Devotion without knowledge is blind faith
Knowledge without devotion is mere rationality
Knowledge is inevitably followed by devotion
This is where science meets spirituality
On the path of searching for the truth, one eventually reaches a state where one starts understanding the real meaning of devotion and the wonders it can do. Each seeker starts their journey towards the truth from the dense forests of ignorance. As soon as they get a glimpse of the light of the right knowledge (samyag-jñāna), they embark on the voyage that frees them from the shackles of darkness. After that, everything begins to transform, be it their thought process, their way of observing life’s situations and the people in them, the way they look at the concept of God, and then comes the analysis of whom they should look upon to seek guidance, which leads to the actual devotion.
I experienced the power of devotion done with pure thoughts and a specific request in mind. When, in the deadly second wave, Corona entered my family, I did Bhaktamer Stotra chanting, and it helped me. I could feel something in some other dimension change in my favour.
I am indeed honoured to receive honorary Vijay K Jain sir’s most recent work on another devotional gem of the Indian Jain Dharma – Ekībhāva Stotra, authored by Ācārya Vādirāja in the 11th century and written in the adoration of the very first Ford maker (tīrthaṃkara) of this half, descending time-cycle, Lord Ādinātha. This stotra, too, has the power to heal the incurable diseases.
The story of Ācārya Vādirāja is also fascinating. (Sharing some excerpts from the book)
He was a great scholar-ascetic. Being the undisputed master of the debating skills – vāditva – regarding philosophical reasoning, ‘Vādirāja’ was an honour bestowed on him. Vādirāja was highly respected in the court of Cālukya king Jayasiṃha. In spite of his leprosy, the dispassionate saint used to stay engrossed in meditation, unmindful of his bodily suffering.
Once, an immature courtier raised a query in front of the king about the suffering of the saint Vādirāja and said, ‘King, you revere Jain philosophy so much, but you are unaware that the bodies of the Jain saints are inflicted with leprosy’. Another courtier replied, ‘O King! This is not true; their bodies are beautiful and lustrous, like tempered gold’. It was then that the king decided to visit the saint himself. The faithful courtier went to the saint immediately and conveyed the need to sustain the glory of the Jain saints to Ācārya Vādirāja. During that night itself, Ācārya Vādirāja engrossed in the devotion of Lord Ādinātha and composed ‘Ekībhāva Stotra’, and by the following day, his leprosy was gone, and his body was that of a golden lustre. The king was pleased to see the far and wide radiance of the saint’s body. Saint Vādirāja also refrained the king from getting angry at the immature courtier for lying to the king by showing him his little finger, which was still under the impact of leprosy. The king was highly impressed by the glory of Ācārya Vādirāja and, at that moment, went through a spiritual transformation.
I am sharing Śloka 6th and its English translation done by Vijay sir, from the esteemed work.
janmāṭavyāṃ kathamapi mayā deva dīrghaṃ bhramitvā
prāptaiveyaṃ tava naya-kathā sphāra-pīyūṣa-vāpī /
tasyā madhye himakara-hima-vyūha-śīte nitāntaṃ
nirmagnaṃ māṃ na jahati kathaṃ du:kha-dāvopatāpā: ॥6॥
O Lord! After roaming for a long time in the wilderness of worldly existence, I have now somehow accessed the vast pond of nectar comprising your discourses on the standpoints (naya) and valid knowledge (pramāna). This pond of nectar is soothing like the moon and the chunk of ice, and as I am wholly immersed in it, is the heat of conflagration in the form of miseries not leaving me? The heat is undoubtedly leaving me.
Vijay sir works tirelessly to deliver as many gems of knowledge to the world as possible and keeps inspiring the present and the upcoming generation of scholars. I highly regard him, and I hope he achieves the pinnacle of the spiritual ladder in the near future.
One can listen to the Bhaktamer Stotra and Ekībhāva Stotra in my voice.
Sending positive vibes to all
Dr Medhavi Jain
Founder
