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## Introduction
This is my humble offering, a collection of teachings on the path of liberation. These are my external thoughts, arising from the interaction of the soul with the world.
- I am one, existing in the present moment, free from attachment, pure, knowledgeable, and the object of the yogi's aspiration. All external thoughts, arising from interaction with the world, are completely different from me. (27)
- The soul, bound by karmic actions, is liberated from them through detachment. This is the path of the Jina, therefore, do not be attached to karmic actions. (26)
- The *Iṣṭopadesa* (a collection of teachings) contains a verse that states that even a pot can become a god through the influence of Dharma, and a god can become a pot through the influence of Adharma. As it is said:
> Even a god or a pot can be born from the poison of attachment.
> The wealth of liberation is attained by those who are righteous. (1, 29)
- While these exact words are not found in the *Iṣṭopadesa*, the Acharya (spiritual teacher) says, following the same principle:
> Better to be a vow-taker than a hell-dweller.
> The sun and the moon protect us. (3)
- This is a great help for the seeker in their spiritual practice.
- There are more than ten types of devotion, but they are primarily considered to be ten. Shriman Pandit Pannalalji Soni has compiled and published a book called *Kriyakalāpa*. This is a collection of texts. Panditji himself has compiled some of the chapters in the first chapter. The rest of the collection seems to be ancient. It is possible that the compiler was Pandit Prabhācandra. He has also written commentaries on many useful topics in this collection. He was a scholar and his name was Prabhācandra - this information was given by him himself while writing the concluding verse of the chapter on Nandīśvara-bhakti! - It is difficult to say with certainty whether the collection of all the devotions and other chapters was done by him or whether the current form of *Kriyakalāpa* is a later addition, because, firstly, Soni himself has not provided any systematic information about it. If Soni had been kind enough to mention in the introduction the number of manuscripts he used for the compilation, where they are from, and their date of writing, it would have been a great help in determining how old this collection is. Secondly, it contains many useful topics, but the absence of Pandit Prabhācandra's commentary on them makes it difficult to accept that they were before him. For example, *Prākṛtanirvāṇabhakti*, which is known in the world as *Nirvāṇakāṇḍa*, is included in this collection, but there is no commentary on it by him. While it is located in the middle of other devotions. Soni has clarified the situation in his introduction to the printed *Kriyakalāpa*, but it does not shed complete light on the matter.
- Of the devotions included in this collection, the first chapter contains seven devotions: Siddhi-bhakti, Śruta-bhakti, Cāritra-bhakti, Yogi-bhakti, Ācārya-bhakti, Nirvāṇa-bhakti, and Nandīśvara-bhakti. Of these, Nandīśvara...
1. See *Kriyakalāpa* Introduction, p. 21.
2. "Thus ends the first chapter of *Kriyakalāpaṭīkā* written by Pandit Prabhācandra, describing devotion."
3. It is certain that at the end of the chapter called *Daivaśikaraātrikapratīkramaṇa*, there is a writing available in which the year 1724 is mentioned. Therefore, it can be said that this collection is from before that time. See *Kriyakalāpa*, Introduction, p. 69.