Verse No. (25)
बुद्धस्त्वमेव विबुधार्चित बुद्धि बोधात् ।
त्वं शंकरोऽसि भुवनत्रय शंकरत्वात् ॥
धाताऽसि धीर! शिवमार्ग विधेर्विधानात् ।
व्यक्तं त्वमेव भगवन्! पुरुषोत्तमोऽसि ॥२५॥
Meaning: The wise ones have worshipped you, therefore you alone are the wisest one (Buddha), You are Shankara because you are the benefactor of three worlds. You have laid down the auspicious path therefore you are the creator (Brahmä) and you are considered the best among men (purushottam = Vishnu) .
Author’s Comments: Here the poet has very cleverly expressed that Rishabhadeva, the first Tirthankara is also the Lord Buddha, He is also Brahma and Vishnu and He is Shankara all in one. The Gods of the Buddhist and Hindu faiths also can be visualised in the Tirthankara Rishabhadeva.
In the opinion of Prof. Hiräläl Käpadia, this verse represents sectarian influence. However other great Jain poets have also composed verses which are similar in tone. A great philosopher and poet of the Jains, Siddhasena Diwäkar compares the Tirthankara with the other Hindu Gods in his famous poem called the Parmätam Dwatrinshikä1:
Verse No. (26)
तुभ्यं नमस्त्रिभुवनार्तिहराय नाथ ।
तुभ्यं नमः क्षितितलामलभूषणाय ॥
तुभ्यं नमस्त्रिजगतः परमेश्वराय ।
तुभ्यं नमो जिन! भवोदधि शोषणाय ॥२६॥
Meaning: O Lord! I bow down to you because you destroy the miseries of the three worlds. I bow down to you, as you are the jewel on the surface of the earth. I bow down to you as you are the Lord of the three worlds, and I bow down to you as you make the ocean of mundane existence (bhavodadhi) completely dry. (Free us from the cycle of transmigration).
This is a simple yet very meaningful and deeply devotional verse wherein the poet simply bows down to the Tirthankara.
Verses No. (27)
को विस्मयोऽत्र यदि नाम गुणैरशेषैस् ।
त्वं संश्रितो निरवकाशतया मुनीश! ॥
दोषैरूपात्त विविधाश्रय जातगर्वैः ।
स्वप्नान्तरेऽपि न कदाचिदपीक्षितोऽसि ॥२७॥
Meaning: It is not surprising O Lord, that all the virtues – not having found shelter elsewhere- have taken refuge unto you. And you are not seen, even in a dream, with vice elevated by false pride because they find shelter elsewhere.
Verse No (28)
उच्चैरशोक तरुसंश्रितमुन्मयूख ।
माभाति रूपममलं भवतो नितान्तम् ॥
स्पष्टोल्लसत्किरणमस्त तमोवितानं ।
बिम्बं रवेरिव पयोधर पार्श्ववर्ति ॥२८॥
Meaning: When you are seated under the high Ashoka tree, the rays emanating from your perfect and shining body radiate upwards like the rays of the sun located adjacent to the dense clouds, and dispels darkness.
Author’s Comments: This is the first divine attribute, an Ashoka tree. There always is a tree where the Tirthankara is seated for His sermon. The name of the tree is Ashoka. In Sanskrit Ashoka also means no misery or no sadness ( a – shoka. the first ‘a’ denotes negativity as in Ahimsä, non-violence)
The height of the tree is usually twelve times the height of a Tirthankara. The first Tirthankara Rishabhadeva was the tallest, so the tree in His case is also the tallest one.
According to the Samväyanga Sootra1, another tree is seen on top of the Ashoka tree. That tree is different in the case of each the Tirthankara. It is usually the same tree under which the particular Tirthankara had attained infinite, supreme knowledge (kevala gyän). Whether the height of another tree is calculated, that the total height is
twelve times, is not quite clear.
Verse No. (29)
सिंहासने मणिमयूखशिखाविचित्रे ।
विभ्राजते तव वपुः कनकावदातम् ॥
बिम्बं वियद्विलसदंशुलता वितानं ।
तुंगोदयाद्रि शिरसीव सहस्त्ररश्मेः ॥२९॥
Meaning: (The second attribute: throne or lion- throne (Simhäsana). When seated on a lion- throne with multifaceted jewels, your bright and golden body shines like the disc of the sun radiating rays under the sky, seated on the summit of the eastern mountain.
Author’s Name: The first Tirthankara had a golden complexion as per the description of His body. That is why we can see here that the poet has used the word ‘golden body’.
Verse No. (30)
कुन्दावदात चलचामर चारुशोभं ।
विभ्राजते तव वपुः कलधौतकान्तम् ॥
उद्यच्छशांक शुचिनिर्झर वारिधार ।
मुच्चैस्तटं सुर गिरेरिव शातकौम्भम् ॥३०॥
Meaning; O Lord, when the whisks (chämaras), which are as white as the flowers of kunda, are gently fanned either side of your handsome and golden body; your body looks like the Meru (mountain) from the peaks of which flows the streams of pure water, white as the fresh moon.
Author’s Name: The poet has given us here just one long sentence but the comparison is really beautiful. It shows how the poet has imagined this third felicitation. It takes us on a mountain where the gentle streams are flowing. He then reminds us of the Tirthankara seated in His sermon.
Here the poet has given us many points in one long sentence: The body of the Tirthankara is golden and handsome. The whisks are as white and pure as the flowers of the Kunda plant. When the celestial beings stand either side of the Lord and gently move (fan) the whisks up and down. This gives an appearance of a stream gurgling down (flowing from) the mountain, Meru.
Verse No. (31)
छत्रत्रयं तव विभाति शशांककान्त ।
मुच्चैः स्थितं स्थगित भानुकर प्रतापम् ॥
मुक्ताफल प्रकरजाल विवृद्धशोभं ।
प्रख्यापयत्त्रिजगतः परमेश्वरत्वम् ॥३१॥
Meaning; The three canopies (chhatra), adorn the space over your head. These canopies are like a white glowing moon that has prevented the heat of the rays of the sun. The beauty of these canopies is greatly increased by the swinging pearls (on them), which again proclaim your supremacy over the three worlds.
(Note:- From here onwards the numbering of Shvetämbara verses and Digambara verses differ. I have maintained Shvetambara numberings.)
Verse No. (32)
गम्भीरतारवपूरित दिग्विभागस् ।
त्रैलोक्यलोक शुभसंगम भूतिदक्षः ॥
सद्धर्मराजजयघोषण घोषकः सन् ।
खे दुन्दुभिर्ध्वनति ते यशसः प्रवादी ॥३२॥
Meaning: (After the above four felicitations one of the thirty-four divine excesses is mentioned here, and the poet again very beautifully describes how it is done.)
Translation: O Jinendra, the gods place divine golden lotuses under your feet wherever you are about to walk (and when you walk). Your feet surrounded by the blooming golden fresh lotus shine because of the rays (emanating) from your fingernails.
As regards poetical charm, this verse has anupräsa alankära. i.e. the repeated use of the letter ‘p’1 in six different words adds to the beauty of melodious singing.
