Samadhi Shatakam Satikam

This document is an English translation of the Samadhi-Shatakam (Hundred Verses on Self-Concentration) by Prabhendu, with a commentary by Prabhaachandra. The translation and notes are by Manilal N. Doshi, published in 1895.

The book is a Jain text that focuses on achieving Samadhi (self-concentration) and understanding the true nature of the soul (Atman). It differentiates between three types of souls:

1. Bahir-atma (Objective Soul): This soul identifies the body and its physical attributes as the self. They are driven by external senses and worldly desires.
2. Antar-atma (Subjective Soul): This soul starts to distinguish between the body and the self, focusing on internal experiences and the mind. They strive for self-knowledge but are still bound by subtle mental processes and attachments.
3. Para-atma (Supreme Soul): This is the liberated soul, free from all karma and worldly attachments. They possess infinite knowledge, perception, power, and bliss. This is the ultimate goal.

The text emphasizes the following key concepts:

• The True Nature of the Soul: The soul (Atman) is distinct from the body, senses, and all external objects. It is eternal, pure, conscious, and blissful.
• Ignorance (Avidya): The primary cause of suffering and the cycle of birth and death (samsara) is ignorance, which leads to the false identification of the body as the self.
• Liberation (Moksha): Liberation is achieved by dispelling ignorance and realizing the true nature of the self. This involves detachment from the objective world and deep introspection on the subjective self, ultimately leading to the realization of the supreme soul.
• The Path to Samadhi: The text outlines a path of self-discipline, renunciation of worldly desires, controlling the senses, and concentrating the mind on the true self. This process is described as a journey from the objective to the subjective, and finally to the supreme.
• Self-Realization is Key: True knowledge and liberation come from within, from realizing one's own true nature. External rituals, austerities, or even scriptural knowledge alone are insufficient without this inner realization.
• Detachment from External Forms: The text consistently warns against attachment to external forms, including the body, caste, religious observances, and even mental constructs. These are seen as distractions from the ultimate goal of self-realization.

Key Themes and Teachings:

• Devotion to the Self: The ultimate devotion is to one's own realized self, which is one with the supreme soul.
• Equanimity: A realized soul remains neutral and undisturbed by worldly pleasures or pains, friends or foes.
• The Dangers of Delusion: The text illustrates how delusion (mistaking the body for the self) leads to suffering and how overcoming it brings liberation.
• The Gradual Path: The journey towards liberation is depicted as a progression, moving from gross material identification to subtle mental states, and finally to the pure, unconditioned self.

The translation includes a preface by Manilal N. Doshi, who explains his motivation for translating the work and his admiration for Jain literature. It also includes an errata page to correct printing errors in the English text.