Bhaktamarstava Sukhbodhika Vrutti - Book Summary

This document is a Gujarati summary and commentary on the Bhaktamar Stotra, a revered Jain hymn. Titled "Bhaktamarstava Sukhbodhika Vrutti" (meaning "Easy-to-Understand Commentary on the Bhaktamar Stotra"), it was authored by Shilchandrasuri and published by ZZ_Anusandhan. The provided text focuses on specific verses of the Bhaktamar Stotra and offers interpretations, often highlighting textual variations and explaining the meanings.

Here's a breakdown of the content:

Introduction (Page 1):

The commentary is based on a nine-page manuscript of the Bhaktamar Stotra found in a private collection.
The author's name is not mentioned, but it is estimated to have been written in the 18th century.
While generally following traditional interpretations, the commentary notes significant textual variations in certain verses.
Examples of Variations:
- Verse 6: The traditional reading is 'मुखरीकुरुते' (mukhareekurte). This commentary notes this but also shows 'मुखरी-वाचालः कुरुते' (mukharee-vachalah kurute) as an alternative interpretation.
- Verse 23: The text mentions 'तमसः पुरस्तात्' (tamasah purastat) as the reading, while the commonly accepted and appropriate reading is 'परस्तात्' (parastat). The commentary explains the former as "before darkness" or "in the midst of darkness."
- Verse 26: The prevalent reading is 'जिन ! भवोदधिशोषणाय' (Jina! Bhavodadhisoshanaya), but this commentary presents 'जनभवोदधिशोषणाय' (Janabhavodadhisoshanaya). It first explains 'Jina!' and then 'Jana', interpreting the latter as "He who dries up the ocean of worldly existence of people."
- Verse 27: While accepting the reading 'विविधाश्रयजातगर्वैः' (vividhashrayajatagarvaih), it offers 'विबुधाश्रयजातगर्वैः' (vibudhashrayajatagarvaih) as an alternative. The commentary for the latter explains it as "pride born from the resort of celestial beings." The primary reading is considered 'vibudhashrayah' with 'vividhashrayah' being a variant.
The introduction concludes by stating that there are many other commentaries on the Bhaktamar Stotra, many of which are unpublished, and their publication would be valuable.

Commentary on Specific Verses (Pages 2-13):

The subsequent pages provide a verse-by-verse explanation and interpretation of the Bhaktamar Stotra. Each verse is quoted or referenced, followed by the commentary from Shilchandrasuri. The commentary often uses arthantaranyasa (argument by illustration) to further clarify the meaning, drawing parallels from nature or common situations.

Here's a glimpse of the types of explanations provided:

Verse 1-2: Explains the initial verses, describing the qualities of the Jinendra and the author's intention to praise Him after proper veneration of His feet, which are radiant with the brilliance of jewels on the crowns of devotees and have dispelled the darkness of sin.
Verse 3: Discusses being bold enough to praise, even without complete intellectual understanding, comparing it to a child trying to grasp the moon reflected in water.
Verse 4: Highlights the impossibility of fully describing the Lord's infinite virtues, comparing it to someone trying to cross the ocean with their bare hands.
Verse 5: Explains that despite one's own limitations, devotion inspires one to praise, just as a mother animal cares for its young without considering its own strength.
Verse 6: Addresses how devotion makes even the less learned eloquent, like the cuckoo singing sweetly in spring, attributing it to the beauty of mango blossoms.
Verse 7: Describes how the Lord's praise instantly destroys all sins, even those accumulated over many lifetimes, comparing sin to darkness dispelled by the sun.
Verse 8: Asserts that devotion, even with limited intellect, will win the hearts of good people, just as a dewdrop on a lotus leaf gains the brilliance of a pearl.
Verse 9: States that even hearing about the Lord (His stories) removes suffering, just as the sun makes lotuses bloom.
Verse 10: Declares that those who praise the Lord become like Him, comparing it to a master making his servant equal to himself.
Verse 11: Explains that seeing the Lord is satisfying, and no other deity can compare, just as one who drinks from the ocean of milk would not desire the salty water of the sea.
Verse 12: Describes the Lord's supreme beauty, composed of atoms of unparalleled purity and radiance, surpassing all comparisons.
Verse 13: Compares the Lord's face to the moon, which shines brightly during the day, and how it surpasses the moon by being free from blemishes and captivating the eyes of all beings.
Verse 14: States that the Lord's virtues transcend the three worlds, like the full moon's rays, and that no one can obstruct those who follow Him.
Verse 15: Expresses no surprise that the Lord's mind is unaffected by celestial nymphs, just as the Mandara mountain is unmoved by the winds of cosmic dissolution.
Verse 16: Describes the Lord as an incorporeal lamp, free from smoke and oil, illuminating the entire world.
Verse 17: States that the Lord is superior to the sun, never sets, is not subject to Rahu's influence, and swiftly illuminates the world without being obstructed by clouds.
Verse 18: Depicts the Lord's lotus-like face as ever-luminous, dispelling the darkness of delusion, and being unaffected by the moon's blemishes or clouds.
Verse 19: Compares the Lord's face to the moon that dispels darkness, making the sun's light redundant, just as rain clouds do not add much when the earth is already flourishing with crops.
Verse 20: Asserts that the Lord's knowledge shines brightly, unlike that of others, just as the radiance of a gem is far greater than that of a piece of glass.
Verse 21: Believes that seeing gods like Hari and Hara is secondary; true fulfillment comes from seeing the Lord, who captures the heart and can never be forgotten.
Verse 22: States that while many women give birth to many children, no other mother has given birth to a son like the Lord, just as only the East gives birth to the sun, even though all directions hold stars.
Verse 23: Explains that wise sages consider the Lord the supreme being, the pure, sun-like being appearing before the darkness. Yogis conquer death by attaining Him, and there is no other safe path to liberation.
Verse 24: Lists the innumerable attributes of the Lord praised by the virtuous, such as imperishable, omnipresent, inconceivable, infinite, the creator, the controller, the yogi-king, one and many, and knowledge personified.
Verse 25: Proclaims the Lord as the deity of the Buddha tradition, the cause of welfare for the three worlds, the sustainer of the path of liberation, and the supreme among beings.
Verse 26: Offers salutations to the Lord as the remover of the sufferings 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 worldly existence.
Verse 27: Expresses wonder that the Lord, when completely devoid of flaws and constantly embraced by all groups, is not even seen by them in dreams. This is attributed to the pride of other deities who, finding no place in the Lord's presence, reside in their own forms.
Verse 28: Describes the Lord's form, sheltered by the Ashok tree, as exceptionally beautiful and radiant, like the sun's disc near a cloud, dispelling all darkness.
Verse 29: Depicts the Lord's radiant golden form seated on a bejeweled throne, comparing it to the sun's disc shining with radiant rays on the summit of the rising mountain.
Verse 30: Describes the Lord's form as beautiful with white, moving chamaras (fly-whisks), adorned with golden radiance, and having streams of pure water like the moon on the peak of a mountain.
Verse 31: Describes the three umbrellas above the Lord as beautiful as the moon, shielding the sun's power, and adorned with clusters of pearls, proclaiming His supremacy over the three worlds.
Verse 32: Explains that where the Lord's feet touch the ground, the gods create lotuses, and His feet are adorned with the brilliance of newly bloomed, golden lotus petals.
Verse 33: States that the Lord's glory in teaching Dharma is unparalleled, just as the sun's brilliance is far greater than that of the stars.
Verse 34: Assures that those who take refuge in the Lord are not afraid of charging elephants, even those like Airavata, whose temples ooze with rut and whose anger is amplified by the humming of bees.
Verse 35: Mentions that even the king of beasts, the lion, does not attack the Lord's feet, and that servants who approach His feet are adorned with pearls from the bright blood of elephants struck by arrows.
Verse 36: States that the water of the Lord's name extinguishes the great forest fire that rages like the wind during cosmic dissolution, a fire that is bright, smokeless, and full of sparks.
Verse 37: Explains that a person with the Lord's name like a jewel in their heart fears nothing and can overcome a raised cobra, even if it has fiery eyes, a dark blue throat, and is angered.
Verse 38: Highlights that by reciting the Lord's name, even the strength of powerful kings is shattered in battle, and armies of soldiers, though facing fierce battles with elephants and horses, achieve victory by taking refuge at the Lord's lotus feet.
Verse 39: Assures that those who remember the Lord are freed from the fear of bondage, even when their limbs are bound by strong chains and their legs are rubbed by iron shackles.
Verse 40: States that those who remember the Lord in ships on the ocean, tossed by turbulent waves and facing sea-fire, overcome fear and reach the shore.
Verse 41: Explains that by touching the dust of the Lord's lotus feet, mortals, even in a pitiable state with bloated bellies and withered hopes, become beautiful like the god of love.
Verse 42: Assures that those who constantly remember the Lord's mantra are freed from the fear of imprisonment, even when their limbs are bound by strong chains and their legs are bruised by shackles.
Verse 43: States that anyone who diligently reads this praise of the Lord is freed from the fear of elephants, lions, forest fires, snakes, wars, oceans, great diseases, and bondage.
Verse 44: Concludes by saying that a person who wears this garland of verses (the Bhaktamar Stotra), composed with devotion and adorned with beautiful flowers of words, is graced by Lakshmi (wealth and prosperity).

In essence, the "Bhaktamarstava Sukhbodhika Vrutti" provides a detailed, verse-by-verse explanation of the Bhaktamar Stotra, offering profound interpretations and highlighting the lyrical and devotional aspects of the hymn, while also acknowledging textual nuances.