Jain Journal 2001 10

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 40

JAIN JOURNAL : Vol-XXXVI, No. 2 October, 2001 Knowledge and Devotion
According to Jainism, devotion and knowledge are not contradictory, but go together. Without knowledge bhakti is blind. Contrarily, right faith (samyag-darsana) is the foundation of the whole spiritual path which culminates in the awakening of right knowledge (samyag-jñāna). According to Ācārya Kundakundalo, knowledge is already present in the Ātman, but he who is devoted to the guru alone gets it. In short, knowledge which bestows liberation is obtained by devotion towards those who possess that knowledge, and that devotion too must be with knowledge.
To summarize, bhakti in Jainism is based on faith, is closely related to knowledge, manifests in service and is an important means of liberation.
Devotional Practices in Jainism
These include worship (pūjā), recitation of hymns and prayers (stotra, stava, mangala), salutations and practice of humility (vandana and vinaya), and celebrations and festivals.
Ācārya Somadevall says : May 1, O Lord, worship thy lotus feet in the morning, serve the saints and monks at noon, and chant thy glories in the evening.' Thus he summarizes the chief devotional attitude of a Jain devotee.
The practice of image worship had been prevalent in Jainism from the very ancient times. Historical evidence shows that images of the Tirthankaras, originally twenty-four Teachers, were made as early as the third century B.C, while worships with flowers was definitely in vogue by the first century A.D. Devotional practices in Jainism were distinctly influenced by those practices in Hinduism, and by the changes taking place in this sister religion. This was allowed by the ācāryas, because it was realized that, for ordinary householders, it was not possible to concentrate their mind on abstract ideas, and that they needed methods like pūjā, hymns, etc. Thus at present we find a
10. Quoted by Premsagar Jain, p. 17. 11. waffferta anggota
मध्याह्नसन्निधिरयं मुनिमाननेन। सायंतनोऽपि समयो मम देव यावन्नित्यं त्वदाचरणकीर्तनकामितेन।। Quoted by Premsagar Jain, p. 28.