Ancient Jaina Hymns

SR No.: 034743
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Charlotte Krause
Publisher: Oriental Institute
Publication Year: 1952
Total Pages: 184
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 13 MB

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REMARKS ON THE TEXTS (vide foot-notes to the text). The rendering of the text is fairly correct and unambiguous, so that only a few corrections were necessary, as may be seen from the critical apparatus.
Out of the 40 stanzas, 34 are in Mandākrāntā(1; 2; 6-39), 3 in Vasantatilaka- (3-5), and 1 in Śārdūla vikriļita-metre (40).
2. THE DEVAKULĪDINĀTHA-STAVANA This hymn is addressed to Adinātha or Rsabhadeva, the first of the last group of 24 Tirthaikaras of the Bharata-kşetra of Jambu-dvipa. It is, however, so entirely void of references to this Jina's life that it could be applied to any Tirthaikara. Not only thus much, but it is even so free from allusions characteristic of a Jina, that it could be an expression of the worldweariness and devotion of the follower of any religion that stands for faith in an omniscient and in every way perfect God, an immortal soul, and a final salvation from the misery of life in this world, were it not for a few Jaina termini like "Jina", "Tirthakşt”, “karman”, "sat-kāyāḥ", some proper nouns like “Vļşabha", "Nábheya" (both synonyms of the Jina's name), etc., and the emphasis laid on the Tirthařkara's perfect passionlessness, which betray its Jaina origin.
Following a custom in vogue with Jaina poets of the period, the author does not address the Tīrthaikara as such (the "Bhāva-Jina", to use a Jaina technical term) but the Tirthaikara image of a certain sacred place (the "Sthāpanā-Jina'), in the present case the Adinātha image of "Delaüala”, or, sanskritized, "Devakula", or "Devakula Pāțaka”, modern Delwāsā. This is a small place in Mewar, about 3-4 m. from Ekalingji, north of Udaipur, famous for its archæological remains,
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