मंगलं

Sacred Mantras of the Jinas

The greatest Jain mantra bows to no god by name — it bows to virtue itself, wherever it appears. Chant slowly, with the meaning held in the heart.

The Supreme Mantra — Namokar Mahamantra

Navkar Mantra

णमो अरिहंताणं ।
णमो सिद्धाणं ।
णमो आयरियाणं ।
णमो उवज्झायाणं ।
णमो लोए सव्वसाहूणं ॥
एसो पंच णमोक्कारो, सव्वपावप्पणासणो ।
मंगलाणं च सव्वेसिं, पढमं हवइ मंगलं ॥

ṇamo arihantāṇaṁ · ṇamo siddhāṇaṁ · ṇamo āyariyāṇaṁ
ṇamo uvajjhāyāṇaṁ · ṇamo loe savva-sāhūṇaṁ
eso pañca ṇamokkāro, savva-pāva-ppaṇāsaṇo
maṅgalāṇaṁ ca savvesiṁ, paḍhamaṁ havai maṅgalaṁ

“I bow to the Arihants, the conquerors of the inner enemies. I bow to the Siddhas, the liberated souls. I bow to the Acharyas, the masters of the order. I bow to the Upadhyayas, the teachers. I bow to all the sadhus in the world. This fivefold salutation destroys all sin, and of all that is auspicious, it is the first.” The oldest and most universal of Jain prayers — remarkable in that it names no individual, not even Mahaveer. It honours the five qualities of the liberated and the liberating, in whomever they shine. It is the first sound whispered to a newborn and the last offered at parting.

Prakrit — the supreme mantra of Jainism Japa: 108 repetitions

The Four Refuges

Chattari Mangalam

चत्तारि मंगलं — अरिहंता मंगलं, सिद्धा मंगलं, साहू मंगलं, केवलिपन्नत्तो धम्मो मंगलं ।
चत्तारि लोगुत्तमा — अरिहंता लोगुत्तमा, सिद्धा लोगुत्तमा, साहू लोगुत्तमा, केवलिपन्नत्तो धम्मो लोगुत्तमो ।
चत्तारि सरणं पवज्जामि — अरिहंते सरणं पवज्जामि, सिद्धे सरणं पवज्जामि, साहू सरणं पवज्जामि, केवलिपन्नत्तं धम्मं सरणं पवज्जामि ॥

cattāri maṅgalaṁ — arihantā maṅgalaṁ, siddhā maṅgalaṁ, sāhū maṅgalaṁ, kevali-pannatto dhammo maṅgalaṁ …
cattāri saraṇaṁ pavajjāmi — I take refuge in the four

“Four are auspicious, four are supreme in the world, in four I take refuge: the Arihants, the Siddhas, the sadhus, and the dharma taught by the omniscient.” Recited daily after the Navkar, this prayer turns salutation into shelter — the heart consciously choosing where it will rest. It is chanted in joy, in fear, and at the bedside of the dying.

Recited in daily pratikramana

The Prayer of Universal Forgiveness

Khamemi Savva Jive

खामेमि सव्वजीवे सव्वे जीवा खमंतु मे ।
मित्ती मे सव्वभूएसु वेरं मज्झ न केणइ ॥

khāmemi savva-jīve savve jīvā khamantu me
mittī me savva-bhūesu veraṁ majjha na keṇai

“I forgive all living beings; may all living beings forgive me. My friendship is with all beings — my enmity is with none.” The verse at the heart of pratikramana and of Samvatsari, the annual day of forgiveness. It asks pardon in both directions at once, refusing to keep accounts. To say it sincerely even once, the acharyas taught, lightens karma gathered over lifetimes.

Heart of Samvatsari — Micchami Dukkadam

Hymn of the Immortal Devotee — Acharya Manatunga

Bhaktamar Stotra (opening verse)

भक्तामरप्रणतमौलिमणिप्रभाणा-मुद्योतकं दलितपापतमोवितानम् ।
सम्यक् प्रणम्य जिनपादयुगं युगादा-वालम्बनं भवजले पततां जनानाम् ॥

bhaktāmara-praṇata-mauli-maṇi-prabhāṇām udyotakaṁ dalita-pāpa-tamo-vitānam
samyak praṇamya jina-pāda-yugaṁ yugādāv ālambanaṁ bhava-jale patatāṁ janānām

“Having duly bowed to the feet of the Jina — which brighten the gems in the crowns of the bowing gods, which tear apart the canopy of darkness that is sin, and which are the refuge of all beings fallen into the waters of existence…” Composed, tradition says, by Acharya Manatunga while chained in a king's prison — with each of the forty-eight verses a lock fell open. The Bhaktamar remains the most beloved devotional hymn in the Jain world, recited every morning in countless homes.

Sanskrit, 48 verses Author: Acharya Manatunga

Salutation to the Great Hero

Mahaveer Jaap Mantra

ॐ ह्रीं श्रीं अर्हं श्री महावीराय नमः ॥

oṁ hrīṁ śrīṁ arhaṁ śrī mahāvīrāya namaḥ

“Om Hrim Shrim Arham — salutations to Shri Mahaveer.” A seed-syllable salutation to the 24th Tirthankara, chanted especially on Mahavir Jayanti and on Diwali, the day of his nirvana. The bijas honour the Jina as the embodiment of auspiciousness; the bow is to the qualities he perfected — fearlessness, forgiveness, and friendship to all.

Chanted on Mahavir Jayanti & Diwali

Universal Benediction

Upasarga Shanti — Prayer for All the World

उपसर्गाः क्षयं यान्ति छिद्यन्ते विघ्नवल्लयः ।
मनः प्रसन्नतामेति पूज्यमाने जिनेश्वरे ॥
शिवमस्तु सर्वजगतः परहितनिरता भवन्तु भूतगणाः ।
दोषाः प्रयान्तु नाशं सर्वत्र सुखी भवतु लोकः ॥

upasargāḥ kṣayaṁ yānti chidyante vighna-vallayaḥ
manaḥ prasannatām eti pūjyamāne jineśvare
śivam astu sarva-jagataḥ para-hita-niratā bhavantu bhūta-gaṇāḥ
doṣāḥ prayāntu nāśaṁ sarvatra sukhī bhavatu lokaḥ

“When the Lord of the Jinas is worshipped, calamities wane, the creepers of obstacles are cut away, and the mind comes to serenity. May the whole universe be blessed; may all beings delight in one another's welfare; may every fault perish; may people everywhere be happy.” The Jain benediction that closes worship — a prayer that asks nothing for oneself at all.

Recited at the close of puja

Digital Japa Mala

Count Your Navkar Jaap

Tap the bead with each repetition of the Navkar Mantra. A full mala is 108. Your count is saved on this device, so you can continue where you left off.

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How to practise: sit comfortably, spine easy and tall. Let the breath settle. Chant aloud softly, or in the mind, keeping the meaning present. Tradition favours dawn, and the quiet before sleep — but the Navkar may be offered at any moment, in any place, by anyone.