Shatrunjaya Tirthashtak

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Shatrunjaya Tirthashtak" by Vinaysagar, based on the provided PDF excerpt:

The document presents the "Shatrunjaya Tirthashtak," a devotional poem in the Apabhramsha language, attributed to Acharya Hemchandra.

Context and Attribution:

• The poem is presented as a quotation within the commentary ("Vriddha Vritti") written by Sumatigani, a disciple of Shri Jinpatisuri. Sumatigani's commentary is on the first verse of the "Ganadhar Sardhashatak Prakaran" composed by Yugapradhan Dada Jinvatsuri.
• The commentary ("Vriddha Vritti") was composed in Vikram Samvat 1295. This places the likely composition period of the "Shatrunjaya Tirthashtak" in the 12th-13th century.
• The final line of the Ashtak explicitly mentions "Hemasurih," confirming Hemchandra as the author.
• The text notes that there were two prominent Acharyas named Hemchandra in the 12th century:
  1. Hemchandra of the Maladhar Gachha.
  2. The "Kalikal Sarvajna" (Omniscient of the Kali Age) Hemchandra of the Purnatallaga Gachha.
• Both were contemporaries and respected by King Siddharaj Jaising of Gujarat.
• Since the Maladhar Gachha Hemchandra's vernacular compositions are not available, and the "Kalikal Sarvajna" Hemchandra extensively used Apabhramsha in works like "Deshynamala" and grammar, the latter is considered the probable author of this Ashtak.

Content and Significance:

• The Ashtak extols the glory of Shatrunjaya (also known as Siddhachala), the preeminent pilgrimage site located in the Saurashtra region.
• Language and Meter: The poem is written in Apabhramsha, a Prakrit language, and composed in the Deshyachhanda-Shatpadi meter.
• Linguistic Importance: The text highlights the poem's linguistic and philological significance, noting that it was previously unknown. Its inclusion in a work from Vikram Samvat 1200 suggests that the ancient and meaningful text has been preserved in its original form.

Summary of the Verses (Ashtak):

The poem is structured in eight verses, each praising Shatrunjaya and its significance in Jainism:

1. Verse 1: Describes Shatrunjaya as a city where the first Tirthankara, Lord Rishabhadeva (Rishabheshwar), resides. It is considered the king of pilgrimage sites, adorned with the purity of Pundarikgachha (associated with Bharat Chakravarti's renunciation). It's a place where gods and humans rejoice with devotion.
2. Verse 2: Mentions Shatrunjaya as the place where Pundarik (the Ganadhara of Lord Rishabhadeva) attained liberation. It is also where the five Pandavas achieved their spiritual goals. The hill is described as being adorned with the feet of twenty-three Tirthankaras, including Lord Neminatha, who have left their footprints there, filling the universe with their fame.
3. Verse 3: States that ten crore Dravida-Valikhilya sages attained liberation and purity of conduct at Shatrunjaya. It also mentions Lord Rama (son of Dasharatha) and Bharat Chakravarti achieving blissful union with liberation there. It is praised as the supreme among pilgrimage sites. It also refers to the sage Aparajita who attained omniscience there, and Narayana who ascended to liberation, free from suffering.
4. Verse 4: Highlights that Chakravarti Vidyadharas, Nami-Vinami, ** Muni Vrah** (likely referring to deities), and Nayananda Suris attained supreme heavenly bliss and protection from worldly suffering at Shatrunjaya. It is a place of eternal happiness, where ascetics, even if flawed, are honored by celestial beings, and by the power of the pilgrimage, enjoy divine pleasures.
5. Verse 5: A poetic expression of the aspiration to see Lord Rishabhadeva and his Ganadhara Pundarik on the Shatrunjaya hill. It implies that without this vision, true life's happiness is unattainable.
6. Verse 6: A rhetorical question admonishing those who wander aimlessly, deluded by worldly attractions, and suffer by not visiting the preeminent pilgrimage site of Shatrunjaya, where Lord Rishabhadeva is worshipped, thereby cutting the cycle of birth, old age, and death.
7. Verse 7: Another set of rhetorical questions that question the worth of a life devoid of virtue, a life of poverty and suffering, or words spoken without understanding. It emphasizes the futility of living a life without worshipping the revered Lord Rishabhadeva and Ganadhara Pundarik on the peak of Shatrunjaya.
8. Verse 8: Celebrates the power of the Kapadayaksha (possibly a guardian deity) that makes the impossible possible. It mentions that even today, in this age of Kali, the unbroken fame and glory of Shatrunjaya are evident, especially for the virtuous. It concludes by urging devotion to this holy place, which is revered by countless Siddhas, Munishwaras, and celestial beings, and which has been narrated by Hem Suri.

In essence, the "Shatrunjaya Tirthashtak" is a devotional masterpiece that glorifies the sacred hill of Shatrunjaya, highlighting its spiritual significance, the liberation of numerous revered figures of Jainism, and urging devotees to undertake pilgrimages and worship Lord Rishabhadeva there. Its attribution to Acharya Hemchandra and its composition in Apabhramsha make it a significant artifact in Jain literary and linguistic history.