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Well, But many mantras and tantras are there to achieve wealth and fulfilment of desires only. It is made clear in those mantras too. How can one practise these mantras ?
What you say is true. Many mantras clearly pray for wealth and desire-fulfilment. But such of those aspirants, who remain alert and feel the need for the wealth do practise such mantras. Even aspirants need wealth and removal of sufferings. But such worship like 'gettingthe desired-results-mantra' is portrayed in Jayaviyarayasutra to develop detachment later on.
If the mundane desires of a devotee, are not fulfilled, then he may go to gods with wrong faith to get his wishes fulfilled. Hence sages say propriety and discrimination are the scripture of scriptures. Hence a person can approach gods through the mantras to get his desires fulfilled. We are of the firm opinion that mantra-practices must be performed by a person.
The effort of a teacher will be to remove the doubts of a disciple. We speak of logic to remove doubts only. But it seems that you have not heard about the feats of great acaryas described in the history of Jainism. You have to think independently on these. Doubts can be cleared but not the prejudices.
Let us assume that I have understood your arguments. I don't get any interest in any mantra than Navkara. Should I get initiated into any mantra than this?
No. you have understood the value and the greatness of mantras. Each mantra has got its own value and greatness. It is up to you to practise a mantra or not. But this much you must accept that mantras and yantras are not against the tradition of Jainism.
Many people subscribe to the theory that the rules of mantra-practice and mantras, yantras and tantras have come to Jainism from Hinduism and Buddhism. Why cannot we subscribe to that theory ?
There will be as many opinions as there are people. But we have to come to a conclusion with our own analysis. Even historians have proposed so many hypotheses. Many of them have been proved wrong too. Hence the concept of borrowal should not be developed to the status of a theory on the basis of hearsay or popular sentiments alone. • Are the hypotheses of all the historians then baseless ?
One must understand the ways of theorising or generalising carefully. We have seen so many theories being proved wrong. The tradition of a religion and literature may get influenced by the traditions and concepts of other religions and vice-versa too is true. One cannot also prevent evolution and change in time and space. But one tradition subscribes to a theory in a particular time. Another contemporary religion has its own compulsions and propagates the religion in ways best suited to it. When the mantric tradition of Hindus and Buddhists were propagated vigorously Jain thinkers also felt the need to propagate the mantras which they had in their sastras. Hence one can not say that these are not original to Jainism.
When the Jain acaryas started propagating the mantras, they developed the ideas contained in the Agamas. Hence it is not correct to say that Jainism did not have mantras of its own.
On the other hand Sri Siddhasena Divakara Suri was of the opinion that anything good found in other religious tradition should have been taken from the teachings of Jinesvaras. If we were to know the pervasiveness and influence of Jainism such doubts won't be there.
It is said that some methods of worship narrated in the Kalpas are not to be practised. Why is it so ?
If we look at them carefully and with regard, we will come to know that the saints must have devised them with good intentions alone in their mind. But they are not fit to be practised as they have marana and uccatana as their results. Even the Mantrasastra says that they are not to be used for that purpose. Hence though we consider them efficacious yet they are unfit to be practised. Scriptures describe the hell too as they describe the heavens. But it is not correct to say that we must do sins to go to hell because scriptures describe them. These could have been devised to protect the religion in case of extreme danger and crises to its very existence.
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