Darshana Shah

How would you define prayer?

• Communication between the devotee and the divine

• Neither higher mental power nor elaborate preparations required

• No distinction of race, nationality, age, gender etc.

• Only requirement – divine Love

• Doctrine of Karma – Spiritual development is only by self effort

• Asharan Bhävanä – None other can save us

• God does not create us• God does not control our fate• God is not even interested in us!!!!• So, Is there a place for prayer in Jain

Religion?

YES!• Why do we need to pray?• Our two main faults-

1. Ignorance – अज्ञा�न (मिथ्या�त्व)- removed at 4th Gunasthänak

2. Indolence – प्र�द – removed at 7th Gunasthänak

• निनर्गु��ण / निनरा�लं�बन ध्या�न is not possible in presence of indolence

Whom do we pray to?• Those who have attained what is worth

attaining • Those striving to attain what is worth

attaining“I bow down to him whose all passions like

attachment and aversion, which sow the seeds of birth and rebirth, have been

destroyed; whether he is Brahmä, Vishnu, Shiva or Jina.” -

Hemchandrächärya

Why we pray ?1. To express gratitude, praise and enumerate

their virtues 2. Guiding light3. Not for any worldly gain4. Helps us to acquire good karma and avoid bad

karma5. Reminds us of the power in our own soul6. Creates Confidence in moral decisions7. Provides a basis for philosophy8. Makes us realize the usefulness of human birth

What do we pray for?• Detachment towards worldly life• Right conduct leading to path of salvation• Eliminating physical impediment on the path of

salvation• Lead a life of high morals and ethics• Respect towards virtuous people• Be able to carry out benevolent acts• Associate with worthy preceptors• Destruction of suffering and of karma• Death with equanimity• Attainment of right faith, right knowledge, right

conduct

Forms of Prayers• Physical prayers – Bowing down,

Ritual, Offerings, Dance• Vocal prayers – Reciting prose, poetry,

mantra, hymn, chanting• Mental prayers – Various forms of

meditation and contemplations• With image – सर्गु�ण

• Without image – निनर्गु��ण

Nine ways of Bhakti 

1. Shravan Listening God’s name and praise 2. Kirtan Singing songs of praise 3. Smaran Remembering 4. Vandan Bowing down 5. Poojan Offering various materials 6. Archan Adoration 7. Sharan Surrendering completely  8. Maitri Friendship 9. Atma Nivedan Dedicating one’s self  

चि�त्त प्रसन्ने" रा" पू$जन फळ कह्युं*� रा" - आन�दघनज- हा�रा�ज Happiness of the mind is the real fruit of worship

Categories of chanting

• Vocal – भा�ष्या

• Whisper - उपू��शु�

• Mental - �नस

• Without effort - अजपू�ज�पू

Devotion• Unconditional love for God is a universal remedy to

live in bliss• Practice of devotion reverses mind’s extrovert

approach• Introvert mind becomes free from limitations and

imperfections• The act of superimposing higher ideals on an

ordinary object (idol) is called Pujä• Pujä is the simplest practice for purifying a mind• We worship the ideal for which the idol stands(….ctd)

Devotion (….ctd)• The more one gets tuned to the devotion, the idol

becomes the perfect ideal for a devotee

• The duality between the worshiper and the worshiped vanishes

• Individual consciousness becomes one with the universal consciousness

• Devotee experiences unalloyed and unbroken bliss all the time

• After this realization, living in this world becomes a matter of joy

• And that is the goal of a human life.

If I have said anything against the teachings of Jina

MICHCHHAMI DUKKADAM