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________________ 01 Namaskar Mahamangal Sutra Jain Prayer to Great Souls Namaskar Mahamangal Sutra, popularly known as Namaskar Mantra, Navakar Mantra or Namokkar Mantra, is the most revered prayer in Jainism. It offers obeisance to the five supreme beings known as Pancha Parmeshtis, namely: Arihanta, Siddha, Acharya, Upadhyay and Sadhus which include all monks and nuns of any religion of the world who practice 5 great vows of conduct. In the first and second sentences obeisance is offered to the omniscient beings, which are Arihanta and Siddha. In the third, fourth and the fifth sentences obeisance is offered to ascetics who are Acharya, Upadhyay and all Sadhus and Sadhvis of the world. The sutra offers obeisance to the qualities of Pancha Parmeshtis not to the individuals. The remaining four sentences explain the importance and benefit of these obeisances. There are a total of 108 qualities or attributes of these five supreme beings. The Jain rosary (Mala) has 108 beads signifying these attributes. Arihanta -12, Siddha - 8, Acharya - 36, Upadhyay - 25, and Sadhu - 27 = Total - 108 01. HER HIGHET: namo arihaMtANaM JHT AGIU namo AyariyANaM / namo uvajjhAyANaM / namo loe savvasAhUNaM / eso paMca namukkAro, savvapAvappaNAsaNo / maMgalANaM ca savvesiM, paDhamaM havai maMgalaM / / 01. Namaskara Mangal Sutra Namo arihantanam. Namo siddhanam. Namo ayariyanam. Namo uvajjhayanam. Namo loe savva-sahunam. Eso pancha-namukkaro, Savva-pava-ppanasano; Mangalanam cha savvesim, Padhamam havai mangalam.
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________________ 01. General Meaning Namo Arihantanam I bow to the Arihantas (Tirthankars) who have reached enlightenment by conquering or eliminating all their Kashaya (vices) such as anger, ego, deceit, greed, and inner weaknesses, who have attained Keval-Jnana which means they have destroyed four Ghati karma and possess infinite knowledge, vision, bliss, and power. They have also shown the path of liberation to the lay people that brings their cycles of birth, life, and death to an end. Namo Siddhanam I bow to the Siddhas or liberated souls that have attained the state of perfection and immortality after the attainment of Keval-Jnana and after completing their current duration of life, thereby achieving total freedom from all karma. In this way they have completely ended the cycle of birth, life, and death. By destroying all 8 types of karmas Siddhas acquire 8 unique attributes of their soul. They are as follows: Anant Jnan Infinite knowledge Anant Darshan Infinite perception Avyabadha Sukha Eternal happiness Anant Charitra Perfect conduct Akshaya Sthiti Immortality Arupitva Formlessness Aguru Laghutva No Social Status Anant Virya Infinite Power and Energy Namo Ayariyanam I bow to the Acharyas, who head the order, and who preach the principles of religion by showing us the path of liberation, i.e., the path of Right Conviction or Faith, Right Knowledge, and Right Conduct. Namo Uvajjhayanam I bow to the Upadhyays, who are the religious scholars and guides of the scriptures. They explain to us the true nature of the soul and karma, their relationship, and the importance of our spiritual lives over our material lives. Namo Loe Savva Sahunam I bow to all ascetics who strictly follow the five great vows of conduct and inspire us to live a simple life. The five vows are: Ahimsa (Nonviolence and Compassion), Satya (Truthfulness), Asteya (Non-stealing), Brahmacharya (Chastity), and Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness and Non-attachment) Eso Pancha Namukkaro To these five types of great souls, I offer my obeisance.
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________________ Savva Pavap-panasano May such obeisance help diminish my sins. Mangala-nam cha Savvesim Giving this praise is most auspicious. Padhamam Havai Mangalam It is so auspicious as to bring inner peace and happiness.