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Exposition of Pratikramana Stotras
sentences in Navakara Mantra. The first seven padas each has a separate meaning while last two padas together have one meaning, thus for nine padas there are eight meanings (sampada). There are 68 whole letters in the original Prakrit version of the Navakara Mantra. These are the five supreme beings (parmeshthis), who are revered in this Mantra.
Arihanta: Siddha is the highest stage of bliss even above the state of Arihanta but in the Navakara Mantra, obeisance is offered first to Arihanta because they are perfect worldly souls, builders of the ford of righteousness, establishers of the four fold order of the Jaina community and they devote their lives in preaching and guiding other living beings to the path of liberation. Lord Arihanta has 12 attributes; which are made up of 8 auspicious symbols (pratihärya) and 4 extra ordinary powers (atishaya). Twelve attributes of Arihanta are as follows: 1. Inänätishaya: Omniscience, the perfect knowledge of past, present and future of the entire Universe at the same time. 2. Apäyäpagamätishaya: Lord Arihanta is free from all the faults and where ever he travels there is absence of all natural calamities and diseases within the area of 125 Yojanas (1 Yojana equals 4 miles) surrounding him. 3. Pujätishaya: All celestial beings and humans either worship or have desire to worship Lord Arihanta. 4. Vachanätishaya: The speech of Lord Arihanta is ‘The Reality' itself and well understood by celestial beings, humans and animals in their own mode of expression (native tongue) and has 35 special qualities. 5. Ashoka Vruksha: Where a divine assembly hall is built, a tree called Ashoka Vruksha, twelve times larger than the body of Lord Arihanta, is created by celestial beings. Lord Arihanta delivers his universal sermon sitting under this tree. Over Ashoka Vruksha, there is another tree called Chaitya Vruksha. It is under this
