Jainism a way of Life

Navkar Mantra in Jainism

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Navkar Mantra in Jainism
namokar mantra efficacy

Significance of Navkar mantra in Jainism is beyond comprehension. One single mantra encompasses such a phenomenal degree of spirituality that the serious follower of this mantra is bound to reap the benefits accrued.

The Navkar mantra in Jainism is endowed with blessings from all the gods that ever be! Whoever chants the Navkar mantra in right earnestness after learning the real meaning of various terminology in Navkar mantra... reaps the benefits galore!

Most people across the world indulge in chanting various mantras without ever understanding the meaning of the mantra. This is also the case with Navkar mantra. Chanting of a mantra (rather Navkar mantra) is not a ritual. Blessed are those who have been gifted with all the five senses. The ability to pray to God is definitely a blessing in disguise.

Routinely chanting the Navkar mantra repeatedly never yields the desired results. The efficacy of a mantra can only be felt by chanting the mantra after learning of its hidden meaning. Once we comprehend the hidden meaning behind the mantra... the efficacy of the mantra is not only doubled or tripled but the results are multiplied manifold.

I shall now narrate the significance of the Navkar mantra (it is sincerely requested that whoever reads this message may chant the Navkar mantra only once if there is a limitation of time). But every time the Navkar mantra is chanted... we must feel the reverberations of the mantra in actual life long after the chanting has stopped.

Unless and until we feel the effects of the Navkar mantra chanted... there is no point in carrying out a ritual daily! Going to the Jain temple daily and chanting the Navkar mantra three, nine or 81 times is simply immaterial until and unless we understand the significance of the words spoken!

Truly speaking, Navkar mantra encompasses within itself everything that is desired of a true prayer.

The first prayer of the Navkar mantra starts with "Namo Arihantanam" which means that our first prayer must be addressed to Arihanta... the stage when a human being manifests the end of spirituality. Becoming an Arihanta means one has reached the stage of Nirvikalpa Samadhi... the stage on the path of spirituality when one becomes enlightened after having gained Kaivalya Jnana. (One gains omniscience forever!)

The cycle of life... having come to an end... the Siddha Purusha enters the domain of god (Baikuntha in Hinduism)! The Baikuntha in Hinduism is a point of no return. Having reached the kingdom of God... every purified atman soul can again manifest life only in the next creation of the cosmos... never before! (That shall occur only after the dissolution of the present Cosmos)

Then why it is that the stage of Siddha Purusha being higher we address our first prayer to Arihanta (the omniscient).

Here I shall narrate a small incidence related to the life of Lord Mahavira...

It so happened that after having gained Kaivalya Jnana... Lord Mahavira was not able to deliver his sermon to the masses. Days, months and years passed by and there was no relief! The whole humanity was suffering seeing the plight of Lord Mahavira.

The simple reason why Lord Mahavira was not able to deliver the sermon was that none with the capability of King Arjuna (who was competent enough to decipher the messages of Lord Krishna) was available for Lord Mahavira. In the absence of a competent recipient the purpose of Lord Mahavira having gained enlightenment became immaterial to the masses.

Lord Mahavira needed one who could understand the meaning of his sermons. He waited badly and by the grace of God almighty... one by the name of Gautama Gani arrived on the scene. Gautama Gani was the one and only one in the times of Lord Mahavira who was competent enough to decipher what was being said. He was truly an Arihanta of his age.

The voice of a Siddha Purusha can only be deciphered by an Arihanta. There is no ambiguity about it. Bhagavad Gita... the most sacred document of Hinduism confirms this fact. This is the prime reason why sacred documents like Bhagavad Gita cannot be easily understood by most seekers of spirituality.

To understand the doctrine of Bhagavad Gita put forward by Lord Krishna... we need an Arihanta of our age who shall be able to decipher what is being said and would be able to explain to the masses the hidden inner meaning.

Now, as the messages from the Siddha Purusha cannot be deciphered by the common masses directly, we address our first prayer to Arihanta... the omniscient one who has reached the stage of Kaivalya Jnana. It is Arihanta and Arihanta alone who first delivers the messages of the masters to the masses.

The second prayer of the Navkar mantra "Namo Siddhanam" is addressed to a Siddha Purusha... the one who having gained enlightenment has almost made it mandatory for self to pass on the wisdom learnt to the masses. A Siddha Purusha is one who having reached the end of cosmic journey explains to the masses the journey he has traveled... the means and the ways!

A Siddha Purusha is one who is able to clearly explain the path from the first manifestation as an amoeba to the last... the 8.4 millionth manifestation! A Siddha Purusha is a direct representative of God Almighty on Mother Earth. He has completed the earthly abode. He is the only one competent to explain the intricacies of the path towards God.

A Siddha Purusha can guide one on the path of true spirituality. How a normal human being reaches the highest manifest stage in life... the complete path can only be narrated by a Siddha Purusha. Reaching the stage of a Siddha Purusha is the end goal of life itself. This was what God intended for all living beings to be when he formed the entire Cosmos.

We must pay our obeisance to a Siddha Purusha for he has reached the highest pinnacle of life. And it is why after an Arihanta we pay our respects to a Siddha Purusha.

The third prayer of the Navkar mantra "Namo Ayriyanam" is addressed to all Acharyas (spiritual teachers) existing on Mother Earth. Unless and until these Acharyas are able to grasp the meaning of words stated by an Arihanta... the common masses again would not be able to decipher what was being said!

Every Arihanta has a large following of spiritual teachers (Acharyas) who finally disseminate the spiritual wisdom to the masses. The Acharyas act as the principals of the spiritual schools of thought. And in these spiritual monasteries they teach the essence of spiritual wisdom to the serious seekers of spirituality (not the masses).

An Acharya in present times can be compared to the owner or a principal of a school or college. Unless and until Acharyas have hermitages (ashrams) spread all over the earthly abode... the messages from the Siddha Purusha to the masses would not be possible. Acharyas are the prominent link between the teachers and the Arihantas.

The fourth prayer of the Navkar mantra "Namo Uvajjhayanam" is addressed to Upadhyaya (spiritual teachers).

Amongst the most serious seekers of spirituality... those who are earnest in their approach (the Upadhyayas) become the patron pupils of the saints and the hermitages (ashrams). It is this pupil (the grass root level spiritual teacher) who finally passes on the messages of the spiritual masters to the masses.

The role of the Upadhyaya (spiritual teacher) is the foremost of all. It is he who finally passes on the messages of the spiritual masters to the masses.

Imagine a situation when there are hundreds of Lord Mahaviras but no Arihantas or Acharyas to follow. How would the messages of the Siddha Purusha reach the masses? In the chain of events... the role of Arihantas, Acharyas and finally Upadhyayas is never insignificant. Everyone has got to play their own role! One cannot do without the other.

For the common masses to follow the dictates of an Arihanta is difficult not impossible. The Upadhyayas (spiritual teachers) travel to far-flung areas of the globe to disseminate the worldly wisdom gained from an Arihanta through an Acharya.

Practically for an Arihanta to disseminate the spiritual wisdom to the masses in its entirety is out of question. A team of thousands of Upadhyayas is able to accomplish such a task. And hence we pay our respects to these Upadhyayas who bring message of goodwill and peace to the community.

The fifth prayer of the Navkar mantra "Namo Loe Savva-sahunam" is addressed to people who are Sadhu (godly) in nature. One who is neither a Siddha Purusha, nor an Arihanta, nor an Acharya or an Upadhyaya is covered under the fifth prayer.

All God-fearing people are also required to be respected and prayed to seek their blessings! This is a very important and a fundamental part of the whole prayer... the Navkar mantra itself. After having sought the blessings of all Siddha Purusha, Arihantas, Acharyas and Upadhyayas... we also need to seek the blessings of those favored pupils of God without which the Navkar mantra itself would lose its efficacy.

While living in the physical present world... we normally find many God-fearing people who outwardly appear not to be very religious or spiritual in nature but these blessed sons and daughters of God are the ones who make the society worth living. It is these sons of the soil who have given our present society its meaning.

These worldly wise people are covered in the fifth prayer. By seeking thus we are simply negating the onset of negative karma if any in our life. Praying to all and seeking the blessings of all... one definitely can vouch with certainty that nothing negative would befall us.

I shall explain the value of offering our prayers to the fifth category for the following reason-

We have all read the story of a Princess who prickled her thumb in childhood and fell asleep for a full hundred years. She was destined to have died the moment her thumb got prickled but a kind fairy blessed the child that she would not die (by pricking of her thumb)... rather at the end of hundred years she would be brought back to life if a passing prince kisses her.

Why at all this happened? Was this not the result of ignorance or we might say indifference on the part of the parents of the Princess who had forgotten to invite an old wicked fairy during the family celebrations at the time of birth of the Princess. This wicked fairy had indeed put a curse on the Princess that when she reaches a particular age... she would prickle her thumb with a spindle that would lead to her death.

We must always fear the unknown! Why not all of us of offer our prayers to each and every godly soul existing on Mother Earth lest we may be cursed by one for uncountable reasons. By seeking the blessings of those souls whom we even do not know... absolves us of all the impurities that may strike us at any moment of time in life.

Navkar Mantra: the mother of all mantras, meaning of navkar mantra. Namokar mahamantra!

In a nutshell, the Navkar mantra encompasses prayer to all the Siddha Purusha, Arihantas, Acharyas, Upadhyayas and the balance who are closer to God than us. The Navkar mantra is a complete prayer in itself. Those who chant the Navkar mantra in true earnestness definitely get benefited on every account.

Navkar mantra must become a daily practice with us. By chanting the Navkar mantra... there is nothing to lose! It is gains all the time!

We must also remember that chanting of any mantra and for that matter the Navkar mantra is not the sole propriety of the Jain community. Any individual can chant this mantra to advantage. We need to have the requisite faith in the Navkar mantra of Jainism.

Essay By: Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani"

Vijay Kumar... The Man who Realized God in 1993 explains the efficacy and meaning of Navkar Mantra- All five prayers individually explained. For more details on navkar mantra visit - navkar mantra. Send your query - click here Ref. 050217

More Navkar Mantra Related Links...

Immortality meaning and concept Immortality ... a word framed by Lord and not coined by a Human Being has altogether a different meaning than we self centered understand! Who becomes immortal? One who after intense Meditation is able to live longer compared to a normal Human Being or one, who does not have to manifest a body again and again and rests in peace in Baikuntha (Abode of God totally different from Heaven).

God the Creator and Man Gods Creator: "Brahman, the Creator" is one. Gods can be many. Brahman created the Universe and in it all Atmans (Souls). These Atmans manifest themselves in different forms to purify themselves. Once purified ... they attain Moksha (liberation). The purified Atmans have been accorded a status by the Society ... we call them God. Man Gods... are those Human Beings, those jivas who in their Life time have liberated themselves from the cycle of birth and death and have become immortal (amar). They are known as amar for they shall not manifest again.

Human Evolution and becoming Immortal All these enlightened souls like Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed had transcended life itself. They had become immortal in the true sense that they would not have to indulge again in manifesting life thereafter. Life had truly come full circle for these godly souls.

Letter to all mankind and Immortality Understand the noble goal of "Atman" within you ... cause for all misery and fear vanishes. None can cause harm to any "Atman" being immortal. The "Atman" can not itself liberate to rejoin the "Lord" until it has cleansed itself (Karma is exhausted) through various manifested physical forms.

Humans Beings and becoming immortal It is absolutely clear that no human being can directly either go to heaven or the kingdom of God. The domain of heaven and hell and also the kingdom of God is open for soul atmans only. In the physical manifest form of life as a human being or any other form... any wishful thinking of becoming an immortal does not exist in the cosmic system.

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