The Navkar Mahāmantra in Jainism: Philosophical Foundations, Spiritual Significance, Ethical Orientation, and Contemporary Relevance

Namokara (Pali: Navkar Mahāmantra or Navakārā Mantra) is the most important and popular prayer of Jainism in its basic fivefold greetings, common to both the Digambar and Śvetāmbara sects. While theistic mantras are prayers addressed to a Creator, it praises five groups of spiritual beings (pañca-parameṣṭhī): arihanta, siddha, ācārya, upādhyāya, and sādhu. This study explores the Navkar Mantra as a succinct summary of Jain teachings of philosophy, ethics, and meditation. Adopting a qualitative and interpretive research approach through secondary literature and translations of canon texts, it seeks to (1) distinguish historical proof of the Mantra from traditional accounts of its origins; (2) present the Prakrit text along with translation and word-by-word analysis; (3) analyze the five supremacies as a hierarchical scheme of spirituality; (4) connect the Mantra with Jainism's concepts of jīva and ajīva, karma, liberation (mokṣa), three jewels, ahimsa, anekāntavāda, and aparigraha; (5) compare the use in the Digambar and Śvetāmbara sects; and (6) explore the practical value of the Mantra for ethics and meditation in daily life. In this way, the paper concludes that the unique philosophical value of the mantra is contained in its non-theistic nature; it celebrates the virtues achieved, rather than seeking a favor from a deity, and thus sets out a way of self-purification that is both meditative and moral. Finally, the paper notes that there is relatively little empirical work on the Navkar.