Namokar Mantra

Namokar Mantra
Namokar Mantra
	?am?k?ra mantra / Navkar Mantra
Information
Religion	Jainism
Language	Ardhamagadhi Prakrit

The ?am?k?ra mantra or Navkar Mantra is the most significant mantra in Jainism , and one of the oldest mantras in continuous practice. ^[1]^[2] This is the first prayer recited by the Jains while meditating . The mantra is also variously referred to as the Pancha Namask?ra Mantra , Namask?ra Mantra , Navak?ra Mantra , Namask?ra Mangala or Paramesthi Mantra . It is dedicated to the Panch-Parmeshthi, namely the arihant , the siddhas , the acharyas , the upadhyaya and all the ascetics.

History [ edit ]

Hathigumpha inscription by King Kh?ravela at Udayagiri Hills

A short inscription (dated 200 BCE to 100 BCE) found in Pale Caves in Maharashtra mentions Namo Arahatanam ( ??? ??????? ) or Namo Arahantanam ( ??? ???????? ), only the first line of Namokara Mantra. In Kushana and Shaka periods of 1st century CE to the first quarter of 2nd century, only the first line was prevalent. ^[3] The Hathigumpha inscription dated between 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE starts with Namo Arahantanam ( ??? ???????? ) and Namo Save Sidhanam ( ??? ??? ?????? ), the first two lines of Namokar Mantra. The rest of the lines are not there. It was inscribed by the Jain monarch Kharavela of Kalinga kingdom . ^[3]^[4]^[5] According to historian M. A. Dhaky , these two lines were originally used as mangala (auspicious opening lines) in written works and rituals then. ^[3]

The Namaskara Mantra with all Panca-Parame??hi (five supreme souls) was first mentioned in the auspicious opening lines in the condensed edition of Vy?khy?prajnapti . This version also replaces Ardhamagadhi ?? with Maharashtrian Prakrit ?? . ^[3] In condensed edition of Avashyakasutra (dated circa last quarter of 5th century), the ?? is also replaced with ?? as well as ????? (Arahant) with ?????? (Arihant). Shatkandagam (circa 475-525 CE) and later Visheshavashyakbhashyavritti (circa 725 CE) and Anuyogadwarasuchi shows ??? (Namo) replaced with more Prakit ??? (Namo). However, most ?vet?mbaras still use ??? (Namo) as the ?vet?mbara canon states that Tirthankaras' sermons are in Ardhamagadhi Prakrit , so they prefer the version with ??? (Namo) as they consider it to be the original form of the mantra . Digambaras, on the other hand, believe that Tirthankaras do not speak after attaining Kevala jnana and that there is no specific language in their sermons. Most Digambaras, therefore, prefer reciting the newer version of the mantra written in Maharashtri Prakrit with ??? (Namo).

Composed around the beginning of the Common Era , Chattarimangalam Stotra mentions only Arhat, Siddha, Sadhu and Kevalipragnapti Dharma ( Dharma as prescribed by Omniscients) as four chief auspicious. So the three lines regarding Acharya, Upadhyaya and Sadhu must have been added later. The last four lines about phala-prashashti (benefits of chanting) are not older than 6th century CE and are not found in any older works, according to Dhaky. ^[3] The importance of it as a mantra in texts, traditions, rituals and meditation arose thereafter. ^[3]

The ?am?k?ra/Navkar Mantra [ edit ]

Prakrit	Transliteration	Meaning
??? ?????????	?am? Arihant??a?	I bow to the Arihants
??? ????????	?am? Siddh??a?	I bow to the Siddhas .
??? ????????	?am? Ayariy??a?	I bow to the Acharyas .
??? ??????????	?am? Uvajjh?y??a?	I bow to the Upadhyayas .
??? ??? ???? ??????	?am? L?? Savva S?h??a?	I bow to all of the Sages of the world.
??? ??? ?????????, ???? ???????????	?s? pan?ca ?am?kk?r?, savva p?vappa??sa??	This five-fold salutation completely destroys all the sins.
????? ?? ? ????????, ???? ??? ?????	Ma?gal? ?a? ca savv?si?, pa?amama hava? ma?gala?	And, of all auspicious mantras, (it) is indeed the foremost auspicious one.

Abbreviations [ edit ]

The Namokar Mantra may abbreviated to O? Nama? Siddhanam (6 syllables), Om Nhi (2 syllables), or just Om (1 syllable) in Jain literature. ^[6]

Meaning [ edit ]

Below is the meaning of the Namokar Mantra line by line, wherein the devotee first bows to the five supreme souls or Panca-Parame??hi :

Arihant ? Those who have destroyed the four inimical karmas
Siddha ? The persons who have achieved "Siddhi"
Acharyas ? The teachers who teach how to behave / live one's life
Upadhyaya ? Preceptor of less advanced ascetics ^[7]
S?dhu ? The monks or sages in the world practicing Samyak Charitra (right conduct)
The practitioner also says that by bowing to all these five supreme souls
All of his or her karmas can get destroyed and
Wishes for well-being of each and every living entity
The practitioner finally says that this mantra is the most auspicious one

There is no mention of any particular names of the gods or any specific person. The prayer is done towards the gu?a (the good qualities) of the gods, teachers and the saints. Jains do not ask for any favors or material benefits from the tirthankaras or monastics. This mantra simply serves as a gesture of deep respect towards beings whom they believe are spiritually evolved, as well as to remind the people of their ultimate goal i.e. moksha (liberation). ^[8]

Meditation [ edit ]

Obeisance to Panca-Parame??hi (five supreme beings)

According to Dravyasa?graha , a major Jain text :

Meditate on, recite or chant the sacred mantras, consisting of thirty-five, sixteen, six, five, four, two and one letter(s), pronouncing the virtues of the five supreme beings ( Panca-Parame??hi ). Besides, meditate on and chant other mantras as per the teachings of the Preceptor (guru). ^[9]

References [ edit ]

^ Voorst 2015 , p. 107.
^ Jaina, Rav?ndrakum?ra and Kusuma Jaina (1993). A Scientific Treatise on Great Namokar Mantra . Delhi: Arihant International, Keladevi Sumatiprasad Trust. ISBN 81-7277-029-4 .
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Dhaky, M. A. (2002). "???????? ??????????????? '???????-????' " ['Namaskara-Mangala' in Historic Perspective]. In Shah, Jitendra B. (ed.). Nirgranth Aitihasik Lekh-Samucchay ????????? ???????? ???-??????? . Shreshthi Kasturbhai Lalbhai Series, Book 4 (in Gujarati). Vol. 1. Ahmedabad: Shreshthi Kasturbhai Lalbhai Smaraknidhi. pp. 7?18 . Retrieved 15 November 2021 – via Jain eLibrary.
^ Rapson, "Catalogue of the Indian coins of the British Museum. Andhras etc...", p XVII.
^ Full text of the Hathigumpha Inscription in English Archived 17 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
^ von Glasenapp 1999 , pp. 410?411.
^ Jain 1917 , p. 61.
^ Shah, Natubhai (1998). Jainism: The World of Conquerors . Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 1-898723-31-1 .
^ Jain 2013 , p. 173.

Sources [ edit ]

Voorst, Robert E. Van (2015), RELG: World (Second ed.), Cengage Learning, ISBN 978-1-285-43468-1
Jain, Vijay K. (2013), ?c?rya Nemichandra's Dravyasa?graha , Vikalp Printers, ISBN 9788190363952 , Non-copyright
Jain, Champat Rai (1917), The Ratna Karanda Sravakachara , The Central Jaina Publishing House

[FOOTNOTEVoorst2015107-1] Voorst 2015 , p. 107.

[STGNM-2] Jaina, Rav?ndrakum?ra and Kusuma Jaina (1993). A Scientific Treatise on Great Namokar Mantra . Delhi: Arihant International, Keladevi Sumatiprasad Trust. ISBN 81-7277-029-4 .

[Dhaky-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Dhaky, M. A. (2002). "???????? ??????????????? '???????-????' " ['Namaskara-Mangala' in Historic Perspective]. In Shah, Jitendra B. (ed.). Nirgranth Aitihasik Lekh-Samucchay ????????? ???????? ???-??????? . Shreshthi Kasturbhai Lalbhai Series, Book 4 (in Gujarati). Vol. 1. Ahmedabad: Shreshthi Kasturbhai Lalbhai Smaraknidhi. pp. 7?18 . Retrieved 15 November 2021 – via Jain eLibrary.

[4] Rapson, "Catalogue of the Indian coins of the British Museum. Andhras etc...", p XVII.

[5] Full text of the Hathigumpha Inscription in English Archived 17 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine

[FOOTNOTEvon_Glasenapp1999410–411-6] von Glasenapp 1999 , pp. 410?411.

[FOOTNOTEJain191761-7] Jain 1917 , p. 61.

[8] Shah, Natubhai (1998). Jainism: The World of Conquerors . Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 1-898723-31-1 .

[FOOTNOTEJain2013173-9] Jain 2013 , p. 173.

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