Bhaktāmara Stotra was composed by Manatunga in 6th century CE.
Shwetambar legends associate Manatunga with a ruler named
Mihira Bhoja. However, Manatunga probably lived a few centuries before Bhoja. He is identified by some scholars as Kshapanaka, one of the
Navaratnas in the court of legendary
Vikramaditya. An unidentified Sanskrit poet Matanga, composer of
Brahaddeśī on music theory, may also have been the same person.
Bhaktāmara Stotra was composed sometime in the
Gupta or the post-Gupta period, making Manatunga approximately contemporary with other navaratnas like
Kalidasa and
Varahamihira. Several spots near
Bhopal and Dhar are traditionally associated with Manatunga. There are several legends presented by different
Śvetāmbara monks. The most popular is the one depicted in
Prabandha Cintamani written by
Acharya Merutungasuri in 1305 AD. According to the legend, two scholars
Bana Pandit and
Mayura Pandit were members of king Bhoja's court. It is said that they made supra-human things possible by their
mantric powers. To illustrate the statement, two examples are provided. Mayura Pandit worshipped the Sun God with a hymn he composed known as
Surya Sataka. He got cured of leprosy that he was suffering from as a result of his sister's curse. He was blessed by Sun God when he composed the 6th verse. Envying him, Bana Pandit got his hands and legs chopped off and took it as a challenge to make Goddess Chandi bless him in 6 letters. He then composed
Candi Sataka and his limbs regrew before he even recited the 6th letter. The king was pleased by both of them. Thereafter, the courtiers told the king that
Śvetāmbara Jain Acharyas did not possess such
mantric powers and that they must be banished from the kingdom. At that time, Acharya Manatungsuri was preaching
Jainism in the region. He was called to the king's court and was challenged to prove the greatness of
Tirthankaras or leave the kingdom otherwise. Acharya Manatungsuri replied "our Lord, free from love and hatred as He is, does not perform miracles. However, his attendant demigods do." Thereafter, Manatungsuri got himself fettered in 44 chains and stood behind a
jinaalay (Jain Temple) facing its rear side. He then composed the
Bhaktamara Stotra and with every verse he composed, one fetter got cut off. By the time he completed all 44 verses, the temple turned around to face Acharya Manatungsuri. He stood face to face with the temple, with all the fetters cut off. This extraordinary spectacle established the
mantric powers Śvetāmbara monks possessed. This account has been described in great detail in ''
Acharya Merutungasuri's Prabandh Cintamani.'' The hymn is recognised by both
Digambara and
Śvetāmbara sects of Jainism. The Digambaras recite 48 verses, while the Śvetāmbaras recite 44 verses. The latter believe 4 verses (verse 32, 33, 34, and 35 as in the 48-verse version) were added later and were called the interpolated verses. It is known that they do not dismiss reciting them. However, Śvetāmbaras believe that
Manatungasuri composed only 44 verses and the rest of them were interpolated later. Therefore, Śvetāmbaras include them in the appendix. The oldest surviving palm leaf manuscript (dated 1332 AD) that illustrates this stotra is found at the
Patan Library. It only consists of 44 verses as believed by the
Śvetāmbara Murtipujaks. Some scholars believe that it originally had 44 verses based on the fact that the
Śvetāmbara sect always had more saints and scholars than their
Digambara counterparts and that there is a greater probability of them having preserved the correct version. ==Structure==