Dharma Shiksha - Class 3

Jai Jinendra Kids!

Did you enjoy being a part of yet another insightful Dharma Shiksha class? We hope the answer is a resounding YES!

So our third class started with a revision of the 8 karmas. If you can now recall them clearly enough – CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve managed to shed some of your gyanavarniya karma.

Moving forward, we learned some super interesting facts about the undisputed King of all Mantras – NAVKAR MANTRA.

NAVKAR MANTRA – THE “MOKSHA” SCHOOL

We are sure all of you have been reciting Navkar Mantra for years now. But the question is – do you just chant it because mummy or dadi tells you to, or do you actually know the significance of this Maha Mantra?

Come, let us understand what Navkar Mantra stands for. But before that, let us tell you what Mantra means.

MANTRA: We can say Mantra is a bundle of a few words - but those words have immense power. It is like – “gagar me sagar bharna.”

Now, our Maha Mantra Navkar Mantra is like the “Moksha” School. Passing this school means attaining Moksha.

Now usually the first step to enter this Moksha school is by taking “DEEKSHA.” It means we have to leave our home and worldly stuff and go to our Guru Maharajjis for advanced learning - just like you need to go to a university to become a doctor or an engineer.

However, this does not mean only people who take Deeksha can attain Moksha. Anyone who follows the teachings of Arihant Bhagwan diligently is already walking on the path of Moksha - it could be YOU too!

Before we talk more about this “Moksha” school, let us first find out what “ghati” and “aghati” karmas are.

Ghati Karma (Destructive Karma)

• These karmas block the true nature of your soul.

• They make it hard for your soul to reach ultimate knowledge, happiness, and power.

• They are called "destructive" because they damage your inner self.

Ghati Karma include the following 4 karmas:

1.    Gyanavarniya karma 

2.    Darshanavarniya karma

3.    Mohaniya karma

4.    Antaraya karma

Aghati Karma (Non-Destructive Karma)

• These do not harm the soul directly.

• They just decide what kind of life you get — like your body, lifespan, social status, etc.

• Once your soul is about to reach its final destination Moksha, these fall off naturally.

Aghati Karma include the following 4 karmas:

1.    Naam karma 

2.    Gotra karma

3.    Vedaniya karma

4.    Ayushya karma 

You can think of it like this:

Your soul is like a bright light. Ghati karmas are like thick dirt covering the bulb, so the light can’t shine. But Aghati karmas are like a cover over the lamp, shaping how the light looks to others.

Five “Pad” of Mahamantra Navkar:

As we all know, Navkar Mantra has 5 “pad”:

• Namo Arihantanam

• Namo Sidhhanam

• Namo Ayariyanam

• Namo Uvajjhayanam

• Namo Loye Savva Sahunam

Let us now discuss each of them in detail:

Namo Arihantanam

In this pad, we bow down to the Arihant Bhagwan.

Arihants are very special souls. They are people who:

• Have destroyed all their bad thoughts like anger, pride, greed, and lies.

• Have become very wise and peaceful.

• Teach others how to live with love, kindness, and truth.

• Still live in this world, but they are free from all ghati karma.

Think of them like super kind and wise heroes who guide us on the right path. Let’s say your soul is like a shiny diamond, but it’s covered in mud (bad thoughts and actions). An Arihant is someone who has cleaned all the mud and now their diamond shines bright!

When we say “Namo Arihantanam,” we show we admire them and want to be like them too.

Namo Arihantanam is signified by colour white which is the colour of utmost purity. They have 12 gunas (good traits).

Namo Siddhanam

In this pad, we bow down to the Siddha Bhagwan.

Siddhas are perfect souls. They were once like us, but they:

• Got rid of all 8 karmas – ghati and aghati.

• Reached a state of complete peace, happiness, and knowledge.

• Don’t have to take birth again — like EVER!

• Live in the Siddha Shila, which is a place at the top of our Lok (universe) where all pure souls go.

Siddha are like stars in the sky — always shining, always peaceful. Think of your soul like a balloon tied to the ground - with strings of karma. A Siddha is like a balloon that’s cut free and floats all the way up to the sky, never coming down!

So kids, saying “Namo Siddhanam” is like saying: “Wow, I respect you! I want my soul to fly free like yours one day.”

Namo Siddhanam is signified by colour red which signifies ultimate power (shakti). They have 8 gunas (good traits).

Namo Ayariyanam

In this pad, we bow down to the Acharyas.

Acharyas are our head sadhus. They are like the "Principal" of the Moksha School.

They:

• Guide other sadhus and people like us on how to live the right way.

• Teach everyone about truth, kindness, non-violence and self-control.

• Help keep our Jain teachings alive and pass them on to others.

• Live a very simple, peaceful and careful life.

For instance, let’s say your school has this great principal sir who teaches everyone to be kind, share, and never fight. And he doesn’t just preach it — he actually lives that way! An Acharya is like that.

So when we say “Namo Ayariyanam,” we’re saying: “I bow down to the great Principals of Moksha School who lead us with love and truth.”

Namo Ayariyanam is signified by colour yellow which signifies courage to lead. They have 36 gunas (good traits).

Namo Uvajjhayanam

In this pad, we bow down to the Upadhyayas.

Upadhyayas are special teachers. Just like you have specialized teachers in school teaching different subjects like geography, physics etc, Upadhyayas specialize in Jain scriptures.

They:

• Teach holy scriptures.

• Help sadhus and even regular people understand right and wrong.

• Explain how to follow the path of truth, kindness and peace.

• Know a lot and love to share their wisdom with others.

Imagine a friendly teacher who helps you understand a lesson that seemed hard at first. They explain it slowly, help you practice, and make you feel smart!That’s what an Upadhyaya does — but for your soul.

So when we say “Namo Uvajjhayanam,” we’re saying: “Thank you, kind teachers, for showing us how to live and learn the teachings of Arihants.”

Namo Uvajjhayanam is signified by colour green which signifies prosperity. Under their able guidance, we can all prosper spiritually. They have 25 gunas (good traits).

Namo Loye Savva Sahunam

In this pad, we bow down to all the sadhus and sadhvis in this world. These sadhus and sadhvis are our regular teachers. They take admission to the “Moksha” school by taking Deeksha.

Sadhus and Sadhvis teach us four subjects:

• Gyaan

• Darshan

• Charitra

• Tap

Our sadhus and sadhvis walk barefoot, don’t own anything and never hurt anyone — not even a bug. They are always calm and kind. They show us how to live without anger, greed or fear.

When we say “Namo Loye Savva Sahunam,” we’re saying: “I bow to all the teachers of Moksha school who are walking the path of truth and guiding us to follow it as well.”

Namo Loye Savva Sahunam is signified by colour dark blue/black, which signifies no other colour can ever taint the sadhus and sadhvis who have taken Deeksha. They have 27 gunas (good traits).

ACTIVITY TIME

Once we explained these 5 pads to all the kids, we decided to test how much they’d grasped it by playing a fun game.

 The kids had to match each pad with their respective colours and gunas.

...And the winner was – GROUP 1.

Well done, kiddos! Keep it up!

Some Interesting Navkar Mantra Trivia

1.    Navkar Mantra has four other names:

(a)  Mahamantra Navkar

(b)  Namokkar Mantra

(c)  Panch Parmeshthi Mantra

(d)  Namaskar Mantra

2.    Siddha Bhagwan have no body – but Arihant Bhagwan have a body just like us. However, there’s a difference. Arihant Bhagwan’s body smells like a lotus ALL the time! Yup, you heard that right. They don’t need to use perfumes to smell nice - their gyan, darshan and charitra makes them inherently fragrant.

3.    Arihant Bhagwan and Siddha Bhagwan do not sleep. Like NEVER! That's because their soul has shed all the darshanavarniya karma.