Book Title: Path of Arhat
Author(s): T U Mehta
Publisher: Sohanlal Smarak Parshwanath Shodhpitha Varanasi

Previous | Next

Page 206
________________ Modus Operandi [ 181 It is interesting to note that the most outstanding of the Jaina prayers is contained in what is known as 'Navakara Mantra' which contains nothing sectarian or personal to any individual and asks for nothing in return. It does nothing more than offering sincere veneration to those souls which are already liberated and which are on the path of liberation. These souls may belong to any sect or religious belief but so long as they are on the path of liberation or, are, infact, liberated, one who is a true Jaina bows down to them. This enchantation1 is as under: Namo Arihantā pam Namo Siddhāpaṁ Namo Ayariyāņaṁ Namo Uvajjhāyānam Namo Loe Savvasahūņam I bow down to all 'Arihantas'. I bow down to all Siddhas'. I bow down to all 'Acaryas'. I bow down to 'Upadhyayas'. I bow down to all the 'Sadhus'. - such prayers cannot be considered as of the type discussed above. But even such prayers are not directly addressed to the liberated soul who is the Tirthankara. They are rather addressed to the God or Goddesses who are supposed to be in attendance of the liberated souls because these Gods and Godesses are not liberated souls and are supposed to help others This seems to be a subsequent innovation which has, strictly speaking, no sanction from Jaina philosophical doctrines. Jain Education International There is a class of thinkers, both Jaina and non-Jaina, believing in the sincere prayers offered to a higher soul resulting in moral as well as material advantages. They believe that ardent and sincere prayers offered with total self surrender, do produce vibrations which eventually become helpful to one who prays. Such a line of thinking may not be outrighlly rejected as incorrect, but that discussion would take us to a different subject of Tantra. For the present we are not concerned with it. 1. नमो अरिहंताणम्, नमो सिद्धाणम्, नमो आयरियाणम्, नमो उवज्झायाणम्, नमो लोए सब्बसाहूणम् । Bhagavati-sütra, I/1. For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262