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Ancient Jaina Hymns
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posture which is held for a certain measure of time with perfect motionlessness ). Those formulas and hymns are fixed, except for two hymns which the devotee selects himself, one for being recited in the beginning, the other at the end of the ritual. The former of these two hymns bears itself the name of 'caitya-vandana', which represents a particular type of hymnal literature.
A 'caitya-vandana' in the latter sense is always a short poem in praise of the Tīrthankara, the Tīrthankara image, the
Tīrtharkara temple, the Jaina Tīrtha, or any abstract idea connected with Tīrthankara worship which lends itself to eulogy. The Jina statue, being installed and consecrated under special rites ( the ‘añjana-salākā' ), is not merely holy by association, but is considered a concrete representative of the Tīrthankara by “sthāpanā', though, contrary to the Hindu conception, it is not imagined to be in any way presided over, or animated by him whom it represents. The ritual importance of the temple with its multitude of images, and of the place of pilgrimage with its multitude of temples and chapels can thus easily be understood. The caitya-vandana, however, often does not content itself with extolling image, temple and place of pilgrimage, but pays homage to a whole chain of such sacred places. The caitya-vandana published below, belongs to this type, justifying its name 'Tīrthamālā-caitya-vandana', the first part of which, 'tīrthamālā denotes, in ancient Gujarati, a poem describing a number of places of pilgrimage, or a pilgrimage undertaken to them. 128
Our Tīrthamālā-caitya-vandana is anonymous. It consists of five Śārdūlavikridita stanzas in Saṁskrta, which are formally all but perfect, and void of poetical charm. The interest of the poem lies in the list of names of ancient Jaina tirthas which it contains, and most of which are borne out as genuine geographical names, either by their modern equivalents, or by other references in old Jaina works. In the order of the poem, they are as under ( names inferred by conjecture being marked by '?')
(i) Satruñjaya ( modern Śatruñjaya Hill ),
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