Golden Steps To Salvation

Author(s): Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation

Page 50

4. PRIDE DEAR HUMBLE PEOPLE!
The vice which destroys humility and meekness is pride.
माणो विनयनासणो
Māno vinayanāsano. “Pride destroys meekness or humbleness."
In the Jain dharma (faith), there is the Namaskāra Mahamantra which destroys pride. Here it is given in brief:
नमोऽहंत्सिद्धाचार्योपाध्यायसर्वसाधुभ्यः ॥
Namorhatsiddhāchāryopādhyāyasarvasādhubhyah. (I offer my adoration to Arihanth, Siddha, Upādhyāya and all Sadhus.) Here is the same mantra abbreviated with the first letters of the words in it.
3779313HTU :''
Asiāusāya namah. Even this form has been further abbreviated to facilitate repetition (japa) :
ओम नमः
Om namaḥ. Here a Sandhi (combination) has been effected between the (a) sound of ashariri (Siddha) and the # (m) sound of Muni for Sadhu and Om has been formed. Here the abbreviation has been formed with the first and last letters, thus : 37 + 27 + 371 +3+= H (3T + 37 = 317, 31 + 3 = 371)
(In both the places there is a savarna dirgh sandhi or combination of similar sounds.) Then in combining 3T+3=317 the gunasandhi has been formed and adding # (m) sound at the end afth has been formed.
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