Navkar Na Pad

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Navkar na Pad," focusing on the Navkar Mantra:

The book "Navkar na Pad" published by Jain University explores the significance, structure, and practice of the Navkar Mantra, a central and highly revered mantra in Jainism.

Structure and Components of the Navkar Mantra:

• Total Letters and Padas: The Navkar Mantra is stated to have 68 letters. It is composed of 5 fundamental "padas" (sections) containing 35 letters, and 4 "chulikas" (supplementary parts) containing 33 letters, totaling 9 padas and 68 letters.
• Variations in Digambar Tradition: The text notes some variations in the pronunciation and phrasing of the Navkar Mantra within the Digambar sect, including differences in the pronunciation of "Arihantan," "Namah," "Acharyanam," "Namah," and "Bhavati."
• References in Jain Scriptures: The mantra's structure and significance are referenced in various Jain scriptures:
  • The Mulachara scripture mentions the "Pancha Namaskaro" as the destroyer of all sins and the foremost auspicious chant.
  • The Mahanishith scripture, attributed to Acharya Haribhadrasuri, mentions the nine padas of the Navkar Mantra.
  • The Cheiyavandanamahabhasya states that the Namaskar Mantra has 68 letters, 9 padas, and 8 "sampadas" (qualities or virtues).
  • The Namaskarpanjika reiterates the 35 letters in the 5 padas and 33 letters in the 4 chulikas, totaling 68 letters and 9 padas.
  • Vachaswami's Mahanishith Sutra also describes the Navkar as having nine padas, eight sampadas, and sixty-eight letters.
  • Upadesh Tarangini refers to the first five padas as "Panchtirthi" (Five Tirthankaras or holy beings) and the 68 letters as 68 tirthas. The 8 sampadas are described as the eight supreme abilities that destroy the darkness of ignorance.

Names and Significance of the Navkar Mantra:

• Numerous Names: The Navkar Mantra is known by various revered names such as Var Mantra (Supreme Mantra), Param Sang (Ultimate Companion), Siddha Mantra (Mantra of Perfection), Panch Namaskaro Mahamantra (Great Mantra of Five Salutations), Panch Parameshti Namaskar Mahamantra, Sakala Mantra Shirmanimani (Jewel in the Crown of All Mantras), Maha Shruta Skandha (Great Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge), Mahamrityunjaya (Great Conqueror of Death), and Mahatattva (Great Element).
• Focus on Qualities, Not Individuals: A remarkable aspect highlighted is that the mantra does not name any specific individual, not even Lord Mahavir, or the Jain tradition itself. Instead, it salutes the qualities embodied by the Arhats (those who have conquered inner passions), signifying a salutation to the universal and the ideal.
• Universality and Uniqueness: The mantra is considered unique in world religions for focusing on qualities rather than individuals, being all-pervasive, and not bound by any specific direction or corner.
• Purpose: Spiritual vs. Material: Unlike many other mantras used for worldly desires like wealth, health, or overcoming obstacles (known as "lokik" or worldly mantras), the Navkar Mantra is specifically for spiritual upliftment and liberation (moksha), making it a "lokottar" or transcendental mantra.
• Power of Five Great Energies: It is believed to be the only mantra where five great powers work simultaneously, fulfilling all desires with minimal effort.
• Origin and Simplicity: The mantra is considered the source of all mantras, is easy to pronounce, and is accessible to all. It grants both worldly and spiritual benefits. It is described as the inexhaustible seed of the wish-fulfilling tree of welfare.

Essence and Benefits:

• Essence of Jainism: The Navkar Mantra is the essence of the Jain Shasan (teachings), the upliftment of the eleven Angas (Jain scriptures), and the core of the fourteen Purvas (ancient Jain texts).
• Fulfillment of Desires: It is compared to divine entities like Kalpavruksha (wish-fulfilling tree), Chintamani (wish-fulfilling gem), Kamadhenu (celestial cow), and Kamakumbha (wish-fulfilling pot), capable of fulfilling all desires.
• Spiritual and Material Well-being: It provides spiritual happiness, supreme peace, and is considered the source of all happiness in both this world and the next.
• Destruction of Sins and Obstacles: It burns sins like fire, washes away karmic impurities, destroys ignorance, passions, and negligence, and protects from fears like demons and spirits.
• Path to Liberation: The mantra is a direct path to spiritual progress, offering liberation and leading to the highest state of being.
• Spiritual Practice: Chanting the mantra leads to the development of detachment, good intellect, pure thoughts, and virtuous actions.
• Merit of Pilgrimage: Reciting the Navkar Mantra is equivalent to visiting 68 holy pilgrimage sites.
• Life-Giving Force: It is likened to electricity that illuminates the soul, steam that powers life's machinery, fire that burns sins, and water that cleanses karmic dirt. It is the ultimate auspicious beginning.
• Source of all auspiciousness: It is considered the primary auspicious event and the lord of all mantras.
• Eternal and Supreme: The mantra is eternal, supreme, and the very nature of the soul. It is a collection of great powers that illuminate the soul.

Methods of Chanting (Japa):

• Meaning of Japa: Japa means repeated chanting. The letter 'Ja' signifies the severance of birth, and 'Pa' signifies the destruction of sins and liberation.
• Practice:
  • Wake up an hour and 36 minutes before sunrise and chant.
  • Sit on an asana (seat) facing East or North (towards Mahavideh Kshetra and Meru mountain respectively).
  • Types of Japa:
    • Dharana Jap (Meditative Chanting): Visualizing and chanting.
    • Kar Jap (Hand Chanting): Using finger joints to count.
    • Mala Jap (Rosary Chanting): Using a rosary.
• Mala (Rosary) Guidelines:
  • Use one's own rosary, made of sutra or sandalwood.
  • Sit in one place.
  • Use a consecrated rosary.
  • Maintain a consistent time, direction, and seat.
  • Face East before 10 AM and North after sunset.
  • Ideal times for chanting are 6 AM, 12 PM, and 6 PM.
  • Avoid touching the beads with nails.
  • Keep the rosary close to the heart.
  • Keep the rosary above the navel and below the face.
  • The Meru bead at the top of the rosary should be respected.
  • Use different rosaries for different purposes. A 108-bead rosary is recommended, representing the 108 qualities of the Panch Parmeshthi.
• Types of Rosaries (Vali): Different materials like silver, gold, pearl, conch, coral, crystal, sandalwood, and gems are mentioned, each offering different degrees of benefit (peace, fortune, health, spiritual gain, etc.). Plastic and wooden rosaries are advised against.
• Methods of Chanting:
  • Anupurvi: Chanting in the prescribed order (e.g., Namo Arihantanam, Namo Siddhanam...).
  • Pashchim Anu-purvi (Reverse Chanting): Chanting in reverse order, either by pada or by letter.
  • Ananupurvi: Chanting without a specific order, often utilizing numerical patterns in diagrams ("Yantras") for different effects.
• Modes of Chanting:
  • Manas Jap (Mental Chanting): Silent chanting with closed lips, considered the best.
  • Upanshu Jap (Whispered Chanting): Whispering with gentle lip movements, audible only to the chanter.
  • Bhashya Jap (Vocal Chanting): Chanting aloud with clear pronunciation and rhythm, audible to others.

Initiation and Worship (Aradhana):

• Grahana Vidhi (Initiation Ritual): To perform the mantra effectively, one must undergo an initiation ritual with a Guru. This involves choosing an auspicious time and place, decorating the area, performing penance, seeking the Guru's blessings, and having the mantra whispered in the ear by the Guru.
• Meditative Visualization: The text describes visualizing the Navkar Mantra with different colors in specific directions and at different times of the day, associating each pada with a particular color and time.
• Types of Aradhana (Worship/Devotion): Different levels of devotion are outlined:
  • Mahatva Aradhana (Grand Devotion): Involves prolonged fasting, a large number of mantra repetitions (e.g., 36,000 Navkar japa), austerities, and observing strict vows for 18 days.
  • Madhyam Aradhana (Moderate Devotion): Involves chanting one lakh (100,000) Navkar mantras, offering flowers, and observing moderate fasting for 18 days.
  • Laghu Aradhana (Minor Devotion): Involves 9 days of chanting 2,000 Navkar mantras daily and observing simplified fasting.
• Upadhan Tap: This is a special form of penance for learning and internalizing the Navkar Mantra. It involves intense austerities, mantra chanting, and fasting for a specific period, often under the guidance of a Guru, to gain full command and understanding of the mantra. The text emphasizes that without this Upadhan, reciting scriptures like Namaskar is prohibited.

In essence, "Navkar na Pad" presents the Navkar Mantra as the supreme, universally beneficial, and spiritually potent mantra in Jainism, emphasizing its structure, diverse names, profound significance, and the various methods of its practice and worship for achieving spiritual liberation and worldly well-being.