Chitrabhanu Man with Vision

Author(s): Clare Rosenfield
Publisher: Jain Meditation International Centre New York

Page 81

Satrunjaya is a tirth for its having received the visit of Ādināthā, first tirth-builder for mankind.
Satrunjaya has many names, each one an attempt to grasp in words its limitless significance to the spiritual aspirant: "Height of Purification”, “Hill of the Holy Land”, “Rock of the Gods”, “Bestower of Virtue”, “Place of Beatitude”, “Fulfiller of all Desires", "Crown of the Earth". By ascending the hill with single-minded awareness, one experiences the meaning behind those names. Satrun means inner enemies, mental, emotional, and physical weaknesses which gravitate the soul, weighing it down. Jaya is to conquer, to realize your power to release yourself from their grip.
Rup stood at the foot of the mountain and gazed up at the peaks as they melted into the clouds. What awaited him beyond those peaks? He had climbed to the top once or twice before with his father. He had seen with his outward eyes the lustrous city of more than eight hundred stone and marble temples and shrines which reward the devout pilgrim at the end of his climb. Though he had ascended the steps of Satruñjaya, he had not yet ascended to his inner height. Now he was ready to move forward.
There is a difference between direction and movement. The first has a target, whereas the second can go on for hundreds of years and reach nowhere.
Now he wanted to let go of the old and welcome newness, no matter how ego-shattering it may be. Just as a seed pushes its way out of the hard earth, he felt a powerful urge to remove the obstacles before him, and move steadily toward his goal.
*
Barefoot, in loose-fitting white shirt and pants, Rup began the climb. His feet followed the cadence of the sacred mantra his father had taught him.
Aum Shree Satruñjaya Adināthāya Namah.
He paused after each repetition to let the meaning of the sound penetrate his consciousness.
Aum Shree Satrunjaya Ādināthāya Namah. - I open myself to the pure energy of Adināthā, Lord of himself, in order to overcome my inner weaknesses. I bow to this Great Soul in
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