Shree Uvasaggaharam Sootra

UVASAGGA-HARAM PASAM,
PASAM VANDAMI KAMMA-GHANA MUKKAM;
VISAHARA VISA NINNASAM,
MANGALA KALLANA AVASAM. (1)

VISAHARA PHULLINGA MANTAM.
KANTHE DHARE'I JO SAYA MANUO;
TASSA GAHA ROGA MARI,
DUTTHA JARA JANTI UVASAMAM. (2)

CHITTHAU DURE' MANTO,
TUJZHA PANAMO VI BAHUFALO HOI;
NARA-TIRIE'SU VI-JIVA,
PAVANTI NA DUKKHA DOGACHCHAM. (3)

TUHA SAMMATTE LADDHE',
CHINTAMANI KAPPAPAYA VABBHAHIIYE';
PAVANTI AVIGGHE'NAM
JIVA AYARAMARAM THANAM. (4)

IA SANTHUO MAHAYASA !
BHATTIBBHARA NIBBHARENA HIYAE'NA,
TA DE'VA ! DIJJA BOHIM,
BHAVE' BHAVE PASA ! JINACHANDA.(5)

UVASAGGAHARAM STOTRA: A Powerful Stotra for warding off obstacles

The Story of Lord Parshvanatha
and an accurate English translation of Uvasaggaharam Ttotta
by Prof C Devakumar

Jai Jinendra

The Story of Lord Parshvanatha
_______________________________

The story goes back to one of His previous births. Lord Parshwanath
was younger brother by name Marubhuti to Mr. Kamatha who by name
should be able to overcome the excessive sexual urge. So we have a
section of Karnataka people with surname Kamath. Ironically, this
elder brother contrived to lure and secure Marubhuti's wife, which act
was illegal. The King on hearing the episode punished him depriving of
his post and banishing him out of his country. Once Marubhuti came to
know of this development, went in search of him and pleaded his
innocence. Highly incensed he was, Kamatha was in no mood to listen to
him and killed him instantly by throwing a boulder over his head. In
the dying moments of his death, Murubhuti overcame by uncontrollable
anger and enmity against his brother. This enmity carried on births
after births and indeed prolonged the miseries of both. By stroke o
luck, Marubhuti soul got wakened in one of the births and turned a new
leaf. He started learning the cure for anger viz to forget and
forgive. But Kamatha soul remained stained with this old stain of
anger. Marubhuti soul ultimately took birth as 23rd Tirthanakar at
Varanasi. The Kamatha soul was born on his distant relative and was
much elder to Him. The Prince one day noticed this old man practising
penance with fire-bowl on his head and around him. Our past karma
cannot be "burnt" by this way. The fire cannot burn; water cannot wash
away. So doing Panchagni tapa or taking a dip in rivers are futile.
Lord Parshwanath tried to drive home this truth to "Kamatha".
Unfortunately his ego was so intense, he would not listen. Lord
Parshwanath showed him that how careless and cruel to the lesser souls
in the process of burning. He took out a hot log from the fire and cut
open to show a pair of tiny snakes in agony. Kamatha was however
remorseless. Pitying the condition of the snakes, He took them on His
palms and gave a Reiki treatment. Noticing that their end had come, he
recited namokar (Navkar) mantra in their ears till they breathed last.
The snakes died in peace of mind and took birth as king and queen in
the heaven called Vyantara lok as Dharanendra and Padmavati. The birth
and growth to adulthood in heaven happens within a muhurta.

As the time passed by, the Kamatha alias Tapasi died soon and took
birth as a demon in Bhavana lok, the netherland. By that time, Prince
Parshwanath took to renunciation and was spending His time in deep
penance in forests and hills and possibly reached, He forests of
today's Nagaland. The demon was passing by and seeing his old enemy
started waging terror attacks in massive scale. Maharishi Parshwanath
responded with the arsenal of Uttam kshama or supreme forgiveness and
compassion. His body was such that no material could harm Him.
Dharanendra- Padmavati instinctively came to know of the terror being
meted out by this demon and came over to that place. Following the
non-violent approach of the Lord, he did not counter-attack and
instead expanded his body with large hoods over the head of the Lord.
The fire and boulders fell on his hood. Padmavati took shape of
another large hood and enveloped over her husband hood as another
cover. Needless to say, she bore the direct brunt of the attack.
During this entire operation, Maharishi reached His deepest seat of
meditation and soon became Omniscience. Devendra and other celestial
gods came to know of Lord attaining Omniscience and reached there in
massive numbers, erected Samavasharan and celebrated in grand style.
Seeing this miracle, the demon droped his terror and overcame with
shame. He bowed Lord under His feet and sought pardon. Lord
Parshwanath showed him the path of forgiveness and non-violence. He
also preached the right method of karma dahan unlike Panchagni tapa.

Now the posers:
_______________
Question 1. What do we learn primarily from the life of Tirthankar
Parshvanath?

Answer: Never carry forward ill-feeling towards others. Try to nip at
the bud. The kshama vani annual day has been instituted to settle
yearly accounts. Each one of us must try to take advantage of this
mechanism and adapt forget and forgive approach. The life of Lord
Parshwanath teaches that enmity etched in the mind harms the
individual for a long period of births. Secondly, only cure to anger
is kshama or forgiveness.

Question 2. How did His life lead to the spread of Naga worship and
some tribes being proud in claiming to be so?

Answer: The tribes saw all these miracles and many thought the snake
gods had saved the Lord and started worshipping snake gods rather than
following the supreme path of the Lord. Thus the practice of snake
worship began. If you visit any Jain temple please look for the
snakehood over the head of Lord Parshwanath. This practice of putting
a hood over the idols became common and so we see some Shiv ling
covered with snakehood. Of course, Lord Shiva has snake wrapped on His
body. There are some images of Ganesh and Buddha likewise. Lord Vishnu
has been innovatively shown to lie on the snake called Adisesha whose
hood acts as the umbrella. Even many Jains unwittingly believe in the
superior powers of the snake-gods and worship with the false hope of
salvation. Such a myth must be nipped at the bud.

Question 3. What are the literary work eulogising Lord Parshwanath?

Answer: Any purana dealing with 24 Tirthankar and 63 shalakha purush
includes a chapter on Lord Parshwanath. Adipurana and Uttarpurana,
Mahapurana, Chamundaraipurana and Sripurana are some examples. We owe
to Acarya Jinasena (9th century CE) for his works such as Adipurana,
Harivamsa Purana and Parshvabhyudaya. the Uttarapurana was completed
by his pupil, Acarya Gunabhadra.

Jinasena's another master piece in Sanskrit is Parshvabhyudaya
mirrored in the style of Kalidasa's Meghaduta depicting the story of
Bhagavan Parshvanath.

Parshvacaritram: The Life of Parshva
Sanskrit text + English translation
Sanskrit text by Acarya Gunabhadra
(edited with an English translation By Prof. Dr. Willem Bollee as a
part of Pandit Nathuram Premi Research Series Volume 26
First Edition 2008)
has been published by: Hindi Granth Karyalay Mumbai 400 004.

Thiru Appandainathar Ula (Tamil) an old ode to Lord Parshwa also known
as Appandai nathar, the Lord at Thirunarunkunram near Villupuram. This
rock-sketch of over 1800 years old of the Lord was serendipitously
discovered by a tribe and became a famous sacred place for all
communities ever since. Appar has been cured of blindness at this site
and hence the name of Appandai. This book has been first printed by
University of Madras in 1974. I have helped in this edition.

The prayer books:
_________________
Kalyanamandira stotram is specially dedicated to Him. Of course there
is a chapter each in Swayambhu Stotra and Stuti Vidya by venerable
Acarya samantabhadra.
Uvasaggaharam Tottam by Sruta Kewali Bhadrabahu is the gem one should
carry by heart. I shall give the text and translation in next post and
possibly one or two stanzas from the above Ula.
Uttama kshama
Dev

Uvasaggaharam Thottam
______________________
Uvasaggaharam Thottam by Sruta Kewali Bhadrabahu is the gem one should
carry by heart. Here is my translation of it.

Uvasaggaharam Tthottam
_______________________
(Upasargaharam Stotram)
_______________________

This hymn dedicated to Lord Parshwanath has been composed by the most
venerable Sruta Kewali Acharya Shri Bhadrabahu I whose migration to
south India along with 12000 digamber jain saints strengthened the
prevalent Jain religion there. Jain religion was known since the days
of Adi Bhagawan who is hailed specifically in Tirukkural. His trip
only invigorated the practice. Even before the arrival of this sangh,
Tamil had many classic literature enunciating Jain principles. Even
though most of them were put to fire and sunk in flowing river during
the internecine civil war called Bhakti movement, two of them viz
Agatthiyam ( in parts) and Tolkappiyam survived. The commentary to the
latter eloquently highlights the grandeur of Tirthankar and Their
religion.

This hymn was composed primarily to ward of nuisances unleashed by
evil spirits and wild forest animals such as snakes to saints and
other devotees. During the period of Swami Bhadrabahu and another
subsequent millennium, the lower gods dominated the scene and
compelled common mass to install temples in their name. We see any
number of Yaksha temples down south not to speak of other versions
elsewhere.

I acknowledge receiving a copy of this hymn published by KundKund
Bharti, New Delhi from Shri Manish Modi Ji.

Now over to the hymns written in Prakrit:

Uvasaggaharam Pasam, Pasam vandami kammaghana mukkam |
Visaharavisa ninnasam, mangala kallana aavasam || 1||

I bow to Lord Parshwa who has withstood the terrors of Kamadha, who
has extinguished the karmic forces, and whose feet is the seat of
all-round welfare and antidotes against the poison of deadly pests.

Visahara phulingamantam, kanthe dharedi jo saya manuvo |
Tassa gaha rogamaree, duttha jara janti uvasaamam ||2||

For those who carry His radiant image in their hearts, the ill-effects
of epidemic, diseases etc unleashed by wicked species would subside.
This is the reason, people started wearing taweef containing the
mantra of Lord in their necks. Swamiji meant carrying in their hearts
not merely on the parts of the bodies.

Chitthu doore manto, tujjha panamo vi bahuphalo hodee |
Naratiriyesu vi jeeva, pavanti na dukkha-dorgachcham ||3||

Nay, even a single call of Your name is enough to ward of sufferings
in this birth and coming births for both human and animals.

Tuha sammatte labdhe, chintamani-kappapayava-sarise |
Pavanti avigghenam, jeeva ayaramaram thanam ||4||

The beings become free from hurdles and reach immortality by the good
possession of You, just as the noble people in possession of
chintamani and kalpa trees.
In the Sushama and Mahasushama yug, people were served by crystal
balls and trees called Chintamani and Kalpa vruksh. People only needed
to feel the need of something which would reach them thanks to these
miraculous instruments. Swamiji compares the powers of the Lord with
these physical infra-structures of the times. As we know, His powers
are incomparable.

Iha santhudo Mahayasa ! bhattibbharena hidayena |
Ta Deva ! dijja bohim, bhave bhave Pasa Jinachandam ||5||

Oh, Dev! Parswa! Jinachandra! Mahayash! May the prayers rendered with
deep devotion be reciprocated with the bestowal of right knowledge to
such devotees for birth after birth (till the last birth).

OM Amarataru-kamadhenu-chintamani-kamakumbhamadiya |
Siri-Pasanaha-sevaggahane Savve vi dasattam ||6||

All comforts exemplified by Amar vruksh, Chintamani, Kamakumbh etc
would serve the devotees of Shri Prashwanath.
This is the authoritative blessings of the Swami Ji. Such words do not
go waste.

Uvasaggaharam tthottam, kadoonam jena sanghakallannam |
Karunayarena vihidam, sa Bhaddabahu Guru jayatu ||7||

The above hymn is composed by one of the pupils of Swamiji
acknowledging his authorship. It says " Hail Shri venerable teacher
Bhadrabahu who has compassionaltely composed this hymn for the welfare
of the sangha".

The sangha comprises of four-fold order viz, saints, nuns, sravak
(male laities) and sravika (female laities). No wonder, Christianity
adapted this order from Orient system.
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-By Prof C Devakumar