1 Nine Sacred Recitations of the Jain Religion
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NINE SACRED RECITATIONS OF THE JAIN RELIGION (A Study of the Nine Smaranas and All Aspects Associated with Them.) Vinod Kapashi London Tel: 020 8204 2871 E-mail [email protected] 1 1 Jainism: An Introduction 1.1 Background to Jainism The word 'Jainism' derives from 'Jina', and the philosophy propagated by the Jinas is therefore called Jainism. Jina means conqueror, that is, one who has conquered all of the worldly passions such as desire, hatred, anger, greed, and pride by one's own efforts and has liberated himself from the bonds of worldly existence, and hence the cycle of birth and death. Jina, therefore, is human and not a supernatural being or an incarnation of a God. Hence the term Jina is applied to a person who is a spiritual victor par excellence. Jainism has been in existence from time immemorial and it is one of the oldest religions in the world. Jains believe that an immortal soul resides in every living being. The soul is subjected to the passions such as greed, anger, ego and hatred, and is polluted by them. This phenomenon is referred to as the bondage of karma. This bondage is the cause of births and rebirths. This cycle of birth, death and rebirth is termed as samsára. It is a term widely used in Jain writings. The ultimate goal of a Jain is to free one's own soul from samsára and achieve a state of liberation known as nirväna. Jains have stressed the great importance of the practice of asceticism and meditation to achieve this goal. Around three thousand years ago, two distinct lines of thought prevailed in India. One was based on the philosophy of the Vedas (revered books of Hinduism) also known as the Vedic culture. The Vedic belief was connected with the caste system and animal sacrifice. The other belief opposed these two systems. People who were called the Shramans rejected the caste system and sacrifices. The first line of thought has developed into a religion, which we now call Hinduism. The second line of thought gave us two religions, Jainism and Buddhism. Although this is a very brief and simple explanation of the roots of both Jainism and Buddhism, by and large it is right to say that Jains and Buddhists have always opposed the caste system and both religions are based on the philosophy of ahimsä (non-violence). Jainism, however, has taken this philosophy of ahimsä further than Buddhism in that the theory of non-violence extends to the animal world and that Jains should be vegetarian. Buddhists do not believe this and, hence, this issue has become the major difference between the two religions, although the philosophies are otherwise very much the same. 1.2 Jainism and the Tirthankaras Jains believe in the Tirthankaras or enlightened souls. There are twenty-four Tirthankaras in the present cycle of time. According to Jain philosophy the Tirthankaras are considered to be the 'conquerors' as they have obtained infinite knowledge and wisdom, and have obtained the final emancipation (nirväna). They have consequently laid down the path for the spiritual upliftment of humanity, and therefore they are worshipped by Jains. According to Jainism, the first Tirthankara who was born thousands of years ago was Rishabhadeva. He is also known as Ädinatha, which simply meaning 'the first Lord'. His teachings provided people with knowledge regarding farming, house building, and cooking and basic education in the arts, science and commerce. Each Jain Tirthankara has a symbol and Rishabhadeva's is the bull. Some coins of pre-Äryan 2 civilisation show a picture of a bull on one side and an ascetic on the other. According to some historians, the Jain philosophy existed in India before the arrival of the Äryan people. Of the nine recitations or sacred Smaranas that I have explored in this book, one is the Bhaktämara Stotra. This is held in great reverence and has a unique place in Jain literature, and has been composed by its poet in praise of the first Tirthankara, Rishabhadeva. The second Tirthankara, Ajitnätha, and the sixteenth, Shäntinätha, are praised in the sixth recitation that I have examined called the Ajiya-Shänti Thao. Perhaps the most widely worshipped Tirthankara is the twenty-third Tirthankara, Lord Pärshvanätha, who was born more than 2800 years ago. There are hundreds of temples in India, which have been built to worship Pärshvanätha. Of the nine recitations analysed here, there are three recitations, which were composed in praise of Pärshvanätha. The worship of the Tirthankara Pärshvanätha is so widespread amongst Jains that there are hundreds or even perhaps thousands of poems composed to his glory. Mahävira was the twenty-fourth and the last Tirthankara of the Jains. None of the recitations studied in this book have been composed in praise of Mahävira. However, it is worth mentioning Mahävira as the religious principles, code of conduct and the entire philosophy, which is followed by present day Jains, is based on the direct preaching of Mahävira. 1.3 Jains and Jain Writings. Although Jains constitute about half of one percent of India's population, their influence in economic and social fields cannot be overlooked. There are many prominent Jains who have contributed to India's economy to the extent that the proportion of their wealth far exceeds their numbers in India. Jain contributions to art and architecture are also quite significant in Indian history. Thousands of beautiful temples stand witness to Jain devotion and love for religion and architecture. In the literary field, Jain ächäryas (heads of a group of monks) have contributed immensely as far as books on philosophy, metaphysics and poetry are concerned. The austere lifestyle of a Jain monk allows them time to acquire literary skills and pursue literary activities. Jain stotras not only praise the Tirthankaras but also tell us about the literary achievements of Jain writers. The stotras (sacred hymns) that have been explored in this book can only give one a glimpse into a vast ocean of literary works and achievements. Although many are recited in prayers - by individuals or by groups- during festivals, as yet there is no in- depth study that has been done on the Jain stotras in English. This book aims to explore nine holy recitations out of that vast field. 1.4 History of the Shvetämbara and Digambara Jains. No religion or faith is free from divisions, and Jains are also divided into many sects. Different viewpoints arising out of scriptural interpretations have led to different factions. The first rift came after the nirväna of Lord Mahävira. Monks at that time had different opinions about wearing clothes. For some monks true renunciation 3 means giving up one's own clothes. However, for others clothes were the basic requirement in order to live and mix with lay people Those who started wearing white clothes were called Shvetämbaras and those monks who propagated total nudity were called Digambaras. The followers of these two sects are seen everywhere in India and abroad. During the course of time further divisions came into being. (The word Shvetämbara comes from shveta meaning white and ambara meaning clothes. Shvetämbara monks wear white clothes whereas the monks of the other faction do not wear any clothing and are therefore called Digambara monks. Dig meaning sky or direction and ambara again meaning clothes. Those who wear the sky as their cloth- i.e. go about naked are Digambara monks.) 2 Jain Hymnology and Prayers 2.1 Introduction Jain hymns popularly known as stotras are written in praise of the Jain Tirthankaras or deities. They have been written in the Sanskrit, Präkrit or the later Apabhramsa languages, and in verses, with a definite rhythm (meter). They can be sung by an individual or by a group, in temples or in assembly halls. Jain recitations can be divided into shorter (stuti) or longer poems (stava or stotra)1 and the collective name given for these recitations is smarana. The smaranas can be systematically recited or even a deity worshipped by using additional mantras and yantras. Mantras are combinations of certain vowels or consonants or small phrases, and it is believed that the vibrations created by chanting mantras help the devotee in obtaining the desired results. Mantras are aids in the form of syllables and words whereas yantras are diagrams, which help in concentration and meditation. People believe that yantras also help them in achieving the desired results. Not all poems are called the smaranas. The smaranas can be remembered and sung. The Smaranas can replace religious rituals and can become the ritual itself. The Smaranas can be used indirectly for meditation purpose. 2.2 History of the Stotras Much of the stotra literature was in its infancy in the early period of Jain literature. This is the period when the original Ägamas (holy scriptures) were compiled. Most of the literature, which has survived, and indeed all poetical literature was composed after the nirväna of Mahävira. The earliest poetical composition is in a chapter found in the second scripture of the Shvetämbara Jains, which consists of twenty-nine verses and was written entirely in praise of Lord Mahävira. The composition 1 Ekshloka dwishloka trishloka va stutirbhavati. Parataschatuh shlokadikaha stavah’ from Jain Stotra Sandoha p3 Published by Sãrãbhãi Nawab, Ahmedabad 1932 4 compares Mahävira's virtues and abilities with the highest of mountains and the deepest of oceans. It is the first known attempt to glorify Mahävira through stotras. Once started, this trend of glorifying Tirthankaras and other deities continued and more and more poets chose the poetic1 style of writing. The background to this style of writing is derived from Hindu scriptures.