorious God! You are the Lord of the empire of religion. This empire of religion proclaims its victory when you divine discourse. This glory
is sung by those divine trumpets. It seems as if these divine trumpets are anger to create auspicious communion of the aspirants of salvation
existing in three worlds. It seems, as if these divine trumpets are proclaiming your glory in three worlds. Their deep and high pitch voice has
filled each and every corner of all the ten direction.
O God of Gods! The celestial deities are ever – anxious to serve you. They aspire to remain at your lotus feet forever. But it is not possible for these
celestial deities as they are residing in heaven. Therefore, they shower the divine flowers of heavenly tress of Kalpaviksha, Mandar, Sundar, Nameru,
Parijat, Santanka, etc. These flowers falling from the sky and the flowers grown in water and on earth are mixed with cool, gentles breeze. But when these
flowers come down and reach unto lotus mouth, it seems as if your divine speech is being showered in form of Rain of Flowers on the earth.
O luminous God! A grand Aura – circle, proving the unprecedented achievements of supreme Yoga Sadhana, is glittering behind your head. Oh, what a shining is
of the Aura before which the light of all the three worlds fall pale! In the presence of your Aura- circle, the light not of only one, but of serval suns also
become dim!! And however, this Aura – circle of yours is cool and beautiful defeating the tranquil night, shining with that full moon.
Glory be yours, O my God! There is light of several suns in your Aura – circle, but without any heart...! There is beauty of moon in your Aura – circle, but without shivering cold in it!!
O sweeter, Supreme – most Lord! Your discourse always flows in Raga Malkanus, but where there is song the music should be there. In this speech of yours,
the celestial deities provide accompaniment of their divine musical Instruments... As a results, your speech seems to be divine speech. This divine speech,
flowing wherever and whenever very exactly clears the path of heaven and salvation. It wisely proclaims the sense of righteous in their respective
languages by all celestial begins, by human begins of all the nations and by the animals of all the places. All the living beings understand this speech of
yours in their own languages… and all the substances of the world become crystal – clear to these listeners.
O God! Your speech only is the savior and uplifts of those worthy people who want salvation.
Oh my God! Oh Indra of Jinas!
Your personality clad with offerings of flowers by the deities at the time of your imparting enlightenment is lovely. How to explain the scene of your movements!
The deities make offerings of golden lotus at all the places where your holy feet are to be stepped.
To fulfill the desire of having you in their hearts, the deities wish that they could have pulled their heart out of their body to record your footprints on it.
Alas, they could not so, and to show their deep feeling of gratitude, they spread golden lotuses on the places where you step on.
Oh my Lord of Jinas, Many prophets delivers sermons of their religious and beliefs in their own ways; but the method of imparting the philosophy and religious
by You is quite unique. I have not even see such an unique decor at all.
My Lord, let indeed the the planets like Jupiter, Venus or all of them rise together, but they cannot break the supremacy of the pitch darkness of the night.
It is only the light of the sun which melts the darkness instantaneously and single handed.
Oh God, those so called proud and big prophets and preachers are, in reality twinkling stars only, whereas You are the king Galaxy – the Sun.
Where is the comparison? No match!
Oh my Lord, bless me to enjoy Your preaching and righteousness forever.
Oh my God of the Gods! Oh my Lord, I was just praying and singing the hymns of Your virtues till now.
I know that those who come to Your shelter grow into grate people.
There is a mammoth elephant amidst the thickest wood with very erratic and obstinate mind. His madness
is multiplied by several wasps muttering around the temple. He looks most frightening and powerful like
the Airavat (mythological elephant having extraordinary strength, adorned with royal clothing and jewellery,
who serves Lord Indra, the king of Devas) Even these type of mighty mammals are incapable of frightening Your
disciples because of the greatest strength in Your shelter.
Obviously, I am not worried of such elephants approaching me. However, there is a draconic elephant in form of
uncontrollable mind that creates a big chaos in my life. Lord, provide me sufficient strength to control the mammal
of my wavering mind and feel the conclusive touch of Your warm lap.
Oh my Lord! I saw a lion; dangerous even than that mamml. After all, lion is the king of all animals.
That roaring lion just drilled the head of an elephant with his powerful teeth and nails. The earth is now shining with the bright pearls red with bloodshed which fell on
the earth from the elephant’s temple. The lion is extremely irate; he is not ready to let go anyone seen by him.
Incidentally, your disciple is just in the way of that lion. The lion is not aware that the person is having shelter in Your lotus feet. God, now
Your feet become the unsurmountable mountain for the lion. His fanatic efforts to jump and bleed Your Bhakta prove in – vain, futile and fruitless.
The lion pales and become quiet.
God, the question of attack by such a lion may or may not arise in my life. But the lion of desires and envies in my mind are constantly attacking me.
Lord, protect me from these enemies of my soul!
Protect me O Jinesheara!
Oh my Lord! The wild fire is a fire advancing in leaps and bounds, emitting glittering sparkles in all directions. The fire is as stupendous as the one at the end on an eon,
narrated is scriptures.
I see that the furious flames are spreading to engulf your Bhakta too. He prays to You; he remembers You as Adideva; and to a great surprise, the wildest of the fire extinguishers.
God! What a cooling, soothing and watery effect of Your name! The fire is cooled down. God! I know that the Glory of Your name will save me from such a fire,
I desire so, but I earnestly pray to please relieve me of fiery thoughts, jealousy and envy. Extinguish the evil fire burning in my mind.
I am not going to give up chanting your pious name till then.
Oh my Lord! An enraged snake rushes vehemently, its eyes sparkle like carbuncles and poisonous black throat resembling the swollen neck of an overjoyed cuckoo.
However, Your Bhakta has no fear, because he is reciting Your name all the time. Your name works as Nagadamani, (the ancient herb to neutralize the
effect of snake poison.) Your Bhakta is aware of this and hence, without any fight whatsoever, he crosses the cobra. The killer cobra become a tiny
harmless insect before Your Bhakta.
My God, I am not afraid of any such snake; but there is a most ferocious cobra – in the form of an anger - in my mind. Please control my tongue of anger,
which is ever ready to quarrel with others. Please protect me from the cobra of anger, because its single bite can destroy my age-old penance.
Oh Great Almighty! Your Bhakta, a king is attacked by another king with mighty army. A war is declared. The noise of warring elephants and horses have added the
horror and hostility in the atmosphere of battle field.
Your Bhakta neither pulls his sword, nor he calls his army. He recites Your hymns and sings with songs of Your worship. Surprisingly, the whole attack gets
helter – skeltered in no time, as the darkness is dispelled by the rays of the sun.
God! It was the impact of Your Bhakta’s hymns and prayers that did the rays of the Sun.
Like armies of the enemies, the distress and disturbance do attack me time and time again. They vigorously try to obstruct my faith and devotion.
My savior, please take me through all such situations harmlessly throughout my life.
Oh my God! You are not only my defender; but You are the architect of my victory over the unconquerable foes.
Let the enemies inflict the wars. The wars may be so horrifying that the points of spears and arrows may cause rivers of blood from the wounds of the elephants.
The vengeful soldiers may be eager to swim through blood to win the opponents.
But when Your Bhakta approaches Your lotus feel, he is bound to emerge victorious.
God, I am aware that I do not have to worry at the time of such or even a greater war than this; but my past deeds and sins have already
declared the war against me. However, they may not stop warring at all. But I am sure, I will attain victory by your grace. You are bound
to make me victorious. I am your disciple, having taken the refuge in your lotus feet.
O Lord! Your disciple is sailing his ship in the mid-sea. A great thunderstorm is raising gigantic waves. Horrifying creatures like
crocodiles, sharks and whales are seen around the ship and moving about at their sweet will.
A frightening seafire has also erupted from the bottom of the sea, to engulf the large quantum of sea waters.
It appears that the ship is about wreck in the storm and sink. Your Bhakta is silent and serene. These calamities make no effect on him.
He recites and remembers Your name and reaches his destination without harm or hindrance.
God, I do not know as to when shall I have to be in such a vicious thunderstorm; but this ocean of sorrow and grief disturbs me now and again,
bent upon to sink my ship of penance. Oh God, please protect me. Please take me safely through the Ocean of Births and Deaths to my ultimate
destination, the Moksha. I would sink myself in recitals rather than in the sea of sorrow and grief.
Oh my God! That patient suffers from a killer disease. The ailment has reached the stage of no cure. Doctors have given up hope.
The patient feels rejected and dejected realizing the certainty of death.
He, with all hopes given up, takes shelter in your lotus feet. He cleanness them by pious wash and sprinkles the holy showering of dust of your feet on his body.
And look at the miracle! The holy wash work out to be the ointment and elixir. His ailments parish. He acquires excellent health and perfect physique like Kamadeva.
My God! This body is a home of ailments; and so, the disease will take place and will be cleansed, but the real ailment of humankind is greediness.
Everyone runs behind wealth of no avail.
God, grant me the freedom from unwanted attirements and clean my soul of all attachments. I wish and aspire that my soul becomes free from all the ailments.
This is the cardinal of my life.
Oh Lord Adidev! Your Bhakta is handcuffed and tied by chains. These chains are not just one or two; but they are covering the whole body from top to toe.
Even the thighs are scratched due to friction.
In spite of this, the Bhakta feels happy and gay. Somebody feels that he chants other mantra. But I know that he recites Your name only – Adideva, Rishabhadeva…
Arihanta… Trithankara… Uninterrupted and unabated mantras go on and on… To a great surprise, the bondages fall away. Bhakta says that the chains have
tied me, but I am free because of my God’s dignity.
Oh my Lord! You have freed several Bhaktas from such iron chains. Your hymns have cut off the bondages automatically. Lord, kindly save me also from the
bondages of attachment, emotion and love, agony ecstasy and intoxication. Lot of people, including great monks also, are bound by such afflictions.
God, grant me the due freedom. Please take care of me so that I am not trapped. I am a free bird of the sky of salvation.
Oh my God! I earnestly confess that this Stotra, the verse, is not composed to attain popularity as a poet. It is not recited to please any human begin.
It is only a simple expression from the bottom of my heart.
These words were recited while I was in bondage, it was a prayer from a person whose heart overflow with Your worship and also to develop faith of the people in Jainism.
I confidently sat that whoever recites these verses with full faith and deep understanding, will get rid of all fears; may it be that mammal elephant, terrifying lion, horrifying fire,
venomous cobra bloody war, thunderstorm on sea, killer ailment or any kind of bondage.
No fear harms me in worldly matters; but I want only the emergence of inner strength to conquer the situations of love and hate, agony and ecstasy, greed and misery, pride and prejudices,
and so on. Oh God help me master the conscience… so that I can resemble.
Oh God! I simply made the offering of some flowers in the form of the words of my devotion but it came out as a great garland in the form of this verse.
A thread of Your attributes and the flowers in the form of worshipful words are arranged equi- distance with devotion to form this garland of this stotra.
Lord, I am convinced by your grace, that any person who recites this Bhaktamara stotra with full faith and devotion, will become Manatunga i.e., a person
with superlative attributes, where no measurement limit or no ego, even in its subtlest form can reach. And ofcourse, the wealth of the eternal peace and
happiness for unending era will come to him. The one who will wear this necklace of this stotra. i.e., who recite this daily will gradually and surely
achieve the Godliness. Oh Load, when will I achieve this Godliness? Please tell me… please tell me… please tell me… please tell me…!
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