Bhaktamara Stotra
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Bhaktamara Stotra is a famous
Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
prayer. It was composed by Acharya
Manatunga Acharya Manatunga (c. seventh century CE) was the composer of famous Jain prayer, ''Bhaktamara Stotra''. ''Acharya Manatunga'' is said to have composed the ''Bhaktamara Stotra'' when he was ordered to be kept in prison for not obeying the order ...
(7th century CE). The name Bhaktamara comes from a combination of two Sanskrit names, "Bhakta" (Devotee) and "Amar" (Immortal). The prayer praises ''
Rishabhanatha Rishabhanatha, also ( sa, ऋषभदेव), Rishabhadeva, or Ikshvaku is the first (Supreme preacher) of Jainism and establisher of Ikshvaku dynasty. He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain c ...
'' (adinath), the first ''
Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a 'ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable passag ...
'' of Jainism in this time cycle. There are 48 verses in total. The last verse gives the name of the author ''Manatunga''. Bhaktamar verses have been recited as a
stotra ''Stotra'' (Sanskrit: स्तोत्र) is a Sanskrit word that means "ode, eulogy or a hymn of praise."Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'Stotra'' It is a literary genre of In ...
(prayer), and sung as a stavan (
hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
), somewhat interchangeably. Other Jain prayers have taken after these (such as the Kalyānamandira stotra, devoted to the twenty-third tirthankara, and the Svayambhu stotra, to all twenty-four); additional verses here praise the
omniscience Omniscience () is the capacity to know everything. In Hinduism, Sikhism and the Abrahamic religions, this is an God#General conceptions, attribute of God. In Jainism, omniscience is an attribute that any individual can eventually attain. In B ...
of Adinatha, while devotionals are considered a source for lay understandings of Jain doctrine.


Legend

According to legends,
Manatunga Acharya Manatunga (c. seventh century CE) was the composer of famous Jain prayer, ''Bhaktamara Stotra''. ''Acharya Manatunga'' is said to have composed the ''Bhaktamara Stotra'' when he was ordered to be kept in prison for not obeying the order ...
Āchārya was chained and imprisoned by the local King Bhoj. Manatunga Āchārya composed this stotra (hymn) in the prison. With the completion of each verse, a chain broke, or a door opened. Manatunga was free when all the verses were finished.


History

''Bhakamara Stotra'' was composed by Manatunga in 6th century CE. Legends associate Manatunga with a ruler named
Bhoja Bhoja (reigned c. 1010–1055 CE) was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty. His kingdom was centered around the Malwa region in central India, where his capital Dhara-nagara (modern Dhar) was located. Bhoja fought wars with nearly all h ...
. However Manatunga probably lived a few centuries before Raja
Bhoja Bhoja (reigned c. 1010–1055 CE) was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty. His kingdom was centered around the Malwa region in central India, where his capital Dhara-nagara (modern Dhar) was located. Bhoja fought wars with nearly all h ...
of Dhara. He is identified by some scholars as Kshapanaka, one of the
Navaratnas Navaratnas (Sanskrit dvigu ''nava-ratna'', ) () or Nauratan was a term applied to a group of nine extraordinary people in an emperor's court in India. The well-known Nauratnas include the ones in the courts of the Hindu emperor Vikramaditya, th ...
in the court of legendary
Vikramaditya Vikramaditya (IAST: ') was a legendary king who has been featured in hundreds of traditional stories including those in ''Baital Pachisi'' and '' Singhasan Battisi''. Many describe him as ruler with his capital at Ujjain (Pataliputra or Prati ...
. An unidentified Sanskrit poet Matanga, composer of "Brahaddeshi" on music theory, may also have been the same person. Bhaktamara stotra was composed sometime in the
Gupta Gupta () is a common surname or last name of Indian origin. It is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means 'guardian' or 'protector'. According to historian R. C. Majumdar, the surname ''Gupta'' was adopted by se ...
or the post-Gupta period, making Manatunga approximately contemporary with other navaratnas like Kalidasa and Varahamihira. Several spots near
Bhopal Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...
and Dhar are traditionally associated with ''Manatunga''.


Verses

''Bhaktamara Stotra'' is believed to be at least a thousand years old, though many believe it to be still older. ''Bhaktamara Stotra'' has been passed down from generation to generation. It is an ageless
panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of grc, ...
. The importance and effectiveness is believed to have increased with the passage of time. ''Bhaktamara Stotra'' is recited by many with religious regularity. The original ''Stotra'' is in
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
. The Bhaktamar Stotra had 52 stanzas earlier but because of their power they were removed and now there are 48 stanzas at present. Every stanza has four parts. Every part has 14 letters. The complete panegyric is formed by 2688 letters. It is said that some specific stanzas are miraculously effective for fulfilment of different purposes.


Art

Bhaktamara stotra is widely illustrated in paintings. At the
Sanghiji Shri Digamber Jain Atishya Kshetra Mandir, Sanghiji is an ancient Jain Temple in Sanganer, Rajasthan made of red stone. The ancient Shri Digamber Jain temple of Sanganer is 16 km from Jaipur. History This temple is a major Jain pilg ...
temple at
Sanganer Sanganer is a town/ Tehsil (an administrative division) situated in Jaipur district, Rajasthan, 16 km south of state capital Jaipur. Jaipur has been divided in 13 Sub divisions and Sanganer is one of these 13 Sub divisions. It is famous for ...
, there is a panel illustrating each verse. The verses of Bhaktamar are thought to possess magical properties (
tantra Tantra (; sa, तन्त्र, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian ...
). A mystical diagram, yantra, is associated with each verse. "Sadhak Shivaanand Saraswati" (Udayraj Gadnis) has painted a number of yantras associated with Bhaktamar stotra. There is a temple at Bharuch with a section dedicated to the Bhaktamar and its author Manatunga. The Bhaktamara Stotra is composed in the meter "Vasantatilka". All the fourteen syllables of this meter are equally divided between short and long syllables i.e. seven laghu and seven gurus and this belongs to sakvari group of meters. It is believed that such an equal division into short and long syllables will help an aspirant attain the state of equanimity quickly, the meter itself serving as a catalyst (
mantra A mantra (Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ma ...
).Bhaktamar Stotra: The Song of Salvation,


Translations

''Bhaktamara Stotra'' was translated into
Braj Bhasha The Braj language, ''Braj Bhasha'', also known as Vraj Bhasha or Vrij Bhasha or Braj Bhāṣā or Braji or Brij Bhasha or Braj Boli, is a Western Hindi language. Along with Awadhi (a variety of Eastern Hindi), it was one of the two predominant ...
by
Hemraj Pande Hemraj may refer to: * Kacharu Lal Hemraj Jain, Indian politician * Hemraj Verma, Indian politician * Sheth Gopalji Hemraj High School {{Disambiguation, surname ...
in the style of translation of ''Kalyanamandir stotra's'' by
Banarsidas Banarasidas (15861643) was a Shrimal Jain businessman and poet of Mughal India. He is known for his poetic autobiography - ''Ardhakathānaka'', (The Half Story), composed in Braj Bhasa, an early dialect of Hindi linked with the region around M ...
.


References


Citations


Sources

* * * {{Jainism Topics Jain mantras Devotion songs Jain texts