Bhaktamarstava Churni - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Bhaktamarstava Churni" by Shilchandrasuri, based on the provided pages:

Book Title: Bhaktamarstava Churni Author: Ganishri Nayavijayji (as indicated by the preface and colophon) Publisher: ZZ_Anusandhan (implied by the catalog link and publication details) Context: This is a commentary (Churni/Vritti) on the famous Jain hymn, the Bhaktamar Stotra, attributed to Acharya Manatunga.

Overview of the Commentary (Churni):

The provided text is a commentary written by Ganishri Nayavijayji on the Bhaktamar Stotra. The preface states that this commentary was originally written for the study of Ganmukti Vijayji and was composed by Ganavrata Nayavijayji. The author's period is estimated to be the 17th-18th century, and he was the guru of the renowned Upadhyaya Yashovijay Ganiji.

The primary purpose of this Churni is vyutpatti-bodha, meaning the elucidation of the grammatical structure and meaning of each compound word in the verses. While it deeply explains the compound words, it does not delve into other detailed grammatical processes. The text highlights how studying such commentaries on short hymns like the Bhaktamar Stotra is a joyful means for students to understand word derivations and meanings.

The commentary is presented in a bilingual format, with the original verses on one side of the page and the Churni explanation on the other.

Key Aspects of the Bhaktamar Stotra Explained in the Churni:

The Churni meticulously breaks down each verse of the Bhaktamar Stotra, explaining the meaning of words and phrases, and often providing illustrative examples. Here's a thematic summary of the explanations for some of the verses:

Verse 1 & 2 (Praise of Jinendra): The commentary begins by explaining the praise of Jinendra, whose feet are a support for those falling in the cycle of existence (samsara). It highlights how these verses are sung by celestial beings (Suranatha) due to their profound understanding of all scriptures and their captivating nature. The author emphasizes that he too will praise this first Jinendra.
Verse 3 (Humility in Praise): The commentary explains the speaker's humility, acknowledging their limited intellect compared to the celestial beings who worship the feet of Jinendra. It uses the analogy of a child not wanting to grasp the moon's reflection in water when the real moon is available to illustrate the desire to praise Jinendra.
Verse 4 (Incomparable Qualities): This verse compares the task of describing Jinendra's qualities to the impossibility of crossing an ocean filled with crocodiles and turbulent currents with just one's arms. It asserts that even the guru of the gods (Brihaspati) would be incapable of speaking of Jinendra's virtues.
Verse 5 (Devotion Overcomes Limitations): The commentary explains how, despite a lack of power, the speaker is moved to praise Jinendra out of devotion. It uses the analogy of a deer bravely approaching a lion for its fawn's protection, driven by love, to illustrate this point.
Verse 6 (Devotion as the Source of Speech): The text highlights that one's devotion to Jinendra makes them eloquent, even if they are less learned. The analogy of the cuckoo singing sweetly in spring due to the mango blossoms is used to explain this phenomenon.
Verse 7 (Destruction of Sins): The commentary explains how praise of Jinendra instantly eradicates sins accumulated over lifetimes, similar to how darkness is dispelled by the sun's rays.
Verse 8 (Power of Jinendra's Influence): This verse emphasizes that even with limited intellect, by contemplating Jinendra's greatness, one can achieve the ability to write praises that will captivate the minds of the virtuous. The analogy of a dewdrop appearing like a pearl on a lotus leaf is used.
Verse 9 (The Power of Association): The commentary states that even mere association with Jinendra (his stories) can destroy worldly afflictions, just as the sun's rays cause lotus flowers to bloom from a distance.
Verse 10 (True Kingship): The commentary explains that it's not surprising if those who praise Jinendra with virtues become like Him. True greatness lies in not making one's dependents equal to oneself, which Jinendra does not do.
Verse 11 (Unmatched Beauty): The commentary compares Jinendra's captivating form to the moon's effulgence and states that once seen, the eyes find no satisfaction elsewhere. It uses the analogy of drinking the nectar-like milk of the ocean of milk and then being repulsed by the salty sea water.
Verse 12 (Incomparable Form): This verse explains that the subtle particles that form Jinendra's form, devoid of attachment and passion, are also present on earth, but none can match His form.
Verse 13 (Comparison with the Moon): The commentary contrasts Jinendra's face, which captivates the eyes of gods, humans, and celestial beings, with the moon's face, which is blemished by a dark spot and appears pale during the day.
Verse 14 (Glory of Virtues): The commentary highlights that Jinendra's virtues, as radiant as the full moon, pervade all three worlds. Those who take refuge in the one supreme Lord cannot be hindered by anyone.
Verse 15 (Unwavering Mind): The commentary explains that it is not surprising if Jinendra's mind remains undisturbed by celestial damsels. It uses the analogy of Mount Meru's peak, which is not moved by the fierce winds of cosmic dissolution.
Verse 16 (Eternal Light): This verse describes Jinendra as a lamp without smoke or wick, whose oil is inexhaustible, illuminating the three worlds. He is not subject to the winds of change, making Him a unique source of light for the world.
Verse 17 (Transcendent Power): The commentary explains that Jinendra never sets and is not subject to Rahu's influence. His great glory is not obscured by clouds. His brilliance surpasses that of the sun.
Verse 18 (Radiant Lotus Face): This verse describes Jinendra's lotus-like face as eternally radiant, dispelling the great darkness of delusion, and incomparable to the moon. It illuminates the world with its unparalleled brilliance.
Verse 19 (Light Dispelling Darkness): The commentary explains that when Jinendra's radiant face dispels darkness, the moon during the night and the sun during the day become redundant. It further illustrates this with the analogy of life being filled with harvested paddy fields, making rain-laden clouds unnecessary.
Verse 20 (Superior Knowledge): The commentary states that the knowledge residing in Jinendra is unparalleled and not found in other leaders like Hari (Vishnu) and Hara (Shiva). Just as a radiant gem possesses great brilliance, unlike a piece of glass, Jinendra's knowledge is supreme.
Verse 21 (Unforgettable Vision): The commentary expresses a preference for having seen Jinendra, as this vision brings satisfaction to the heart. It implies that after seeing Him, one's mind is not captured by anyone else in any future life.
Verse 22 (Uniqueness of Motherhood): The commentary highlights the unique motherhood of Jinendra's mother. While hundreds of women bear many sons, no other mother has given birth to someone like Jinendra. It uses the analogy of all directions holding jewels, but only the East giving birth to the sun's radiant rays.
Verse 23 (Ultimate Purusha): The commentary explains that sages consider Jinendra the supreme being, described as luminous like the sun, pure, and beyond darkness. By truly realizing Him, one conquers death, and there is no other path to salvation.
Verse 24 (Names and Attributes): This verse enumerates various attributes of Jinendra: eternal, all-pervading, unthinkable, innumerable, primary, Brahma, Ishvara, infinite, devoid of attachment, lord of yogis, known through yoga, manifold yet one, and of the nature of pure knowledge.
Verse 25 (Embodiment of Divinity): The commentary asserts that Jinendra is the Buddha (enlightened one) due to his wisdom, Shankara (benevolent one) due to his welfare to the three worlds, and Dhata (creator) due to his ordaining the path of salvation. Therefore, He is clearly the supreme person.
Verse 26 (Homage): This verse expresses salutations to Jinendra as the remover of the sorrows of the three worlds, the pure ornament of the earth, the supreme lord of the three worlds, and the one who dries up the ocean of existence.
Verse 27 (Unwavering Purity): The commentary questions the wonder of Jinendra being entirely pervaded by virtues and untouched by impurities that cause arrogance. He is never perceived, even in dreams, by those who are proud of their various attachments and flaws.
Verse 28 (Radiant Form): This verse describes Jinendra's pure form, shining brightly amidst the Ashok tree, resembling the sun beside a cloud, with clear, effulgent rays dispelling all darkness.
Verse 29 (Divine Throne): The commentary likens Jinendra's golden, pure body, adorned with the crests of jewel-like rays, to the sun's disc on the peak of a rising mountain, shining amidst the expanse of the sky.
Verse 30 (Majestic Appearance): The commentary compares Jinendra's form, radiating with the luster of pure white chamaras, to the magnificent peak of Mount Meru, adorned with streams of water bright as the rising moon.
Verse 31 (Symbol of Supremacy): The commentary states that Jinendra's three parasols, shining like the moon and blocking the sun's heat, adorned with rows of pearls, proclaim His supremacy over the three worlds.
Verse 32 (Lotus Feet): The commentary explains that where Jinendra's feet, radiant with the brilliance of the tips of His fingernails resembling clusters of golden lotuses, are placed, gods themselves create lotus flowers.
Verse 33 (Unique Teachings): The commentary highlights that Jinendra's teachings are uniquely effective in guiding towards dharma, unlike those of others. Just as the sun's radiance dispels darkness, no other celestial body can match its brilliance.
Verse 34 (Fearlessness): The commentary explains that those who take refuge in Jinendra are not afraid even when confronted by a rampaging elephant intoxicated by its own rut, roaring like a lion, and the loud trumpeting of its attendants.
Verse 35 (Protection from Mighty Foes): The commentary states that even the king of lions, despite his strength, cannot harm those who have taken refuge at Jinendra's feet, their feet adorned with the pearls from the smashed heads of elephants dripping with blood.
Verse 36 (Destruction of Calamities): The commentary explains that the water of Jinendra's name recitation can extinguish all destructive fires, whether they are like the fire of cosmic dissolution, forest fires, or wildfires, which appear as if trying to devour the universe.
Verse 37 (Victory Over Poisons): The commentary explains that a person whose heart contains the mantra of Jinendra's name, like a snake jewel (Maninaga), can fearlessly overcome a serpent with red eyes, dark as a cuckoo's throat, enraged, and with its hood raised.
Verse 38 (Victory in Battle): The commentary states that the courage of even powerful kings in battle, accompanied by the fierce sounds of galloping horses and trumpeting elephants, is quickly shattered by the praise of Jinendra, just as darkness is dispersed by the rising sun's rays.
Verse 39 (Success in War): The commentary explains that those who take refuge at the lotus feet of Jinendra achieve victory in battles, even against formidable and invincible enemies, where soldiers are fighting with the flow of blood from elephants pierced by sword tips.
Verse 40 (Salvation from the Ocean of Samsara): The commentary explains that travelers who remember Jinendra in the midst of a turbulent ocean, filled with fearsome crocodiles, sharp fish, and treacherous currents, are freed from their fear and reach their destination safely.
Verse 41 (Transformed by Divine Dust): The commentary states that people afflicted by terrible diseases of enlarged stomachs, losing all hope of life, if they anoint their bodies with the dust from Jinendra's lotus feet, become as beautiful as Cupid.
Verse 42 (Freedom from Bonds): The commentary explains that people who continuously remember the mantra of Jinendra's name, even those bound by chains up to their throat and their legs chafed by thick fetters, are immediately freed from the fear of bondage.
Verse 43 (Conquering Fears): The commentary states that the fear that arises from an enraged elephant, a lion, a forest fire, a serpent, a battle, or a turbulent ocean, is quickly destroyed by the person who wisely recites this hymn to Jinendra.
Verse 44 (Attracting Wealth and Fame): The commentary concludes by stating that anyone who, with devotion, wears the garland of verses about Jinendra's virtues, adorned with beautiful and varied flowers, will attain fame and be effortlessly embraced by Lakshmi (wealth).

Colophon:

The colophon indicates that this commentary was written by Ganavrata Nayavijayaji, a disciple of the learned scholar Padya Shri Kalyanavijay Ganiji, in the year Samvat 1692 (1635 CE) in Shuddhavantinegara, for the reading of Gan Mukti Vijay.

Overall Significance:

The Bhaktamarstava Churni provides a detailed and accessible explanation of the Bhaktamar Stotra, making its profound spiritual and philosophical content understandable to a wider audience. It emphasizes the transformative power of devotion and the remembrance of Jinendra, offering protection from worldly dangers, the eradication of sins, and ultimately, liberation. The meticulous breakdown of compound words underscores the importance of understanding the nuances of language in spiritual practice.