Scientific Secrets of Jainism

Author(s): Nandighoshvijay
Publisher: Research Institute of Scientific Secrets from Indian Oriental Scriptures Ahmedabad

Page 254

Kinds Of Jāpa And Their Scientific Importance
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etc. the inflow of inauspicious karma come to stop and there is an accumulation of auspicious karma and thus proceeding further he who performs Jāpa indulges in meditation. Therefore, a one-time meditation is worth a Jāpa muttered a crore times. He who engages in meditation, the meditation, the object of meditation and himself - all these are separate. Only the concentration of mind, speech and body is important. When the object of meditation, meditation and the meditator 2 -- all these three -- are unified in the form of Paramātmā (the super soul ) or the soul, he attains the stage of absorption and such an absorption is worth meditation of crore times.
According to the above verse, worship, Stuti or Stötra (song of praise), Jāpa, meditation and absoption i.e. unification are gradually ascending power. Jāpa is of three kinds 1. spoken Jāpa 2. speechless Jāpa and 3. mental Jāpa.
1. Jāpa muttered with loud pronunciation so that others can hear, is called a spoken Jāpa. (Bhāșya)
2. Jāpa muttered mentally by making a flapping sound so that others cannot hear, is called speechless Jāpa. (Upāmśu)
3. Jāpa muttered mentally without using lips, tongue etc., called mental Jāpa. (Mānasa)
Upadhyāya Śri Mānavijayaji states in the book entitled 'Dharmasangraha': ".........ARCA111 T 1 TUA 1114: THIS TY: 9:11 "
......sasabdānmaunavān śubhah. maunajānmānasaḥ śrēşthah jāpaḥ ślāghyah parah parah..
Speechless Jāpa is better than the spoken one and mental (Mānasa) Jāpa is superior to speechless Jāpa. All these three varities of Jāpa are gradually more praise worthy.)
Pratişthāpaddhati (kalpa) written by śri Pādaliptasūriji states that there are three kinds of Jāpa : Mānasa (mental), Upāmśu (speechless) and Bhāşya (spoken).
Jāpa which does not involve even a low utterance, which is muttered in mind and which only its mutterer can understand, is called Mānasa (mental) Jāpa. Jāpa which involves low utterance and which others cannot hear is