In Shwetambar Jain tradition, the first prayer commonly recited is the Navkar Mantra (Namokar Mantra). It is a concise, universal prayer of homage to the supreme beings and the Jain spiritual lineage.

Standard form (fivefold salutations):

• Namo Arihantanam
• Namo Siddhanam
• Namo Ayariyanam
• Namo Uvariyananam (sometimes rendered as Namo Upadhayayanam)
• Namo Loe Savva Sahunam

Sometimes you will also see the closing line extended with:

• Arihantam NamO (refrain or additional homage) or simply recitations that reinforce reverence to the fivefold Jina lineage.

Meaning (arth) in Jain terms:

• Namo Arihantanam: I bow to the Arihantas, the perfected beings who have conquered inner enemies but have not yet liberated all beings.
• Namo Siddhanam: I bow to the Siddhas, the liberated souls who have attained moksha.
• Namo Ayariyanam: I bow to the Acharyas, the spiritual teachers who guide the Jain sangha.
• Namo Uvariyanam: I bow to the Upadhyayas (and other learned teachers) who instruct the Jain community.
• Namo Loe Savva Sahunam: I bow to all the ascetics and monks who live in renunciation and uplift others.

Notes:

• Navkar Mantra is considered the most fundamental prayer for many Shwetambar Jains and is commonly chanted at the start of daily activities, before other prayers, or during temple worship.
• There are small textual and pronunciation variations between Digambar and Shwetambar communities, but the essential fivefold homage remains the same in both traditions.

If you’d like, I can provide the exact phonetic transliteration in IAST or a version in Prakrit as it appears in canonical Jain scriptures.