The Chauvīsī Stotra
Salutation to the Twenty-Four Jinas
A Jain hymn saluting the twenty-four Jinas (Tirthankaras), seeking their blessings to cross the ocean of worldly existence.
Verses
The Arhats, the Jinas, the Kevalins, who illuminate the world, who are established in dharma and are spiritual emperors—all twenty-four are praised from the heart.
Verse 1
I bow to Lord Rishabha, Lord Ajita, Lord Sambhava, Lord Abhinandana, Lord Sumati, Lord Padmaprabha, Lord Suparshva, and Lord Chandraprabha.
Verse 2
I bow to Lord Suvidhi, Lord Shitala, Lord Shreyansa, Lord Vasupujya, Lord Vimala, Lord Ananta, Lord Dharma, Lord Shanti, and Lord Kunthu.
Verse 3
I bow to Lord Ara, Lord Malli, Lord Munisuvrata, Lord Nami, Lord Nemi, Lord Parshva, and Lord Mahavira.
Verse 4
Thus praised by me, may these great lords, who have vanquished passion, attachment, affliction, sorrow, and jealousy, and who are freed from the cycle of birth and death, be pleased with me.
Verse 5
The twenty-four supreme Jinas, the Tirthankaras, who are celebrated, worshipped, and honored, who are solitary and immaculate—may they be pleased with me.
Verse 6
Having praised with a pure mind the twenty-four supreme Jinas, the Tirthankaras, who are honored in the complete dharma, who are the omniscient Kevalins, immaculate and solitary.
Verse 7
With hands folded in reverence, I bow to the twenty-four Tirthankaras. I desire to attain the supreme, eternal state of liberation, which is beyond the moving and unmoving.
Verse 8
May the twenty-four Tirthankaras, who have great fame and have gone forth, grant me health, gain, attainment, and the excellent supreme concentration.
Verse 9
Worship Guidelines & Chanting Benefits (Phalashruti)
Daily or auspicious lunar days (Ekadashi, Purnima, Pradosham)
Brahma Muhurta (4:00 AM – 6:00 AM) or Evening Dusk (Sandhya)
Ghee lamp (Deepa), Incense (Dhoopa), Fresh flowers & Water offering
- Peace of mind, spiritual upliftment, and harmonious energy in the home
Background
This hymn is part of the Jain devotional tradition, composed in Prakrit, an ancient Indian language closely associated with Jain scriptures. It is traditionally recited by Jains during daily worship, on holy days, or as part of ritual chanting to honor the twenty-four Jinas (spiritual victors) who are also known as Tirthankaras (ford-makers who help souls cross the ocean of rebirth). This hymn is also known as the Chaturvimshati Stava ("praise of the twenty-four") and forms the second of the six daily Avashyakas (essential duty no. 2) within the canonical Avashyaka Sutra. The stotra is widely revered across the Jain community; no individual human composer is firmly established, and it is traditionally treated as part of the ancient Agama canon rather than the work of a single author. The verses are meant to be chanted with devotion to seek inner purity, guidance, and liberation.
Did You Know?
What this hymn is
This is a Jain stotra (a hymn of praise) honoring all 24 Tirthankaras — the enlightened spiritual teachers who have shown the way to liberation. The word “Tirthankara” means “ford-maker,” one who builds a crossing over the ocean of rebirth.
Language and tradition
The hymn is composed in Prakrit, an ancient Indian language closely related to Sanskrit but used in the earliest Jain scriptures. Unlike many Hindu stotras that are in Sanskrit, Jain devotional texts often preserve Prakrit to maintain the original teachings of the Tirthankaras.
Structure and listing
The first four verses name the 24 Tirthankaras in their traditional order, starting with Rishabha (the first of this era) and ending with Mahavira (the last). Each verse groups several of them together, and the final verses ask for their blessings — freedom from delusion, attachment, and rebirth.
Purpose and benefit
The hymn is meant to be recited with a “pure mind” (suddha-mana) to invoke the Tirthankaras’ grace. It specifically asks for health, prosperity, and the highest state of meditative concentration (samadhi) that leads to final liberation (nirvana).
Rishabhanatha
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