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## Praise of the Agamas
**Yoga Shastra, Third Light, Verse 123**
The one who illuminates more than light itself. The sun illuminates limited areas; while the Arihant, like the sun of pure knowledge, illuminates all substances in the Lok and Alok with his light. It is also said: The radiance of the moon, sun, and planets illuminates a finite area; but the radiance of pure knowledge illuminates the Lok and Alok completely. (A. Ni. 112) And like the deep ocean, unperturbed by the waves, the upsurges, etc., profound like the self-existent ocean of mind, the Siddha, free from karma, having achieved their goal, may the Siddha Bhagavan grant me Siddhi, the supreme state of liberation.
In this way, after praising the twenty-four Jineshwara Bhagavans, to perform the act of bowing down to the Tirthankara images present in the entire world, and to perform Kayotsarga, the recitation from Savvaloe Arihant-Cheiaanam Karemi Kaussaggham to Appaanam Vosirami is done. Its meaning has been explained earlier in Arihant Cheiaanam and Annatha Sutra. Only the meaning of the word Savvaloe was not explained. The meaning of Savvaloe is: the upper world, the lower world, and the intermediate world. Of these three worlds, the lower world contains the abodes of Chamendra, etc., the intermediate world contains islands, mountains, and celestial vehicles, and the upper world contains the Saudharma Devalok, etc., where the eternal Jina images are located. In every temple, the original image is the cause of Samadhi, therefore, first, praise the original deity, and then, since the qualities of all Arihants are the same, embrace all the Tirthankara images of the entire world and perform Kaussaggham. After that, say Namo Arihantaanam, and offer general praise to all the Tirthankaras. Because, if Kaussaggham is performed for someone else and praise is offered to someone else, it is a fault of excessive connection, which is not considered appropriate. Therefore, one should offer general praise to all the Tirthankara Bhagavans.
Now, one should praise the Samyak Shruta, like a lamp, which enables one to clearly understand those Arihants and the meanings conveyed by them. The speaker of that Shruta, the omniscient Arihant Bhagavan, is praised first:
**Pukkhara Varadivede Dhayi Sande A Jambuddiye A. Bharahera Vay-Videhe Dhamma Gare Namasami ||1||**
**Meaning:**
I bow down to the Sri Tirthankaras who established the Shruta Dharma in the Bharat, Airavat, and Mahavideha realms of karma, present in the half-continent of the Pushkaravar, the Dhataki Khand, and the Jambudvipa. ||1||
**Explanation:**
* Bharahera Vay-Videhe - meaning, the Bharat region, the Airavat region, and the Mahavideha region. Here, by combining the words Bharat, Airavat, and Videha, the word Bharatairavatavideha is formed. Dhamma means Shruta Dharma, Aigare means the one who established it in the sutras. The Tirthankara Bhagavan who established the Shruta Dharma in the sutras, I bow down to him. Where are these regions located? It is said:
* Pukkhara Varadivede - It is called Pushkaravar because it is superior to the lotus flower. It is the third island from the Jambudvipa. Inside it, there is the Manushottara mountain in the half-continent, therefore, it is called Pushkaravar-ardha. There are two Bharat, two Airavat, and two Mahavideha regions, making a total of six regions.
* Dhayi Sande - meaning, the section of the Dhataki trees. It is called Dhataki Khand because it is abundant in Dhataki trees. There are two Bharat, two Airavat, and two Mahavideha regions, making a total of six regions.
* Jambuddive - meaning, the Jambudvipa, where Jambudvipa trees are predominant. There is one Bharat, one Airavat, and one Mahavideha region, making a total of three regions.
* All together, there are 6 + 6 + 3 = 15 realms of karma; the rest is the realm of non-karma. Therefore, it is said: Bharatairavatavideha: karmabhumyo'nyatra devakuruttara kurubhyah (Tattvarth Sutra 3-16) meaning, except for Devakuru and Uttarakuru, the Bharat, Airavat, and Mahavideha regions are realms of karma. Here, the Pushkaravar is mentioned first, then the Dhataki region, and then the Jambudvipa, in reverse order. This is done to indicate the vastness and importance of those regions. The word Dhammaigare (establisher of Dharma) refutes the opinion of those who consider the words of the Bhagavan to be non-human and eternal. We have already discussed this argument, so understand it from there.
* Question: How can you say that the Tirthankaras established Dharma? Because, the Arihants become Arihants only after the words of that Shruta knowledge, which proves that Shruta knowledge was eternal, before the Arihant Bhagavan.
* Answer: It is not like that; Shruta knowledge and the Tirthankara Bhagavan are related as cause and effect, like a seed and a sprout. Just as a seed produces a sprout and a sprout produces a seed, similarly, the Bhagavan also attained Tirthankaratva in the third bhava (birth) by practicing Shruta Dharma, and from Tirthankaratva, they became the establishers of Shruta Dharma. There is no objection in saying this. It is not a rule that one becomes an Arihant only after Shruta knowledge, because even in the absence of Shruta Dharma for Marudevi, etc.,
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