स्वास्थ्य — Bhaktamar
Texts that tradition names for the wish of well-being.
The context of health
The tradition names certain verses of the Bhaktamar for times of illness and bodily distress. The reasoning is that praise steadies the mind, and a steady mind bears difficulty better — not that recitation acts as medicine.
That distinction has always been clear in the tradition. Jain acharyas never rejected medical treatment; physicians and remedies appear matter-of-factly throughout the Agamic literature. Recitation sits alongside treatment, not in place of it.
How these were selected
Gathered here are the verses in which pain, affliction or bodily distress appear, or in which a wish for health and well-being is expressed.
In case of illness, a qualified physician should be consulted first. This page collects what the tradition prescribes; it is not medical advice.
12 verses
- किं शर्वरीषु शशिनाह्नि विवस्वता वा?
- ज्ञानं यथा त्वयि विभाति कृतावकाशं
- मन्ये वरं हरिहरादय एव दृष्टा
- स्त्रीणां शतानि शतशो जनयन्ति पुत्रान्,
- त्वामामनन्ति मुनयः परमं पुमांस-
- त्वामव्ययं विभुमचिन्त्यमसंख्यमाद्यं
- बुद्धस्त्वमेव विबुधार्चितबुद्धि-बोधात्
- तुभ्यं नमस्त्रिभुवनार्तिहराय नाथ!
- को विस्मयोऽत्र यदि नाम गुणैरशेषैः
- उच्चैरशोकतरुसंश्रितमुन्मयूख-
- सिंहासने मणिमयूखशिखाविचित्रे
- कुन्दावदात-चलचामर-चारुशोभं
How the reading is done
Where the patient cannot recite, the tradition also allows a family member to recite on their behalf. The reading is done quietly, in a calm setting.
No fixed count is required here either. And it bears repeating: recitation is in no circumstance a substitute for medical care.