• What is recited during pradakshina: The most common recitation is the Navkar Mantra (Namokar Mantra). It is chanted while circumambulating a Tirthankar or a Jain shrine. Some people also chant short prayers or stotras praising the Tirthankaras or reciting jain virtues during the pradakshina.

• Why doing pradakshina (circumambulation):

- It expresses reverence to the Tirthankaras and to all enlightened beings. - It helps focus the mind on ethical conduct, right faith, and right knowledge. - It symbolically complements inner purification with outer devotion, reminding us to reduce karmic bondage and strive for spiritual progress. - It creates a structured, disciplined practice that aids concentration, humility, and reverence.

• Meaning (arth) of Navkar Mantra (brief):

- Namo Arihantānaṁ: I bow to the Arihants (liberated beings who have conquered inner passions). - Namo Siddhānaṁ: I bow to the Siddhas (liberated souls). - Namo Arihantānaṁ: I bow again to the Arhants (alternate phrasing in some traditions). - Namo Mahāprāsnāya: I bow to the Mahāpravakta (unsurpassed teachers/omniscient beings) in some recensions. - Namo Lokāyaṣu: I bow to all beings in the universe. - This mantra purifies intention and reminds practitioners to follow the path of right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct.

• Note on traditions:

- Both Digambar and Śvetāmbara Jain communities use Navkar Mantra, but pronunciation and certain additions may vary slightly between traditions. The core meaning remains the same: respect for liberated beings and commitment to the Jain path.

If you’d like, I can give the exact Sanskrit text of the Navkar Mantra and its canonical Marathi/Hindi readings as per a specific tradition.