YJA Convention 1994 07 Chicago IL First

Author(s): Young Jains of America (YJA)
Publisher: Young Jains of America YJA USA

Page 53

Song of the Soul
By Acharya Sushil Kumar
expression for a universal message.
The Namokar Mantra is the essence of the gospel of the Tirthankars. These are the great Arihants, the enlightened human beings who appear in decided eras, according to Jain chronology, to guide and teach mankind. An enlightened person has discovered the true nature of reality beyond appearances, and has penetrated all the secrets and mysteries of existence. This is the state of the Arihant which any aspirant may emulate. The Tirthankar, moreover, has created a spiritual path or bridge, a tirth, based on the principles of non-violence for the salvation of all souls. On this earth there have been twenty-four Tirthankars, each of whom has reanimated and revolutionized the ahimsa path for each age. The most recent Tirthankar was Lord Mahavira, who lived 2,500 years ago. His predecessor was Lord Parshvanath.
Understandably then, the Namokar Mantra has been conveyed to this age in Prakrit, the language of its composition. For every era the Namokar Mantra has take a different form, but its essence has remained the same. As only the Gandhar is qualified to combine sound as taught by the Tirthankar, no one else can . change the form of the mantra without distorting it. There is a deep, secret science to the combination of sounds. Specific syllables are seeds for the awakening of latent powers. Only then a person who has been initiated into the vibrational realms, who has actually experienced this level of reality, can fully understand the Science of Letters. Thus, the Namokar Mantra is a treasured gift to humanity of inestimable worth of purification, upliftment and spiritual evolution of everyone.
When the Lord reaches the supreme state of Nirvana In his mercy, to help this suffering world, And the seekers of divine light, He leaves for us his own spiritual body, His mantra body, For the betterment of the entire Universe.*
In its eternal significance and application, the Namokar Mantra is without beginning or end. In their omniscience, the Tirthankars have expounded upon the various states of consciousness as represented in the Namokar Mantra. They have taught the complete knowledge of the esoteric science of letters (Matrika Vidya) describing special powers of each vowel and consonant. Subsequently, the Tirthankars' chief disciples, known as Ganadharas, have used this precious knowledge to actually form a mantra by combining letters and their sounds and powers of the most beneficial effect.
• Sloka 8 from the Namokar Mantra Stotram.
Concepts of the Arihant
The Namokar Mantra appears with each Tirthankar. Without this Tirthankar (Arihant), the mantra is not available to us. The Arihant is God because he shows us the reality of the Siddha-the highest state of consciousness. In the mantra, the Arihant is named first out of respect and honor. The Arihant is the symbol of human perfection. He is the Godman.
Lord Mahavira and his disciples spoke ArdhaMagadhi Prakrit, the language of the common people of their region of what is now called the state of Bihar in India. Thus, he was able to touch their hearts in their own language. By contrast, at that time aristocrats and literary scholars conversed in Sanskrit, thereby excluding the majority of the population. As the true purpose of language is communication, not the establishment of one class as superior to others, the vernacular was the appropriate form of
In our human incarnation, we can achieve the state of Arihanthood. There is, however, a limitation to this state because of man's physical and causal bodies. The latter carries our accumulated karmic matter to the present
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