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place in Bhaktamara Stotra. We won't be off the mark if we say Bhaktamara is only an elaboration of Navkar Mahamantra.
The obeisance to Pancaparamesthi in Navkar Mantra is supposed to remove all sins, obstructions and blemishes and also is the first of all mangalas. Since Bhaktamara too is in the form of obeisance to Arihant, but elaborate one at that and mangalamaya, it can remove the eight terrible troubles of life and bring external and internal prosperity to us.
The word vidya too is heard often times when mantras are discoursed upon. Can you kindly explain the difference between vidya and mantra ?
It will take a separate work to explain the greatness of mantras for even Navkar Sutra has come to be regarded as Navkar Mantra. The mantras have a special place in the system of Jainism from immemorial times.
And there is one other word vidya, famous in Jainism which is similar to mantra only. We know from authoritative works that Nami and Vinami who attended on Lord Rsabhadeva were blessed by Nagaraja (Dharnedra) and the latter taught them thousands of vidyas. By practising them and making them efficacious, both of them and their descendants too performed many miracles, thus making their lives purposeful. They had come to be known as Vidyadharas. They used to instruct their descendants only who used to practise them to make them efficacious. We find sastras differentiating mantra and vidya in the following way : Sasadhana Vidya : Vidya is that to accomplish which one has
to do penance and other practices. Pathasiddho Mantras: Mantra is made efficacious just by repetitions alone.
The different definitions of these two must have been drawn with special reference to their different spheres. And it (the difference in explanations) must have held good for some time. But such was not the case afterwards. The most powerful Surimantra is supposed to be chanted by acaryas only and Vardhamana vidya by Panyasis and Upadhyayas. The authors of the Kalpas have explained the practices to be followed to accomplish to make it siddha) both of them and they are practised accordingly.
There are mantras which can be accomplished by sadhana-practices besides recitation. It is authoritatively known from Jain scriptures that the terms mantra and vidya are not only known as interchangeable but are also used so, (for e.g. Surimantra is called Ganadhara vidya). Both are efficacious. The efficacy of both of them is the subject of experience. Most religionists including the Semitic and tribal people subscribe to the efficacy of mantras.
How does a mantra become powerful or efficacious ?
The way in which a mantra (or the collocation of sounds in a particular order) becomes efficacious can be explained in two ways.
First Explanation : Soul has got infinite power. It is manifest through mind, words and body. Jainism considers the mind, words and Karmic-veil of atma to be entirely of physical matter - pudgala. The atoms of mind, words and karma are found throughout the universe and they do spread everywhere quickly too. These atoms are responsible for magic like things. What Telephone and Television have made possible, could be achieved by mantra only once upon a time. These instruments transmitted sounds and live relay of pictures to destinations lakhs of miles away. Even remote control too had come into existence. Actions are possible to be controlled from afar and till their logical end. Science requires physical instruments to achieve all these. These can be put into wrong uses as well. (The possibility of these going into the wrong hands too cannot be ruled out. See the use of the remote control in the hands of terrorists). There is no effective way to prevent all these; atleast it appears so. Mantrasastra too is an effective tool like the modern science. We had a device in Uvasaggahara Stotra to bring gods to earth. Sri Bhadrabahu Svami, realising the chaos that might be caused by these mantras in the wrong hands, limited their scope enormously.
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Rahasya Darshan
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