The Navkar Mantra

The mantra

Nine lines in Prakrit, the spoken language of Mahavir's time. Five are salutations. Four say what the salutation does.

The five salutations run to thirty-five syllables. With the four closing lines, the chulika, the whole passage is sixty-eight. Children are taught the five first and the chulika later, which is why you will hear both lengths recited in the mandir.

Who is being saluted

Five categories, together called the Panch Parameshthi, the five supreme beings. Two of them have completed the journey. Three are still walking it, and are saluted for how far they have come.

Arihantअरिहंत

One who has destroyed the four ghati karmas, the karmas that obscure knowledge, perception, energy and bliss, and so has attained omniscience while still living in a body. A Tirthankar is an Arihant who also establishes the fourfold order.

Siddhaसिद्ध

A soul that has shed all karma and left the body behind. Siddhas have no form, no name and no further birth. They reside at the summit of the universe and are the only beings a Jain considers fully free.

Acharyaआचार्य

The head of an ascetic order. An Acharya has taken the great vows in full and carries the responsibility of admitting new ascetics and correcting lapses in conduct.

Upadhyayaउपाध्याय

The teacher of the order. Where the Acharya governs conduct, the Upadhyaya transmits the scriptures to ascetics who are still learning them.

Sadhuसाधु

Every ascetic who has taken the five great vows, anywhere in the world, of any tradition. The line says loe savva, all in the world, and it means it.

Why it names no one

The mantra mentions no god, no Tirthankar by name, not even Mahavir. This is deliberate and it is the single most important thing about it. What is being saluted is a state, not a personality. Anyone who reaches that state becomes worthy of the same bow, whenever and wherever they lived.

It follows that the mantra asks for nothing. There is no request in it, no petition, no bargain. A Siddha has no involvement in the world and cannot grant a wish; the benefit of the salutation is what it does to the person reciting it. This is why Jains describe the mantra as removing sin rather than as pleasing anyone.

How it is used

The Navkar Mantra opens every Jain ritual and most Jain days. It is recited on waking, before eating, before travelling, at the start of a puja, at the start of a business ledger, and at the bedside of the dying. There is no wrong time and no qualification required to say it.

• Recited once, or in counts of nine, twenty-seven or one hundred and eight on a mala.
• Said aloud in the mandir and silently in samayika, the daily period of equanimity.
• Written at the head of a letter, an account book or an invitation, as a mark of auspicious beginning.