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SUBSEQUENT MANTRIKAS: SRI JINADATTASURI
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to Sri Jinadattasūri who put Vása (fragrant powder made of Sandal. wood saffron etc.) on his palm and asked his pupil to read it and to the surprise of the hearers he read the verse which mentioned the name of Sri Jinadattasūri as Yugapradhāna.+ The verse ran as follows:
दासानुदासा इव सर्व देवा यदीयपादाब्जतले लुठंति।।
__मरुस्थलीकल्पतरुः स जीयाद् युगप्रधानो जिनदत्तसूरिः॥ His favourite Mantra was 'Om Hrim Namah' which he recited crores of times. Sri Jinaprabhasūri describes it in his Padmăvati Catuspadikā and attributes it to Sri Jinadattasõri (See Appendix 10 vv. 16-18). Sri Pūrņa Kalasagani, in his commentary on v. 1 of his Māntric hymn of Sri Stambhana Pārsvanātha (p. 50 Jain Stotra-Sandoha Vol. II), cites two verses describing the said Mantra and attributes the same 'to Sri Jinadattasūri.* The said verses are really taken from Sri Bhairava Padmāvati Kalpa, Ch. III, and are verses 33 and 34 there. They describe the Ekāksarī Mantra of Sri Padmăvati. As Sri Jinadattasūri was probably the first Achārya to propound the said Mantra amongst Svetambara Jains, it is attributed to him. The worship of Sri Padmavati appears to have become more popular amongst Svetambara Jains about his time. * Sri Jinadattasūri and Sri Jinakusalasūri and Sri Jinacandrasūri, whose achievements are recorded below, are said to respond to devotional Māntric invocation even after their death. They are known under the honorific title 'Dādāji' or grandfather as they promptly fulfil the desires of their devotees and protect them as a grandfather would protect his grand-children. They can, therefore, be said to be Mantrikas par-excellence. They are worshipped and invoked
+ This title is mentioned Kharatara in the colophon of the palm-leaf Ms.of Pattávali by Jinacandra written in 1171 Vikrama era. See Catalogue of Jesalmere p. 17 under No.150. * For an explanation of the discrepancy see p. 229 post. * See Supāsanāhacariyam (s.y.1199) p. 131, verse 54 for a reference to Sri Padmāvati as a very famous Vidyā:
"अस्थि सुपसिद्धविज्जा विज्जासाहगसहस्सनयचलणा। मंतसरोरुहसरसी देवी पद्मावती नाम ||"
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