International Jain Conference 1985 3rd Conference

Author(s): Satish Jain, Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Ahimsa International

Page 222

We recall the story of a repentent Illiterate thief-Anjan who mastered his fears Through faith reposed unflinchingly In the utterance of the Mantra By the Seth-Sudarshan. The sound of the end-syllables Reverberated in his brain, tilt of the Soul's Song "Tanam Tanam Tanam Seth's utterance is Pramanam My article of Faith.
To decode the metaphor is to explain that the Mantra worked as Anjan' (eye-drop) To cure the thief of his blind greed So he could have the perception, of all that is spiritually beautiful, Sudarshan'.
How do I recite the Mantra ? NAMO ARIHANTANAMBut Why not Namo Siddhanam ? Logic questions; the instinct repliesThough, the Siddha The First and in the forefront The most supreme and really liberated A formless, weightless, effulgence Far far from us Reposed in unruffled bliss Self-reflecting knowledge Unalloyed prowess Pure and prestine perception,
Deserves precedence, yet Spiritually Self-seeking as we are, We prefer to remember first The Arihant, the Tirthankar The Ford-builder, the benevolent helmsman of our Age.
His preachings and precepts Accessible to us through, GanadharThe upholder and interpreter of the Lord's doctrines For the good of the Ganas-the people.
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