Having declared he will sing, Manatunga immediately tells you how absurd that is, with one of the most tender images in Sanskrit devotional poetry.
The Verse
स्तोतुं समुद्यत-मतिर्विगत-त्रपोऽहम् ।
बालं विहाय जल-संस्थितमिन्दु-बिम्ब-
मन्यः क इच्छति जनः सहसा ग्रहीतुम् ॥३॥
Transliteration:
buddhyā vināpi vibudhārcita-pāda-pīṭha
stotuṁ samudyata-matir vigata-trapo’ham |
bālaṁ vihāya jala-saṁsthitam indu-bimbam
anyaḥ ka icchati janaḥ sahasā grahītum ||3||
Meaning (community translation): O Lord whose footstool is worshipped by the wise gods! Devoid of intelligence, and yet shameless, I have set my mind on praising you. Who but a child would impulsively try to grasp the disc of the moon reflected in the water?
What to Notice
The child is not mocked. The verse’s genius is that the child reaching into the water for the moon is the poet himself, and by extension every devotee. The attempt is impossible; the reaching is holy. Jain devotion is exactly this: the Jina cannot be grasped, benefited, or petitioned, and the reaching transforms the reacher anyway.
“Vigata-trapa,” shameless. Manatunga wears the word proudly. There is a threshold in every practice, astrology included, where you must be willing to look foolish to begin honestly. The alternative, pretending to a mastery you lack, is the thing this tradition cannot forgive; the fraud, not the fool, is the danger.
Traditional Use
The modern practice manuals differ on this verse, and we report the difference rather than smoothing it over: one tradition assigns it to eye health and clear sight; another calls it sarva-siddhi-dayaka, the giver of all accomplishments, and uses it for the welfare of children. Both fit the verse’s imagery: eyes, moonlight, and a child. The riddhi given in the Tattva Gyan manual is:
One documented modern tradition among variants, quoted, as always, with its label on.
Practicing It the Jain Way
- This is the verse for impostor feelings: recite it when beginning something you feel unqualified for, and let the child in the image keep you honest and keep you going.
- For children: the older use of this verse was blessing, not magic. Read it with a child rather than over one.
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Text verified across jinvani.in, DigJainWiki, and bhaktamarmantrahealing.com editions (विबुधार्चित confirmed against DigJainWiki's typo विबुधाचित by transliteration evidence); background from Jainpedia.