UNIVERSAL JAIN SYMBOLS

JAI JINENDRA

Jai Jinendra literally means, “May the religion established by the Jina prevail in our hearts”.
As we greet others we say, “Jai Jinendra” because we see an image of a Jina, destroyer of all inner enemies, in them.
Recognizing this, we bow down with respect to their Soul. Every Soul is capable of becoming a Jina, the
destroyer of inner enemies; anger, greed, ego, and deceit. Jina is also known as Arihanta or Tirthankar.
We consider them as Jain Gods.
JINÄLAYA - JAIN TEMPLE(Deräsar or Mandir)

A Jinälaya, Deräsar, or Mandir is a place of worship where a person experiences immense peace and serenity.
The images of Tirthankars and the temple’s environment promote introspection and bring home the feeling that God resides within one’s own heart. Therefore, each person can follow a path of purification of the inner self devoid of anger, greed, ego, deceit, and attachment from their lives.
OM

Om means completeness. It is a symbolic word meaning infinite, the perfect,and the eternal. The every sound is complete, representing the wholeness of all things. Upon attainding absolute knowledge or omniscience, the body of the Arihanta emanates Om (called the Divine Sound -Divya Dhwani). It is an involuntary, spontaneous, and melodious sound that all humans, animals, and heavenly beings can understand as a sermon, in their own language.
Om sounds like Aum, which is the seat of the five benedictions (salutations of
supreme beings) and is made up of five sounds and letters: a, a, ä, u, and m:

• The first letter “a” represents Arihanta (a human being who has realized the true nature of the soul and reality and has
conquered passions).
• The second “a” represents Ashariri (Siddha, a liberated soul who does not have a physical body)
• The third letter “ä” represents Ächärya (an ascetic who is head of the Jain congregation).
• The fourth letter “u” represents Upädhyäy (an ascetic teacher).
• The fifth letter “m” represents Muni (Sädhus or Sädhvis who practice Jain principles).

The Om represents a salutation to the five revered personalities in the Jain religion. Om is a shortened form of the Namokär Mantra.
HRIM

The word Hrim is a seed mantra. It is called Hrimkär mantra.
It is a mystical symbol representing the invisible
sound, infinity, and divine energy of the 24 Tirthankars.
While meditating on Hrim, one can experience the
sublimating energy of Tirthankars.

ARHAM

The word ARHAM is a mantra
representing all vowel and consonant
sounds used in the Sanskrut alphabet. The
first vowel in the Sanskrut alphabet is “a” and
the last consonant is “h.” Therefore, while
meditating on this mantra, one focuses on the
silent sound of the universe
SWASTIKA

The Swastika is considered an auspicious and a pious
symbol. The red arms of the swastika represent the four
possible states (gatis) of rebirth: human, heaven, hell, and
animal. These four states are represented clockwise starting
from the upper left corner on the Swastika. Our aim should
be liberation from these four states of rebirth.
The three green dots above the swastika represent the three
jewels of Jainism – Samyak Darshan, Samyak Jnän and Samyak
Chäritra. This represents the Jain path of liberation.
At the very top there is a small yellow crescent called
Siddhashilä, a place for liberated souls. The yellow dot above
the crescent represents a Siddha or a liberated soul. In
order to achieve this stage, a soul must destroy all attached
karmas. Every living being should strive for this state of
Liberation or Moksha.
UNIVERSAL JAIN SYMBOL

This universal Jain symbol is a combination of various symbols, each having a deeper meaning. It was adopted during the 2500 Nirvana celebration of Lord Mahävira.

The outline of the symbol is defined as the Universe or Loka. The

Swastika is explained on the previous page. The raised hand means ‘stop’.
The word in the center of the wheel is “Ahimsä,” meaning non-violence. These two symbols remind us to stop for a minute and think twice before starting any activity.
This gives us a chance to analyze our activities to be sure that they will not hurt anyone by thoughts, words and deeds.
The wheel in the hand shows that if we are not careful and ignore these warnings, then just as the wheel goes around, we will repeatedly go through the cycle of birth and death. The text underneath the symbol, “Parasparopagraho Jivänäm” translates to “Living Beings (souls) Render Service to One Another”
ÄRATI

The Ärati has 5 lamps. The flame is lit on a cotton
wick soaked in oil. The Ärati is waved in a circular motion
in front of a Tirthankars idol at the end of a ritual ceremony and also at night before the temple closes. The darkness symbolizes negativity, fear, and ignorance, whereas the light symbolizes divinity. The light of the Ärati dispels darkness, signifying the overcoming of negativity through virtue, fear through courage, and ignorance through knowledge. The 5 lamps symbolize: • Panch Parmesthi - Arihanta, Siddha, Ächärya, Upädhyäy, Sädhu • Five types of gayans or knowledge - Matijgayan, Shrut gayan, Avadhi gayan, Manah Paryäy gayan, Keval gayan
• Five great vows - Ahimsä, Non-stealing, Truthfulness,Celibacy, Non-possesion
MANGAL DEEVO

Mangal deevo has a single wick lamp that is
lit and waved in a circular motion right after the Ärati.
The flame is lit on a cotton wick soaked in oil.
When the wick is lit, it illuminates the face of the
Jina. In this manner, we wish that it would illuminate
our hearts with truth and compassion.
The single lamp is also a symbol of kevaljnän
(infinite knowledge) and liberated souls.
JAIN FLAG

The Jains flag have five different colors.

Red color represents Siddha
Yellow color represents Acharya
White color represents Arihanta
Green color represents Upadhyaya
Dark Blue (or Black) color represents Muni (Sadhu)
There is a symbol of swastik in the central strip.