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Namokar Mantra: Elixir Itself

 

Namokar Mantra is the first step towards our spiritual growth. During the nine prenatal months it reaches us through the mother's emotions and after birth it nourishes us like mother's milk. Pandit Ashadhar underscores the importance of learning the Namokar Mantra thus:

It should be first taught to children in children in their formative years; even before they start their regular formal education. The Mantra has the collected knowledge of fourteen scriptures in it. Once learnt in the tender years it stays with us like ancient inscriptions on stone slabs. The learner after learning this Mantra, which teaches him respect, faith, belief and confidence, has never any cause to feat anything in this world. The Namokar Mantra is the Mantra of unfailing, invincible spirit. It holds the gist of our fourteen scriptures.

The Magical Mantra : The ultimate power of a Mantra uttered in words and meter depends on the one who recites it, his feelings at the time and the place where it is recites. However, the Namokar Mantra while it controls our behaviour pattern and destroys our sins (Karmanashak), upon being recited increases our inner spiritual strength. It releases us from crisis, and it generates our well-being. Jain scriptures tell of its endless magical manifestation: A dog who was about to die, heard the Mantra recited by Jeevandhar and became a handsome Yaksha. A pair of serpents heard the Mantra recited by Parshva Kumar and metamorphosed into Darnendra and Padmavati. A bull while in physical agony, heard the Mantra recited by Seth Padmaruchi and in his next life became Prince Vrishabhdhvaj - the same prince was known as Sugriva later on. The nobleman Dhananjai's son dying from snakebite heard the Mantra and regained life. Anjan the thief running from sure death learnt this Mantra and became a learned man. Aj while dying patiently heard the Mantra recited by Charudutt and reached heaven. There are endless legends about the power of this Mantra. The one who recites this sure Mantra with real faith, scales the heights of the everlasting pits of hell. In this context it would be well to recall Suhom Chakravarti's fate.

Rebirth Through the Mantra : The Mantra in its unquestioned power helps us attain and develop our inner faculties. This anecdote relates to a real life character by the name of Gulabchand Kheemchand Shah in Jamnagar. Saurashtra. Shah narrates his story thus: "I was afflicted with cancer. Not only did the treatment fail to cure me, no prayer any effect either. My family and I waited for my sure death. I was unable to bear the pain. While in this dejected state, I took recourse to the Mantra:

Suddenly there was light in my life - instead of worrying about my condition I put myself wholeheartedly into the Mantra. Great peace came to my heart. The Mantra, I felt, was beginning to cure me. And Maharaj, I am now before you, free of my cancer."

Dear Reader, with tears overflowing Shah said, "Maharaj, the all powerful Namokar has given me new birth in this life itself." He recounted how he was unable to take even a drop of water, yet within hours of his new - found powers through the Mantra, he was able to drink to his heart's content and thus embark on a new life. "The Mantra," I said to him, "is surely magical in its effect." This Mantra can destroy the effects of untold karmas, it controls life, old age and death. Can it not help with cancer. If you invoke the Mantra with faith, desiring forgiveness, truth, non-violence, meditation, and renunciation the Mantra acquires a power beyond words - a power which helps us in any plight.

The Miracle Reverberates even Today : A Jin, troubled by evil spirits, went to a Moslem by the name of Abdul Razzak to be exorcised. Razzak said in utter surprise. "The followers of the Jain religion have come to me! Believe me, I cannot do anything. However, I know for sure that the Mantra does not fail the ones who believe in it. I use this very Mantra to exorcise evil spirits. The poison of snakebites is gone when the Mantra is recited." Such tales of firm faith in the Mantra's power reverberate throughout the village Jakhora, District Jhansi, in Uttar Pradesh.

Indeed if you are guileless, straight and faithful, not only will your illnesses be self - cured, but you will also always be full of inner refinement. The one whose inner being has bathed in the purifying Mantra, earns what he strives for in this world. Miraculous energy is released by the sound waves of the Mantra.

What is to Recite? : The simple answer to the question above is, 'to recite means to earn peace and deliverance from various worldly snares.' A Mantra is what protects you from evil thoughts and regulates right thinking. A Mantra is what liberates you from desires. A Mantra is what brings happiness to others. A literal definition of Mantra is: a syllable or a cluster of syllables. The Mantra or its recitation is the way to God. Tulsidas in the Ramayana says:

By reciting it, we infuse the Mantra with power. However, you may rightly ask - but what is this recitation? How do we perform it? What will be its gain? Come, let's look into the glass of the Mantra and discover its form and its resultant:

When the Mantra is centred in the heart and the heart in the Mantra - this union of the two is what is called Jap - to recite. To recite is to dispel moral darkness. According to the Jain scholars this is what is gained by the union of the heart and Mantra,

Recitation, that is Jap, has two letters: (J) means 'it liberates you from death and rebirth (Jra), (P) means 'it destroys your evil deeds' (Pap). A Mantra that has no syllables is meaningless. It cannot be called a Mantra for it invokes nothing, therefore, does nothing. The sound waves released by syllables and words can be felt through matter, place, time, vibrations and feelings.

When and How to do the Jap? : There are several ways to recite Mantras. I speak here only of two:

The first: Focus on the concentrated mind of the Arihant symbols of whiteness or purity: focus on the midbrow in order to see the Siddhas signifying the colour red, destroyer of all bad deeds: focus on the Adam's apple (larynx), to know the Acharya signifying the colour gold - the colour of love for all; focus on the centre of the heart, signifying faith through Joy - the colour blue, as represented by Upadhyay Parmeshthi; focus on the spinal column, the colour black - the centre of power for the Sadhus in meditation. In focusing thus, all the inner faculties work in harmony towards a final awakening - the very goal of our worldly existence.

The second way: There are five feet (Pad) to the thirty - five syllable Namokar Mantra. There are thirty- four vowels and consonants in these syllables. This Mantra is variously called, 'Namokar Mantra,' ' Namaskar Mantra,' 'Navakar Mantra.' This Mantra bestows the boons of victory, bounty, power and bliss. There are three pauses when you recite it. When you inhale say, Namo Arihantam; exhale and say, Namo Siddhanam.Inhale again and say, Namo Aariayanam; exhale Name Ujhvayanam; and finally inhale and say Namoloye and exhale Savya Sahunam.

Thus in three breaths the Namokara Mantra is recited once; and in 36 breaths we recite it nine times. The pauses between the Mantra repetitions are called Dhyana. These pauses liberate us from our deeds (Karm Nirjara). This method of the Jap is used by the teachers, the Acharyas to continually refine their pupils. The disciple who recites the Mantra 108 times deemed to be on Upvasa - a way of self - purification. That's why for the disciples to recite the Namokar Mantra is to practise self - learning or self-study.

First of all, before you begin the recitation, sit still cross legged (Parykason). Then use any of there for keeping count - flowers, tips of your fingers, lotus seeds, rudraksha, gold or sunstone beads, silver or cotton beads. The one who desires liberation from this world should hold the beads on his thumb. On the other hand, to fulfil worldly desires, do the opposite :hold the beads on thumb and move it inwards by any other finger - like the middle or the ring-finger but not the fore- finger. The difference is this : the one who wants liberation from life and death uses his forefinger to extinguish the result of his deeds, and to recover from them.

The one who overcomes his desires controls his hungers, and is unperturbed by place, position or emotion; the one who knows how to inhale - exhale correctly is finally the one who experiences awakening which leads to liberation from the worldly bondage.

Remember, while your body is still and you recite, your heart should also be at peace. If heart wanders while you do the Mantra it will have no impact. This five foot (Panchpadi) Mantra does it all, and is equal to all other Mantras combined. That's why it has been said:

Gain Proportional to the Method of Recitation : The Namokara Mantra is recited in four different ways - Baikhri, Upanshu, Manas, and Sukshama. In Baikhri, the Mantra gets dispersed because the recitation is done aloud. Thus the Mantra is 75 percent in the air and only 25 percent in your inner self. The real return is thus only 25 percent. In the second type, Upanshu, the lips and the talu move slightly, but audibility is low. Thus 50 percent is in the air and 50 percent inside the one who recites; and so the return. The third type Manas is recited by inhaling and exhaling. Though it is silently done, the concentration is not total, so the return is only 75 percent - three- fourths. In the fourth type, Sukshama, the one reciting controls and focuses his mind fully and a full return results due to the inner harmony of all the senses. Of the four methods of reciting the Mantra, the last is the most valued.

Namokara, the Mantra of Non -Violence : The great Mantra bestows the divine virtues and worldly well- being on its reciter. Thus it has power to attract (Aakarshan). It binds the forces that release us. Thus it has power to hold (Vashikaran). It delivers us from the wheel of life, thus it has deliverance in it (uchhatan). It teaches us to turn against sins that mortals are capable of (vidveshan). It saves us like an anchor from wretchedness; it dispels attachments by its very force (Stambhan). Thus this great Mantra is also called the Mantra that holds you to itself (Sammohan Manta). Ordinary humans love miracles. They believe in celestial powers and become lost souls. To guide such people and to keep them on the true path to salvation, the Jaincharya has mentioned several Mantras in the first part of Vidyanucada. To save men controlled by their worldly desires, the Acharya gives instructions regarding the recitation of the Mantras: direction (Disha), time, seat (Aasan), posture (Mudra), cover (Pallove), clothing (Vashtra), meditation (Yog), beads (Mala), finger movements (Hastaungli), place (Mandal), and voice (Swar). All these make the eight - fold powers of the Mantras (Akarshan, Vashikaran, Uchattan, Vidveshan, Stambhan, Sammohan, shanti and Pushti) attractive to devotees.

Caution in Doing One's Mantra : There is no word without power just as there is no vegetation without medicinal properties. There is limitless power to the word. Word power when mingled with the mediator's spiritual power, produces specific effects. But just as caution is necessary in taking medicine, so in practicing the Mantras we have to be cautious. If medicine is prepared or taken carelessly, it is bound to harm. Similarly one must be aware of the harm which Mantras carelessly uttered can cause. There are Mantras which invoke divine beings; such Mantra have the power to turn you insane. But the Namokar Mantra invokes only those humans who were truly spiritual. These spiritual beings are in turn worshipped by the divine order. The Panchkalyanak points it this very fact. 

The Namokar Mantra thus is the enternal Mantra by being an integral part of the Dwadshang Jinwani. Acharya Pushpadant starts the first part - Jeevetthan - of Shatkhandagam by reciting the Namokara Mantra. Acharya Veersen, who wrote Dhawal Tika, has extolled the virtues of the Mantra by pointing out that just as time is endless so we have endless spiritual beings who have liberated themselves. The Namokara Mantra is the unrecorded timeless Mantra to venerate all such beings. However, Acharya Shivakoti says in his explication of Bhagavati Aradhana, that this Mantra was created by Ganadhar, the writer of the Dwadashang. It may be mentioned here that even the Ganadhar are from time eternal. The twenty Tirhankaras of the Videh Kshetra have used the Namokara Mantra. It is thus timeless.

Mantra of Mantras : The Namokara Mantra further divides itself into eighty-four lakh Mantras which brings welfare, bring peace, protect from enemies, bring wealth, destroy disease, help fulfil missions, and destroy poisons etc. According to the Jain faith, the Namokar Mantra of Nonviolence which benefits all. It does not destroy our physical enemies but destroys evil. It destroys hardships, and wooes the Lakshmi of deliverance from the world. The three faiths - Jain, Vedic and Buddhist, like three merging rivers, keep the Indian culture intact. The aspect of faith within this Indian culture has its fortification in the Mantras. Just as the Jains have their Namokar Mantra, the Vedic culture has its Gayatri and the Buddhists their Tirsan. Out of mutual respect we place all of these together, but the Namokar Mantra is indeed a divine Mantra. It brings divine wealth; the one who recites it clearly with correct inhalation and exhalation, achieves all that he wishes for. There is no cause for surprise or doubt here. The Namokar Mantra is the Mantra of all Mantras; that's why Lord Mahavira asks that the Mantra be recited time and again, for even though it's the tree-top which bears fruit, we water its base, its root. The Namokar Mantra in its power to destroy the root of evil is like fire. Dear Reader, if this five foot (Panchpad) Mantra brings to us all we need, then why go to other Mantras!

The followers of Jainism learn this Mantra in their childhood. The Mantra affects them deeply. Today's youth may not remember any devotional music, may not worship or recite scriptures, but most of them know this Mantra at least. Mothers take care to teach it to them while nursing. To know, recite or read this Mantra is sufficient proof of being a Jain. Remember the story of the Buddhist scholar Akalank-Nikalank? He was recognized to be a Jain when he recited the Namokar Mantra's Jap, or remember it and meditate upon its meaning. All Jain religious activity, and ordinary work too, begins with the recitation of this Mantra.

A culture or Sanskrit is the synthesis of its people's individual and moral values. Culture in turn makes it possible for Mantras to be in our life. Mantras are the churned butter of human existence - or, the essence of our being. The Namokar Mantra for example, clearly indicates that its reciter has asserted manly virtues and now would like to steer his inner being to salvation.

The Mantra goes like this : The Mantra is not addressed to any particular divinity. Instead, it proclaims contemplation of the virtues themselves. The Mantra's body consists of the sum total virtues of the Arihant, Siddhas, Acharyas, Upadhayas and all the Sadhus. That's why it is called Panchparmeshti. In internalizing it, the believer inter-nalizes the value of self-reliance. It leads to the confidence which makes one see Godliness in man alone.

It is commonly believed that daily recitation of this Mantra releases us from evil and our life is blessed with peace. Because of this belief not just the Jains, but others too are learning the Mantra. The Mantra leads to selfhood. This evil-destroying Mantra is the very soul of the Jain philosophy. Panchparmeshthi is the collective divine. To meditate upon it, worship it, makes the worshipper worthy and pious. However, even after such a lengthy discourse on the Mantra, there is still one query left to be answered. Is there an impure state when this Mantra cannot or should not be recited?

Acharya Bhagwant is an extremely generous philosopher. He has pondered over all possible human states. His holy being says that we should recite the Mantra within our hearts while doing our mundane activity. If someone suffers from a loose bladder, he can recite the Mantra quietly in his heart. Similarly, a woman during her periods can think upon the Mantra without uttering it aloud:

Otherwise we shall be deprived of the power of the Mantra when we most need it - during some affliction, accident, ailment, blood-pressure, heart-attack, brain-fever, coma, or some other terminal illness. Can such a sufferer say, 'I am in unclean state, I cannot recite the Mantra! A man then, docked by his own affliction, would lies all hope of deliverance from it. And, in case such a sufferer has been a true believer all along, he will be deprived of his earned spiritual wealth. Therefore, there is no human state so unclean that the Mantra cannot be recited in our heart. The main purpose of the Mantra is to keep its reciter morally alert. It is said in the Mangalacharan that the 35 syllables of the Mantra if put on one side of the scale will outweigh the entire the entire wealth of this world; I bow to this all-powerful Mantra.

 

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