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Sumati-Jñāna a Jain should venerate only the true God, the true scripture, and the true teacher (dev, shastra, guru). These are the Jinas, their teachings as contained in the Jain scriptures, and their followers as embodied in the naked Digambar munis. One of the intellectual giants of the Terapanth, Pandit Todarmal, wrote in the late eighteenth century in his Mokshamarg Prakashak (Light on the Path to Liberation) that it is wrong to worship unenlightened deities such as goddesses, for they do not demonstrate the equanimity which is the real hallmark of divinity. We see this is their very iconography: whereas a Jina is seated or standing in a meditative posture, a goddess sits or stands in a way that indicates her passionate involvement in the world. While Todarmal did not mention Saraswati by name, by implication he included her worship among what he saw as false practice. Patron Goddess of Philosophers Despite these occasional criticisms, many Jain philosophers besides the great Haribhadrasuri sought the assistance of Saraswati. One of the most famous of those was Acharya Hemachandrasuri, who lived from 1089 to 1172. He was the personal advisor to the Chaulukya emperors Jayasimha Siddharaja and Kumarpala in Gujarat, and even converted the second of these to Jainism. He was very gifted as a young monk, and quickly mastered logic, grammar, and many subjects. He wanted to go to Kashmir, then one of the intellectual centers of India, to further his studies. On the way, he came to Ajari, now in Sirohi district in southern Rajasthan. Nearby the Jain temple there was also a temple of Saraswati. He spent the night meditating in her temple. She was pleased by his devotion, and appeared to him in person. She said there was no need for him to travel all the way to Kashmir, and granted him the boon of success in his intellectual and literary endeavors. He remained there for twentyone days to worship her, and then returned to Gujarat. He went on to compose a number of the masterpieces of medieval Shvetambar literature.
In Thanks for Her Grace Other Jain intellectuals have also benefited from Saraswati's grace. She helped Kundakunda and Samantabhadra, two of the foundational philosophers in the Digambar tradition, who invoked her for assistance in winning public debates against Hindus and Buddhists. We find similar stories about the medieval Shvetambar philosophers Mallavadisuri and Bappabhattisuri, who successfully defeated Buddhists and Digambars in public debates.
In thanks for her grace, Jains have composed many hymns to Saraswati. We saw that Haribhadrasuri included her in his “Fiery Flames of Rebirth” hymn. Bappabhattisuri in the ninth century also composed a hymn to her. This Acharya was an advisor and teacher of King Ama of Kanauj. As a very young monk, Bappabhatti's guru gave him a special Saraswati mantra. One night as he was reciting this mantra the goddess appeared to him, and ever afterwards he was blessed with her power. In thanks to her, he composed his "Hymn of Thanks from Experiencing Success due to Saraswati" (Anubhuta Siddha Saraswati Stava).
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