Panch Parameshti Aarti – Jain Devotional Hymn: Lyrics, Meaning & Significance
Panch Parameshti Aarti Lyrics (हिंदी में)
इह विधि मंगल आरति कीजे, पंच परमपद भज सुख लीजे।
इह विधि मंगल आरति कीजे, पंच परमपद भज सुख लीजे॥
पहली आरति श्रीजिनराजा, भव दधि पार उतार जिहाजा।
इह विधि मंगल आरति कीजे, पंच परमपद भज सुख लीजे॥
दूसरी आरति सिद्धन केरी, सुमिरन करत मिटे भव फेरी।
इह विधि मंगल आरति कीजे, पंच परमपद भज सुख लीजे॥
तीजी आरति सूरि मुनिंदा, जनम मरन दु:ख दूर करिंदा।
इह विधि मंगल आरति कीजे, पंच परमपद भज सुख लीजे॥
चौथी आरति श्री उवझाया, दर्शन देखत पाप पलाया।
इह विधि मंगल आरति कीजे, पंच परमपद भज सुख लीजे॥
पाँचमि आरति साधु तिहारी, कुमति विनाशन शिव अधिकारी।
इह विधि मंगल आरति कीजे, पंच परमपद भज सुख लीजे॥
छट्ठी ग्यारह प्रतिमाधारी, श्रावक वंदूं आनंदकारी।
इह विधि मंगल आरति कीजे, पंच परमपद भज सुख लीजे॥
सातमि आरति श्रीजिनवानी, 'द्यानत' सुरग मुकति सुखदानी।
इह विधि मंगल आरति कीजे, पंच परमपद भज सुख लीजे॥
संध्या करके आरती कीजे, अपना जन्म सफल कर लीजे।
इह विधि मंगल आरति कीजे, पंच परमपद भज सुख लीजे॥
सोने का दीप कपूर की बाती, जग मग ज्योति जलें सारी राती।
इह विधि मंगल आरति कीजे, पंच परमपद भज सुख लीजे॥
Panch Parameshti Aarti – Transliteration (English)
Ih vidhi mangal aarati kije, panch parampad bhaj sukh lije
Ih vidhi mangal aarati kije, panch parampad bhaj sukh lije
Pahali aarati Shri Jinaraja, bhav dadhi par utar jihaja
Ih vidhi mangal aarati kije, panch parampad bhaj sukh lije
Doosari aarati siddhan keri, sumiran karat mite bhav pheri
Ih vidhi mangal aarati kije, panch parampad bhaj sukh lije
Tiji aarati suri muninda, janam maran dukh door karinda
Ih vidhi mangal aarati kije, panch parampad bhaj sukh lije
Chauthi aarati Shri Uvajhaya, darshan dekhat paap palaya
Ih vidhi mangal aarati kije, panch parampad bhaj sukh lije
Panchami aarati sadhu tihari, kumati vinaashan shiv adhikari
Ih vidhi mangal aarati kije, panch parampad bhaj sukh lije
Chhatthi gyarah pratimadhari, shravak vandum anandakari
Ih vidhi mangal aarati kije, panch parampad bhaj sukh lije
Satami aarati Shri Jinavani, Dyaanata surag mukti sukhadani
Ih vidhi mangal aarati kije, panch parampad bhaj sukh lije
Sandhya karke aarati kije, apana janma saphal kar lije
Ih vidhi mangal aarati kije, panch parampad bhaj sukh lije
Sone ka deep kapoor ki bati, jag mag jyoti jalen sari rati
Ih vidhi mangal aarati kije, panch parampad bhaj sukh lije
Meaning & Significance
The Panch Parameshti Aarti is an extraordinary Jain devotional composition that functions as an expanded, poetic meditation on the five supreme states of spiritual attainment - the Panch Parameshti, or Five Supreme Beings. The refrain that carries the entire aarti - "Ih vidhi mangal aarati kije, panch parampad bhaj sukh lije" - translates as: "Perform this auspicious aarti in this blessed manner, worship the five supreme states and receive their joy." This refrain is significant because it frames the aarti itself as a method of meditation: each verse is a wave of attention directed at one of the five supreme states. The first verse addresses the Arihants (Jinaraja) - the omniscient, enlightened beings who have conquered all inner enemies while still living and who serve as living beacons of liberation. The second honours the Siddhas - the fully liberated souls who have completed the journey and now abide in pure consciousness at the summit of the universe (Siddhashila). The third pays homage to the Acharyas - the heads of the Jain monastic community, revered as the torch-bearers of living tradition, whose proximity dispels the cycle of birth and death. The fourth celebrates the Upadhyayas - the monastic teachers of scripture and dharma, whose very sight is said to dispel sin. The fifth verse honours the Sadhus - all Jain monks and nuns who have renounced worldly life entirely, destroyers of deluded thinking and aspirants for liberation. The sixth extends worship to the advanced lay practitioners (Shravaks who hold eleven vows), and the seventh offers reverence to Jinavani - the sacred words of the Tirthankara, the Jain scriptures themselves. The concluding verses describe the physical aarti: a golden lamp with a camphor wick that burns through the night - an image of the Panch Parameshti's light of wisdom illuminating the darkness of ignorance across all time.
About the Panch Parameshti
The Panch Parameshti - the Five Supreme Beings - are the objects of veneration at the heart of Jain religious life, encapsulated in the Navkar Mantra (also called Namokar Mantra), the most sacred prayer in Jainism. The five are: Arihants (souls who have attained omniscience and teach the path of liberation while still embodied), Siddhas (fully liberated souls beyond the cycle of birth and death), Acharyas (leaders of the Jain monastic community), Upadhyayas (teachers of Jain philosophy and scripture), and Sadhus (all monks and nuns who observe the five great vows). Crucially, the Navkar Mantra - and by extension this aarti - does not worship specific persons or deities but spiritual states. It is a salutation to the quality of enlightenment, liberation, and disciplined spiritual living wherever these qualities are found. This makes it uniquely universal within Jainism and a model of devotion oriented entirely toward spiritual aspiration rather than petition or supplication.
Benefits of Reciting the Panch Parameshti Aarti
- Regular recitation deepens the understanding and internalisation of the Navkar Mantra - the foundation of Jain practice - through its expanded, poetic form.
- The aarti cultivates simultaneous reverence for all five supreme states, developing a comprehensive spiritual orientation rather than attachment to any single figure or concept.
- Reciting at dusk - as the aarti suggests - anchors the practitioner in daily rhythmic worship, a practice that Jain tradition considers essential for the gradual purification of karma.
- The aarti strengthens the aspiration for liberation (moksha) by keeping the qualities of the Siddhas - the fully free souls - vivid in awareness, inspiring the devotee toward those same heights.
- Singing this aarti in the presence of the sangha (community) builds collective spiritual energy and reinforces the bonds of Jain community life.
- The metaphor of the golden lamp burning through the night speaks to the possibility of continuous inner illumination - a quality this aarti helps cultivate in regular practitioners.
How to Perform the Aarti (Pooja Vidhi)
- Prepare a clean, elevated platform before the image or idol of a Tirthankar (Jina), which is the typical focus of Jain aarti worship.
- Light a camphor lamp or a ghee diya; in traditional Jain aarti, a single flame representing the singular light of wisdom is most appropriate.
- The aarti is performed without touching the deity's image directly - a Jain convention that honours the Arihant's state beyond physical need.
- Wave the lamp in gentle clockwise circles before the image while singing each verse, pausing to allow the assembly to join in the refrain.
- Maintain a spirit of pure reverence without asking for personal boons - Jain aarti is traditionally offered as an act of gratitude and aspiration, not petition.
- Conclude by extinguishing the lamp and sitting briefly in silent contemplation of the five supreme states - allowing the qualities of the Panch Parameshti to settle into awareness before returning to worldly activity.
Best Day & Time to Recite
The Panch Parameshti Aarti is traditionally performed at dusk - the aarti's own text specifies "sandhya karke aarati kije" (perform the aarti having observed the evening sandhya). In Jain temples, both morning and evening aartis are offered daily, with the evening aarti (Sandhya Aarati) being the primary congregational worship. Paryushana, the most sacred period in the Jain calendar (observed in Bhadrapada month, typically August–September), is the peak time for this aarti, as it is a season of deep spiritual reflection, fasting, and communal prayer. Mahavir Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the twenty-fourth Tirthankar, is another major occasion. This aarti may be recited daily as part of personal evening prayer practice by lay devotees at home.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the relationship between this aarti and the Navkar Mantra?
The Panch Parameshti Aarti is essentially a devotional expansion of the Navkar Mantra. The Navkar Mantra offers salutations to the five supreme beings in nine concise lines; this aarti develops each salutation into a full verse with its own spiritual image and promise of benefit. Reciting the aarti is a way of meditating on the Navkar Mantra at greater depth and with greater emotional engagement - the melody, imagery, and rhythm of the aarti carry the mind more naturally into sustained contemplation than the compact mantra alone.
Can non-Jains recite the Panch Parameshti Aarti?
Yes. Because the Panch Parameshti Aarti venerates universal spiritual qualities - enlightenment, liberation, disciplined living, sacred teaching - rather than any sectarian deity or belief, its recitation is not restricted to Jain practitioners. Students of comparative religion, practitioners of non-Jain dharmic paths, and anyone seeking a meditation on the highest spiritual attainments may benefit from this aarti's spirit of reverence. Jain philosophy itself is distinguished by an appreciation for the validity of multiple spiritual paths, making its primary devotional hymns inherently inclusive.
Who composed the Panch Parameshti Aarti?
The Panch Parameshti Aarti is a traditional composition of uncertain individual authorship; it belongs to the broad river of Jain devotional literature (stuti and stavan) that developed through the medieval period. The seventh verse includes the word "Dyaanata" (also rendered as "Gyaanat"), which some scholars interpret as the signature or nam-mudra (name-seal) of the composer - a common poetic convention in medieval Indian literature. The aarti is collected in various Jain devotional compilations, including the Jinvani Sangrah, and is sung in both Digambara and Shvetambara Jain communities across India.
Honouring the five supreme beings at the heart of Jain practice
The Panch Parameshti - the five supreme spiritual beings comprising Arihanta, Siddha, Acharya, Upadhyaya, and Sadhu - form the living axis of Jain devotional and philosophical life. The Navkar Mantra, the most sacred Jain prayer, pays homage to these five, and the Panch Parameshti Aarti extends that homage into the realm of sung, communal worship. What makes this aarti distinctive within the broader landscape of Indian bhakti is its non-theistic foundation: the five supreme beings are not gods who grant boons, but liberated or liberation-seeking souls who illuminate the path by their very existence. The devotee sings not to petition them, but to align his or her consciousness with the quality of awareness they embody.
The aarti is typically offered at the beginning and close of Jain puja sessions, during festivals such as Paryushana and Mahavir Jayanti, and in the daily rituals of Jain households. The mood it evokes is one of prasanna - luminous clarity and peaceful resolve. Practitioners believe that meditating on the Panch Parameshti while singing purifies karmic accumulations and steadies the mind toward the path of non-attachment. In the Jain tradition, the act of reciting or singing in praise of these five supreme beings is itself understood as a form of samyak darshan - right perception - because it orients the soul toward its highest aspiration: liberation.