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The Siddhacakra and Namokara Mantra: 85
and queen of the nagas, who in turn become the attendants of Pārsvanatha, Dharanendra and Padmavati + The Namokara mantra is so important to the Jain community that it appears they have developed an entire style of music, which sings this mantra in innumerable tempos and pitches in order to dance in celebration while singing the mantra. Additionally, there are smartphone 'apps' geared for Jains, which play Namokara radio stations to the accompaniment of sliding images of Jain Tirthankara Idols.
Context-Siddhacakra and Namokāra mantra
I first became aware of both the Siddhacakra and Namokara mantra in reading the Yogaśāstra of Hemacandra, wherein he gives a beautiful description of the Siddhacakra meditation, and concludes saying that this practice should be properly learned before a guru before practicing, a warning he gives only to this specific teaching. Hemacandra states:
"Taking from the Vidyapravāda, the wise and intelligent monks like Vajraswami and others thought the Siddhacakra to be the seed of emancipation, and a water bearing cloud capable of quelling the fire of continued re-births. The circle of the siddhas should always be learned from the guru and meditated upon for the destruction of karma." 5
From this praise of the Siddhacakra worship and claim of its power to destroy karma, it can be seen that if the Namokara mantra is the Mahamantra of Jainism due to its capability to destroy karma, the Siddhachakra yantra in turn would safely be considered the Mahāyantra of the religion and as complementary to the Namokāra Mantra. Hemacandra furthermore explains that the Namokāra mantra also purifies one from karma when stating:
"More over the yogis should especially meditate on the purest of mantras, the Pañca-paremeṣṭhi namaskāra mantra, the absolver for the three worlds." Prescriptions are given to recite this mantra 108
