Book Title: ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 02
Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies
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recognises the Arhat and the Siddha as the divinity-realized souls who may be the objects of devotion.
Devotion, Devotee and Devotional Object (a) Devotion Devotion implies the sublime affection, circumscribed by the immaculacy of thought and emotion, towards the divinity-realized souls or towards those who are advanced on the path of divine realization. 11
(b) Devotee The devotee profoundly knows the object of his devotion, namely, Arhat and Siddha. Every fiber of his being feels the supremacy and sublimity of the object of his devotion to such an extent that when the devotee finds himself confronted with the omniscient and omnipotent God (Arhanta and Siddha), he abruptly and spontaneously proclaims himself to be shameless, 12 ignorant like an obstinate owl13, child, etc. This is a sort of religious humility, self depreciation, self-devaluation and a consciousness of "creaturehood'. 14 This strange and profound mental reaction of calling oneself a creature in the face of that which is transcendent is not a conceptual explanation of the matter but a mode of submergence into nothingness, an attempt to convey the content of the feeling response in the best possible way.
The devotee is so much attracted by the divine consciousness that he expresses his deep yearning for establishing the holy feet of God in his heart forever.15 Intoxicated by the devotional juice, the devotee announces that he keeps God in his heart and so allows Him (God) to cross the ocean of mundane miseries; but after a moment, he reverses the position by saying that God serves as the air inside the leather bag of his heart for crossing the ocean of world. 16
1 Sarvārthasiddhi of Pujyapāda, VI-24, (Bharatiya Jnanpith, New Delhi) 12 Bhaktāmara 15 (Digambara Jaina Pustakalaya, Surat under the title "Pancastotra Samgraha) 13 Kalyāṇamandira-stotra of Kumudacandra, 3 (under the title "Pancastotra Samgraha) 14 Idea of the Holy P. 21 15 Purusarthasiddhyupaya of Amrtacandra, 30, Ratnakaramda-śrāvakācāra of Samantabhadra 16 Kalyānamandira-stotra 10
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STUDY NOTES version 5.0
