JAIN SYMBOLS

Jain Symbols

JAI JINENDRA - GREETING

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)

JINALAYA

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

Om means completeness. It is a

symbolic word meaning infinite, the perfect,

and the eternal. The very sound is complete,

representing the wholeness of all things.

Upon attaining 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

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 

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

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

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 Mahävir.

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

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 Tirthankar 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 jnäns or knowledge
- Matijnän, Shrutjnän, Avadhijnän, Manah Paryäyjnän, Kevaljnän
• Five great vows
- Ahimsä, Non-stealing, Truthfulness,Celibacy, Non-possesion

MANGAL DEEVO

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

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.