1. //§O// Oṃ homage// They enhance the lustre of the jewels set in the crowns lowered by the devoted gods they shine, they have destroyed the mass of darkness of evil.
2. I have [literally ‘having’] duly bowed to the feet of the Jina, a support for people falling in the ocean of rebirths in the beginning of the era //1// He has been praised [literally ‘he who has been praised’]
3. by the lords of the gods, who have become proficient on account of the insight they acquired by the understanding of the true principles of all sciences in hymns which captivate the three worlds,
4. which are excellent. I too wish to praise this first Jina //2// Although devoid of intelligence,
5. I made my mind to praise you, whose foot-stool is adored by the gods, shameless as I am. Except for a child,
6. who else would wish suddenly to catch the disc of the moon reflected in water? //3//
7. Ocean of qualities, who, even if he compares to Bṛhaspati [the tutor of gods] in intelligence, is able to tell your qualities, [which are] as beautiful as the moon?
8. When the ocean is full of crocodiles stirred by the wind typical of the period marking the end of a kalpa, who is capable of crossing it
9. by swimming? //4// Even then, I, here, out of devotion for you, Lord of ascetics, I have started to write this praise, even though I have no power.
10. Out of affection, without thinking about its strength, the antelope rushes towards the king of animals, doesn’t it, in order to protect its child. //5// I am not learned,
11. I am an object of laugh[ter] for the learned. It is only my devotion for you that forces me to talk. If the cuckoo is said to [sing sweetly] in spring, [it has only one cause: the beautiful bunches of mango-seedlings].

There are several points about the hymn that are worthy of note.

The title of the hymn comes from its very first words, which are bhaktāmara – ‘the devoted gods’.

The identity of the Jina praised in this hymn is not given straightforwardly. Instead, it is mentioned indirectly in the phrase ‘in the beginning of the era’ – yugādau. This refers to the first Jina, Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, who is often called Ādinātha. Meaning ‘First Lord’ or ‘Lord of the Beginning’, Ādinātha’ uses the word ādi – beginning. Using this title emphasises the inaugural position of this Jina. Yugādīśa – ‘Lord of the beginning of the era’ – is another of his titles that also underlines this point.

The author’s habit of expressing humility and incapacity for the task he has set for himself is expressed here in particularly extreme terms. This is a way to stress the power of devotion – bhakti – and hence the greatness of the Jina. If the author has any right and capacity to compose a hymn of praise – stotra – it is only because he is devoted to the Jina. Thus he as an individual has no importance.