Bhaktamara Stotra

I bow fully to the pair of feet of the Jina, the Lord of the beginning, which shine with the radiance of the gems on the crowns of devotees and sages bowing in reverence, which dispel the dense darkness of sins, and which are the sole refuge for those sinking in the ocean of worldly existence.

He who is praised by the lords of the divine realms, who are endowed with perfect intellect arising from the knowledge of all scriptures, with hymns that captivate the hearts of the three worlds—I too will now praise that foremost Jina, the Lord of Jinas.

Even though I am devoid of wisdom and am shamelessly resolved to praise your lotus feet, which are worshipped by the wise, who else but a fool would attempt to grasp the moon's reflection in the water, leaving aside the actual moon?

O Ocean of virtues, who is capable of describing your virtues, which are even more numerous than the rays of the moon, even if one were as wise as the guru of the gods? Who can cross the ocean of existence, with its whirlpools of crocodiles stirred by the winds of the cosmic dissolution, using only his arms?

Yet, O Lord of sages, impelled by devotion to you, I, though devoid of strength, undertake to compose a hymn of praise. Does not the deer, disregarding its own weakness, approach the lion out of love for its own offspring?

My learning is meager, a subject of ridicule among the learned, yet your devotion forcefully makes me vocal. For the cuckoo sings sweetly in spring only because of the clusters of beautiful mango blossoms.

By praising you, the sins accumulated over countless lifetimes of embodied beings instantly perish, just as the dense darkness of night, which envelops the entire world, is quickly dispelled by the rays of the sun.

Knowing this, O Lord, I undertake this hymn of praise to you, even with my feeble intellect, relying on your power. For a drop of water placed on a lotus leaf will surely attain the luster of a pearl, delighting the hearts of the virtuous.

Let alone this hymn that removes all defects, even a mere discussion about you destroys the sins of the world. When the sun, with its thousand rays, is far away, its light alone causes lotuses to bloom in the ponds.

O Ornament of the worlds, O Lord of beings, it is not surprising that those who praise you on earth with all your virtues become like you. For what is that? Does not one who is honored by a king make his refuge equal to himself?

Once the eye has seen you, who are worthy of being gazed upon with unblinking eyes, it finds no pleasure elsewhere. Having drunk the milk of the ocean of milk, which has the luster of the moon's rays, who would wish to drink the salty water of the ordinary ocean?

O you who are the sole ornament of the three worlds, your body is composed of countless atoms, each with a serene and passionless radiance. There are indeed that many atoms on earth, for there is no other form equal to yours.

How far apart is your face, which captivates the eyes of gods, humans, and serpents, and is beyond all comparison in the three worlds, and the moon's disk, which is stained by a spot and becomes pale as a withered leaf during the day!

Your virtues, as pure as the full moon's digit, pervade the three worlds. O Lord of the three worlds, who can stop those who have taken refuge in you, the supreme Lord, as they roam freely as they wish?

What wonder is it that even the celestial nymphs cannot lead your mind even slightly astray? Can the peak of Mount Mandara ever be shaken by the winds of the cosmic dissolution, which move even mountains?

O Lord, you illuminate the entire three worlds like a lamp without smoke, without a wick, and without needing oil. You are another lamp, the light of the world, never reached by the winds that move mountains.

O Lord of sages, you never set, are never reached by Rahu, and instantly illuminate all worlds simultaneously. Your glory, which is not obstructed by clouds, surpasses that of the sun in the world.

Your lotus face, with its eternal rise, dispelling the great darkness of delusion, unreachable by the mouth of Rahu or by clouds, shines with boundless radiance, illuminating the world like an unprecedented moon.

O Lord, when the darkness is dispelled by the moon of your face, what need is there for the moon at night or the sun during the day? When the rice fields are flourishing, what use are the clouds bent with the weight of water?

Just as knowledge shines in you with full scope, it does not shine in Brahma, Vishnu, or other lords. Just as brilliance attains greatness in sparkling gems, it does not attain such in a piece of glass, even if it is full of rays.

I consider it better to have seen Brahma, Vishnu, and others, for upon seeing them, the heart finds satisfaction in you. What is the use of seeing you on earth, O Lord, when no one else, even in another birth, captivates the mind like you?

Hundreds and thousands of women give birth to sons, but no mother has given birth to a son equal to you. All directions bear the sun's rays, but only the eastern direction gives birth to the blazing mass of rays.

The sages declare you to be the Supreme Person, luminous like the sun, pure, beyond darkness. By knowing you fully, they conquer death. O Lord of sages, there is no other path to the state of liberation.

The wise call you the imperishable, the omnipresent, the inconceivable, the infinite, the primordial, the absolute, the lord, the endless, the banner of desirelessness, the lord of yogis, the knower of yoga, the one and the many, the embodiment of knowledge, and the pure.

You are the Buddha, worshipped by the wise, because of your enlightened intellect. You are Shankara, because you bring auspiciousness to the three worlds. You are the Creator, O steadfast one, because you establish the path of liberation. Clearly, O Lord, you are the Supreme Person.

O Lord, salutations to you, who removes the afflictions of the three worlds. Salutations to you, who are the pure ornament of the earth. Salutations to you, the supreme lord of the three worlds. Salutations to you, O Jina, who dries up the ocean of worldly existence.

O Lord of sages, what wonder is it that you are possessed of all virtues without any exception? And that you are never seen even in a dream by the faults that, having found various refuges, have become arrogant?

Your pure form, seated under the lofty Ashoka tree and radiating intense rays, shines brilliantly, like the orb of the sun, with its clearly blazing rays, destroying the mass of darkness, while standing near a cloud.

Your body, shining like gold, is resplendent on a throne adorned with the varied sparks of precious gems, like the orb of the sun with its thousand rays atop the lofty peak of the sunrise mountain, with its net of rays shining in the sky.

Your body, with the luster of molten gold, shines with the beautiful radiance of moving white chowries, like the golden peak of Mount Meru, with its pure waterfall streams flowing like the rising moon, high and bright.

Your three umbrellas, with the luster of the moon, placed high, eclipsing the splendor of the sun's rays, adorned with clusters of pearls, shine, proclaiming your supreme lordship over the three worlds.

A divine drum, filling the directions with its deep sound, skilled in creating auspicious gatherings for the people of the three worlds, proclaiming the victory of the true religion, sounds in the sky, announcing your fame.

Is it a shower of divine flowers like mandara, meru, parjata, santanaka, and others, or is it the flow of your words, with drops of fragrant water and gentle breezes, falling from heaven?

The radiance of the Lord, with its brilliant luster, surpassing the brilliance of all luminous beings in the three worlds, with a multitude of rays like the rising sun, conquers even the night, which is gentle like the moon.

O Lord, your divine discourse, skilled in explaining the essence of the true religion, desired for the path to heaven and liberation, is employed by the qualities of transformation into the nature of languages, with clear meanings, for the benefit of the three worlds.

O Lord Jina, your feet, with the luster of blooming golden lotuses, adorned with the shining rays of the nails, are such that wherever you place them, the wise imagine lotuses there.

O Lord Jina, your glory in the method of teaching the religion is not found in others. Just as the light of the sun dispels darkness, such is not the case with the planets, even though they are luminous.

Seeing a mad elephant, like Airavata, with cheeks dripping with ichor, with a swarm of buzzing bees, with increased anger, rushing violently, those who have taken refuge in you feel no fear.

Even a lion, though it may step on the ground adorned with pearls from the broken temples of elephants, dripping with bright blood, does not, in its steady motion, tread upon the pair of your feet, which are firm like a mountain.

A forest fire, like the fire at the end of a cosmic age, blazing with bright sparks, as if devouring the universe, rushing towards one, is completely extinguished by the water of chanting your name.

A serpent with red eyes, its throat dark like a passionate cuckoo, wrathful, with hood raised, rushing, is trampled by the pair of feet of that person who has your name, the serpent-charm, in his heart, without any fear.

In battle, the army of even powerful kings, with its terrible noise of galloping horses and roaring elephants, is quickly shattered, like darkness by the rays of the rising sun, by the mere chanting of your name.

In battle, terrifying with the blood of elephants pierced by lance points, with the rushing flood of blood, and with soldiers eager to cross, those who take refuge in the lotus grove of your feet attain victory, having conquered even the invincible opponents.

In the ocean, agitated with terrible crocodiles, fish, and the fearful submarine fire, those who remember you cross in boats riding the high waves, abandoning fear.

Those mortals, who are burdened with the heavy weight of terrible floods, reduced to a pitiable state, their hopes of life lost, become, with their bodies smeared with the nectar of the dust of your lotus feet, as beautiful as the god of love.

Men who constantly remember the mantra of your name, even when their bodies are bound from head to knee with iron chains, their legs rubbed by the points of large fetters, are instantly freed from bondage and fear.

The fear arising from a mad elephant, a lion, a forest fire, a serpent, a battle, an ocean, a great flood, or imprisonment—that fear quickly perishes, as if from fear itself, for the wise person who recites this hymn of praise to you.

O Lord Jina, the garland of hymns, composed of virtues, offered by me with devotion, with various colorful flowers of words—the person who wears it around his neck always attains the goddess of fortune, unhindered, and becomes honored and exalted.