________________
Healing with Mantras
This book relates the miraculous benefits of chanting Bhatamar Stotras (a footnote 1 explaining what is Bhaktamar stotras?) and my personal experience with the extraordinary powers of Bhaktamar shlokas and their Riddhis and Mantras(A footnote explaining riddhis and mantras ?). Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine exploring this field of mystic powers. I grew up watching my mother Smt. Manorama Jain chanting the stotras when someone fell ill and the person always recovered from his illness. She taught mantras to many people. In addition, she could predict people's futures by using our holy book Jinvani. (a footnote explaining Jinvani?) In this way, a number of people benefitted because of her kindness and helping nature.
Being part of a large joint family, I was always surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins and on all auspicious occasions, an akhand path (maybe a footnote explaining what is Akhand paath?) of Bhaktamar was chanted continuously for twenty four hours. We cousins would wait our turns eagerly to chant the strotras and mantras on the mike, in different layas or rhythms all through the night. Although we did not know Sanskrit, we learnt Bhaktamar by playing LP record of Bhaktamar Stotras in Sanskrit and learnt it by heart. The Akahand paath was followed by various religious rituals including havan and ahutis of mantras and riddhis. (Footnote explaining these terms). The panditji would explain how a snake could be controlled by chanting a particular shloka and my cousins and I would look at each other and smile sarcastically and ask him more about the powers of the shlokas. He would go on giving other examples including how fire could be extinguished by chanting another shloka. As children we recited all 48 shlokas in different layas every single day and enjoyed doing this. Today, after having experimented with these shlokas, I can confidently say that whatever the holy priest said was true.
Footnote 1: Bhaktamar Stotra is a complete program of 48 solutions for harmonious living written by Acharya Manatungji Maharaj in praise of Lord Adinath (Jain Prince Apollo-Java 1" Tirthankar of Jains 24 Tirthankaras - Lord Mahavir in last 24" Tirthankaras.
Footnote 2 : Riddhi is chanted for gaining mystic powers but tests are done before attaining it. Mantras are one line sentences with power seed (Beej Mantras) mantras which if chant for 108 times daily brings shift in your consciousness within 21 days.
Footnote 3: Jinvani: Is Jain holy book like Bible of Christmas and there is Chapter for predicting future with the help of dice containing name of ARIHANT OR MAHAVIR. You get answer for any question you ask by seeing the letter fallen by dice.
Footnote 4: Akhand Path: 24 hours continuous chanting of any stotra.
Footnote 5: Havan - Offering done to Fire God by chanting Mantra andRiddhi with obliminum or clove.
According to Jain scriptures, Acharya Mantungacharyaji wrote Bhaktamar Stotra in Stuti (praise) of Lord Adinath. He wrote this in prison, as he was put behind bars by Raja Bhoj for not showing his mystic powers. Such was the power of his Bhaktamar shlokas that each of the forty eight prison locks unlocked miraculously one by one as he completed writing the Stotras. All the chains fell away as the guards and the king found Acharya Mantungacharyaji sitting under a tree.
