Article: Bhaktāmara-stotra

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Bhaktāmara-stotra

JainSquare.com provides a recording of the popular hymn Bhaktāmara-stotra on Box.com. This version features a male and female singer reciting the hymn, considered a masterpiece of Sanskrit poetry. The title Devoted Gods comes from the first verse, which describes how all the gods offer homage to Ṛṣabha.

https://www.box.com/s/39afc86b03402ff6cf7e

Bhaktāmara-stotra – Digambara

YouTube provides a video of the original Sanskrit Bhaktāmara-stotra, accompanied by pictures of Jina figures. The Digambara version of 48 stanzas is sung by the Rajasthani classical singer Rattan Mohan Sharma.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RVxvCpbp20

Bhaktāmara-stotra – Digambara text

The 48 Sanskrit verses of the Digambara version of the hymn are presented in Nagari and transliteration with English translation below, on a faculty private page on the Colorado State University website. The hymn is considered to be a masterpiece of Sanskrit poetry.

http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/bhaktamar.html

Bhaktāmara-stotra – Śvetāmbara recitation

The original Sanskrit Bhaktāmara-stotra is recited by the Śvetāmbara monk Param Pujya Vijay Bhuwan Shekhar Surishwarji Maharaj. This 2010 YouTube video contains pages of an illustrated publication of the hymn, which is a masterpiece of Sanskrit poetry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKN8ApRQaFY

Bhaktāmara-stotra – Śvetāmbara text

The HereNow4U website provides the Sanskrit text of the Śvetāmbara hymn in Nagari, English translation and word-to-word translation, accompanied by modern illustrations. There is also a glossary of Sanskrit terms.

To move to another verse, click on one of the arrows above the title or slide the button along the scroll bar.

http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=59859

Bhaktāmara-stotra – Hindi

JainSquare.com provides a recording of the Bhaktāmara-stotra on Box.com. This version of the Jain hymn is in Hindi, while the original song of devotion was composed in Sanskrit. The hymn is extremely popular and has been translated into many languages. The Sanskrit title Devoted Gods is taken from the first verse, which describes how all the gods offer homage to Ṛṣabha, the first Jina.

https://www.box.com/s/43b44b7cf1696556ea1e

R̥ṣabha and Indra

A manuscript painting in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art shows Indra, king of the gods, taking the infant R̥ṣabhanātha or Lord R̥ṣabha, the first Jina, to Mount Meru for his ritual bath. The decorated elephant and canopy symbolise royalty while the lotus flowers are emblems of spiritual purity. The gods around blow trumpets and conches in celebration. A very popular Jain hymn of praise, the Bhaktāmara-stotra has been translated into many languages and illustrated numerous times.

http://collections.lacma.org/node/173269

R̥ṣabha's ritual bath

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art provides a manuscript illustration of the lustration or ritual bath of R̥ṣabhanātha or Lord R̥ṣabha, the first Jina. A very popular Jain hymn of praise, the Bhaktāmara-stotra has been translated into many languages and illustrated numerous times.

http://collectionsonline.lacma.org/mwebcgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=72260;type=101

Mānatuṅga and the Bhaktāmara-stotra

HereNow4U provides a version of the tale of Mānatuṅga, composer of the very popular Bhaktāmara-stotra hymn. The Digambara story found here recounts how the power of the hymn frees Mānatuṅga from his chains.

http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=75359

Mānatuṅga as a Digambara monk

This manuscript painting shows Mānatuṅga, author of the Bhaktāmara-stotra, as a full-fledged, naked Digambara monk, on the right. One of the most popular Jain devotional songs, the Bhaktāmara-stotra is frequently illustrated. This digitised manuscript of the hymn is provided by the International Digamber Jain Organization.

http://www.idjo.org/Manuscript.asp?id=4&i=6

Commemoration of Mānutuṅga

Jainteerth.com offers information about the shrine dedicated to Śāntinātha or Lord Śānti, the 16th Jina, in Bhojpur, Madhya Pradesh.

There is also information on Mānutuṅga, author of the Bhaktāmara-stotra hymn, who is associated with the area. He is supposed to have been imprisoned in nearby Ahu and broken free by reciting the hymn. He is commemorated in:

• a shrine
• an ‘emancipation-rock’ – siddha-śilā
• holy footprints – pādukās.

http://www.jainteerth.com/teerth/bhojpur.asp

King puts a merchant down a well

JainSquare.com provides a story associated with the Bhaktāmara-stotra hymn. This tale, found in Guṇākara's famous 14th-century commentary, is associated with the first two verses of the hymn. Unfortunately, the level of English makes it difficult to understand in places.

http://jainsquare.com/2012/04/02/bhaktamar-stotra-stories-blessings-from-the-goddess/

Devala the carpenter

JainSquare.com provides a story associated with the Bhaktāmara-stotra hymn. This tale recounts the story of the poor carpenter Devala and is associated with the fifth verse of the hymn. Unfortunately, the level of English makes it difficult to understand in places.

http://jainsquare.com/2012/04/01/bhaktamar-stotra-stories-from-devala-carpenter-to-multi-millioneer/

King Hemabrahma and Queen Hamesri

JainSquare.com provides a story associated with the Bhaktāmara-stotra hymn. This tale of King Hemabrahma and Queen Hamesri is associated with the ninth verse of the hymn. Unfortunately, the level of English makes it difficult to understand in places.

http://jainsquare.com/2012/04/06/bhaktamar-stotra-stories-the-lotus-blooms-in-the-void-lap/

Bhaktāmara-stotra – Digambara manuscript

The International Digamber Jain Organization provides a digitised manuscript of the Bhaktāmara-stotra. Kept in Arrah, Bihar in India, this manuscript contains:

• the Digambara version of the hymn in the original Sanskrit
• a Hindi verse rendering
• figurative coloured paintings
• mantras
• the procedures to be followed when reciting the hymn.

http://www.idjo.org/Manuscript.asp?id=4&i=1

Bhaktāmara-stotra – Digambara manuscript

The International Digamber Jain Organization provides a digitised manuscript of the Bhaktāmara-stotra. This manuscript contains:

• the Digambara version of the hymn in the original Sanskrit
• accompanying yantras
• mantras
• the procedures to be followed when reciting the hymn, given in Hindi/Gujarati.

 

http://www.idjo.org/Manuscript.asp?id=5&i=0

Bhaktāmara-stotra – Digambara manuscript

The International Digamber Jain Organization provides a digitised manuscript of the Bhaktāmara-stotra. This manuscript contains:

• the Digambara version of the hymn in the original Sanskrit
• accompanying yantras
• mantras.

http://www.idjo.org/Manuscript.asp?id=6&i=0

Bhaktāmara-stotra – Digambara manuscript

The International Digamber Jain Organization provides a digitised manuscript of the Bhaktāmara-stotra. This manuscript contains:

• the Digambara version of the hymn in the original Sanskrit
• accompanying yantras
• mantras.

http://www.idjo.org/Manuscript.asp?id=8&i=0

Bhaktāmara-stotra – illustrated pages

The University of Michigan Museum of Art holds pages of a Digambara manuscript which Phyllis Granoff of Yale has identified as illustrated pages of a Digambara Bhaktāmara-stotra. Her 2010 article, 'Illustrating the Bhaktāmarastotra', can be seen on the HereNow4U website.

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?type=bbaglist;view=bbthumbnail;bbdbid=796751910

Jina illustration in the Bhaktāmara-stotra

This Digambara manuscript painting depicts a naked Jina surrounded by monks, whose nudity demonstrates their renunciation of earthly matters. The golden-skinned Jina stands in the kāyotsarga – rejection of the body – pose of meditation. One of the most popular Jain devotional songs, the Bhaktāmara-stotra is frequently illustrated. This digitised manuscript of the hymn is provided by the International Digamber Jain Organization.

http://www.idjo.org/Manuscript.asp?id=4&i=8

Bhaktāmara-stotra worship ritual

During the 2006 festival of Paryuṣaṇ, Jains take part in the rite of Bhaktāmara-stotra pūjā in London. This report from the HereNow4U website provides a first-hand account and pictures of the ceremony. The Bhaktāmara-stotra is one of the few Jain hymns to be the focus of ceremonial worship.

http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=cd7581

Bhaktāmara-stotra ceremony

A first-hand illustrated report on the Bhaktāmara-pūjā or worship ritual, held in London in 2005, is provided on the HereNow4U website. The report and photographs show some stages of the Digambara ceremony, which is celebrated by the whole community. The Bhaktāmara-stotra is one of the few Jain hymns to be the centre of religious worship.

http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=cd4238

Chanting the Bhaktāmara-stotra

On 20th April 2007 Jains in London spent 24 hours reciting the Bhaktāmara-stotra for the Akṣaya-tr̥tīyā festival. The hymn is one of the best-known Jain devotional songs and, like the Akṣaya-tr̥tīyā festival, is associated with Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, the first Jina. This illustrated report by Hina Vora is on the HereNow4U website.

http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=cd9659

Namaskāra-mantra and Bhaktāmara-stotra with yantras – part one

This YouTube slideshow features a recording of the Namaskāra-mantra followed by the Bhaktāmara-stotra, a famous Sanskrit hymn of praise to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha.;

Also known as the Navkār-mantra or Namokār-mantra, the Namaskāra-mantra is a very old mantra in Prakrit. It can be sung to different tunes and is chanted daily to honour the 'five types of beings worthy of worship' or Supreme Beings':

Bhaktāmara-stotra means Devoted Gods. This title comes from the first verse, which describes how all the gods offer homage to Ṛṣabha. The slideshow includes colour-tinted yantras and mantras to help listeners meditate.

This is the first of four parts of the Śvetāmbara hymn, which has 44 verses. This part contains stanzas 1 to 12.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzJtiikKnh4

Bhaktāmara-stotra with yantras – part two

This YouTube slideshow features a recording of the Bhaktāmara-stotra, a famous Sanskrit hymn of praise to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha. The title Devoted Gods comes from the first verse, which describes how all the gods offer homage to Ṛṣabha. The slideshow includes colour-tinted yantras and mantras to help listeners meditate.

This is the second of four parts of the 44-verse Śvetāmbara hymn, covering stanzas 13 to 25.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTrjLZiXqn0

Bhaktāmara-stotra with yantras – part three

This YouTube slideshow features a recording of the Bhaktāmara-stotra, a famous Sanskrit hymn of praise to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha. The title Devoted Gods comes from the first verse, which describes how all the gods offer homage to Ṛṣabha. The slideshow includes colour-tinted yantras and mantras to help listeners meditate. The yantras in this part begin with the svastika, ancient Asian symbol of well-being and good fortune.

This is the third of four parts of the 44-verse Śvetāmbara hymn, covering stanzas 26 to 38.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5vxTizyynA

Bhaktāmara-stotra with yantras – part four

This YouTube slideshow features a recording of the Bhaktāmara-stotra, a famous Sanskrit hymn of praise to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha. The title Devoted Gods comes from the first verse, which describes how all the gods offer homage to Ṛṣabha. The slideshow includes colour-tinted yantras and mantras to help listeners meditate.

This is the last of four parts of the 44-verse Śvetāmbara hymn, covering stanzas 39 to 44.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVJ35_uNbV8

Bhaktamar Mahayantra

A 'great yantra' honouring the Bhaktāmara-stotra on the HereNow4U website. A very popular Jain hymn of praise, the Bhaktāmara-stotra is closely associated with mantras – auspicious syllables – and mystical diagrams – yantras. Reciting the mantras and meditating on the yantras is part of the Bhaktāmara-stotra worship ceremony. Each verse has developed its own mantra and yantra, but there are also yantras designed to be contemplated when chanting the whole hymn.

http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=73111

Bhaktāmara temple

The Jinalaya website provides information about the Shri Bhaktamar Bhavya Mandir in Baruch, Gujarat. The temple is dedicated to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha, and the devotional song of the Bhaktāmara-stotra. The temple houses an image of the hymn's composer, Mānatuṅga, and the 44 stanzas of the Śvetāmbara version, as well as figures of the first Jina.

http://www.jinalaya.com/gujarat/bharuch.htm

Harsukhrai Temple

The HereNow4U website reprints a 1945 article on the Harsukhrai Temple at Dharmapura, Delhi, also called the Naya Mandir. The article describes and provides photographs of the Digambara temple, which features verses of the Bhaktāmara-stotra. The famous hymn of the Bhaktāmara-stotra is associated with miraculous powers that come from repeating its verses, especially the name of the first Jina, Ṛṣabha.

http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=82654