Article: Sūri-mantra-paṭa

Heavenly entities and gods decorate a temple ceiling
Image by Cactusbones – Sue Ann Harkey © CC Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0

Maṇḍalas usually contain both pictures and text. The text is usually a set of mantras plus instructions while the illustration consists of auspicious symbols.

The textual parts of this yantra comprise Sanskrit or Prakrit formulas of homage to teachers and deities or concepts such as kinds of knowledge and spiritual attainments. These are arranged in the concentric circles of the maṇḍala, occasionally divided into compartments. The phrases are partly standardised, but they can be arranged in different ways, so that there are hardly any identical sūri-mantra-paṭas. Over the centuries many Jain teachers have commented upon these formulas (Jambuvijaya 1977). They are interspersed with magic syllables such as hrīṃ and śrīṃ.

The devotee invokes all beings, from Jinas to deities, so that they enhance the worship connected with this diagram. This is expressed in the Sanskrit phrase:

pūjāṃ pratīcchantu, svāhā

May such and such deities / demons / teachers …. grace the worship

This phrase recurs in most yantras.

In some portions of the text, there are instructions for using the maṇḍala. There are indications of the number of times a mantra should be recited and what kind of worship or meditation it should be used for.

Yantras always include auspicious symbols. These auspicious symbols may be miniature pictures of Jinas or other holy figures, some of the eight auspicious symbols – aṣṭa-mangala – or pairs of eyes. A pair of eyes is believed to convey auspiciousness, and is thus also found on auspicious jars – mangala-kalaśas. The origin of this auspicious symbol is unknown, however.

Sūri-mantra-paṭa
Image by Royal Asiatic Society © Royal Asiatic Society Images/RAS, London

Sūri-mantra-paṭas are normally used only by mendicants within their monastic orders. They are rarely found outside the Śvetāmbara monastic community or outside collections in India so the one held by the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) is very valuable. It is also one of the oldest surviving sūri-mantra-paṭas. Unfortunately, the provenance of this object is not documented even in the institutional archives, but a great deal of information can be gleaned from the paṭa itself.

The RAS example is round and looks quite different from the majority of modern-day sūri-mantra-paṭas because it is chiefly textual. As with all maṇḍalas, it contains numerous mantras intended to invoke:

• all the Jinas
• distinguished Jain teachers
• powerful deities and beings
• sacred concepts.


This sūri-mantra-paṭa is associated with the Kharatara-gaccha sect. This Śvetāmbara monastic order emerged in western India around the 12th century. The maṇḍala dates back to 1449 CE, according to the date written on it, which appears to be genuine. The RAS sūri-mantra-paṭa may never have been used as a tool of worship or meditation, however.

Conservation and restoration work in 2013 uncovered two more yantras on the back of this sūri-mantra-paṭa, which may have been hidden for centuries.

Hrīṃ and eyes
Image by Royal Asiatic Society © Royal Asiatic Society Images/RAS, London

This round sūri-mantra-paṭa is rather elaborate, with seven circles, not counting the central one. It is similar to number 14 in the standard collection edited by Muni Jambu-vijaya in 1977. At the top, in the centre of the page, is hrīṃ, the magic and sacred syllable, flanked on each side by an eye. The pair of eyes is believed to convey auspiciousness and can be seen on other sacred objects.

Since it is sober and chiefly text, this example contrasts with modern sūri-mantra-paṭas, which are often painted in vivid colours and have little text, such as this one on Flickr and this one on HereNow4U.

Footprints of Jinacandra-sūri
Image by Royal Asiatic Society © Royal Asiatic Society Images/RAS, London

It is clear that this sūri-mantra-paṭa is connected to the Śvetāmbara monastic order known as the Kharatara-gaccha, which has been present in Western India, especially Rajasthan, since the 11th century. Indeed, the sūri-mantra ‘clearly played a significant part in establishing sectarian identity for the followers of an ascetic group like the reforming Kharatara Gaccha’ (Dundas 1998: 36) and in the legitimation of their leaders.

Paradoxically, the name of the order itself does not appear. Instead, the phrase ‘our gaccha’ – asmad-gaccha – is given at several places. In the top-left corner there is a list of names of the successive heads of the Kharatara-gaccha order, so the identity of the order as the Kharatara-gaccha is clear. The list of sūris is given as:

• Vardhamāna-sūri
• Jineśvara-sūri
• Jinacandra-sūri
• Abhayadeva-sūri
• Jinavallabha-sūri
• Jinadatta-sūri.

Vardhamāna-sūri (died 1031 CE) was the founding teacher of this monastic order in the 11th century. The deity Dharaṇendra is thought to have revealed the meaning and secret of the sūri-mantra to him, and thereafter this monastic order has considered the yantra a magic spell. Jineśvara-sūri is the monk who consolidated the order. Then come his disciples and successors.

The monastic lineage is continued in the top-right part of the maṇḍala as:

• Jinacandra-sūri
• Jinapati-sūri (1153–1222 CE).

These are two teachers who succeeded each other as monastic leaders in the 12th century. Thus they are not contemporary with the diagram, but illustrious predecessors who are offered homage. Jinapati-sūri is one of those who could win over yoginīs through the use of the sūri-mantra (Dundas 2000).

The name of Jinacandra-sūri appears also on the lower part of the left side of the diagram, above the footprints – pādukās. This text pays homage to him:

śrīJinacandrasūri-pādebhyaḥ sadā namo ‘stu //

May there always be homage to the feet of Jinacandra-sūri

Several heads of the Kharatara-gaccha had the name Jinacandra-sūri and lived in very different times. The footprints are usually commemorative, so it indicates that the Jinacandra-sūri referred to was not alive when the yantra was made. It is likely that the footprints and homage refer to the one listed in the top right, who is one of the Dādā-gurus. These are the major teachers of this monastic order, who largely owe their fame to their miraculous powers (see Babb 1996).

Nandyāvarta
Image by Royal Asiatic Society © Royal Asiatic Society Images/RAS, London

Unusually, this paṭa has more mystical diagrams on its back. At first sight, the reverse of the cloth was blank. But the restoration and conservation work to prepare the sūri-mantra-paṭa for digitisation on JAINpedia led to the discovery of an intermediate lining somehow fixed at the back of the recto.

In this lining two labyrinth-shaped diagrams in red are visible. But they are not inscribed with mantras. The two symbols are examples of the nandyāvarta, which is one of the eight auspicious symbols – aṣṭa-mangala. It is unknown when these diagrams were inked onto the reverse of the main maṇḍala, but it is probable that adding them was thought to increase the auspicious power of the yantra.