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198: JAINS TODAY IN THE WORLD meditating on them, the ascetics calm their thoughts and their senses and experience altogether true plenitude and bliss.
Often, Jains make also “yantra”. These are various sorts of pentacles with esoteric signs for non-initiated. They would have magic effects. They are intended in particular to protect from various evils those who view them during a long time.
During some festivals, Jains draw also on the ground “mandala" and "yantra”, with coloured powder or grains of rice. One can find too a great deal of them on palm-leaves, sheets of paper, textile and various supports like walls, rocks, pilgrimage panels, and so on. Sometimes, they adorn their manuscripts and sacred books with them as colourings. Many constitute true masterpieces. They make also splendid “rangoli” with flowers of different colours,
3. Their religious expressions
Like Hindus and Buddhists, Jains have various sacred words and formulae called “mantra” whose effects are regarded as supernatural. For the same reason, they repeat certain “sūtra”, made up of aphorisms or longer texts, to set forth their philosophy and their tenets in a synthetic or more detailed manner and to obtain benefice results. Lastly, some have songs, hymns of praise and prayers that are very impressive to hear.
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Their “mantra"
First, we will mention their “mantra” formed by syllables or a certain number of words like: “Aum”, “Hrim”, “Arham”, “Aum Hriṁ Arham” etc. Our attention must be especially focused on one of them most employed by the Jains and called “Mahā-mantra" (Great Mantra) or “Namokāra Mantra” (Mantra of greetings). It is sometimes also said "Pañca-namaskāra-mantra" (mantra of the fivefold respectful salutation) to the “Parameșthin".
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