NAVKAR MANTRA

Navkar Mantra is the most important recitation in Jainism,which can be recited at any time of the day. This mantra is chanted in respect to the

*Arihantas (the souls who have reached the state of non-attachment towards worldly process),

*Siddhas (the liberated souls),

*Acharyas (the heads of sadhus and sadhvis),

*Upadhyayas (scriptures guides for sadhus and sadhvis),

*Sadhus (men who have sacrificed the materialistic and social life) and

*Sadhvis (women who have sacrificed the materialistic and social life).

This mantra is also called as Namaskar or Namokar Mantra because we bow down.

They are all together termed as "Panch Parmesthi" (five supreme spiritual people).In Navakar Mantra we worship the virtues of the supreme spirits,hence the Mantra is not named after Lord Mahavir, Lord Parshvanath or Adinath, etc. When we recite Navkar Mantra it, also reminds us that, we need to be like them.

The message of Navkär Mantra is follows- If one has to get liberated from this world then one has to become a Sadhu or Sadhvi,which is the first step of renunciation.Then by following the right path, we will achieve the higher state, Arihant, and ultimately proceed to Siddha after Nirvana (liberation from the cycle of birth and death).