Counted japa of the Navkar Mantra is usually kept on a navkarvali, a mala of 108 beads, one recitation a bead. When you have no mala with you, or want to keep a larger count, this counter does the same work: tap the large button once after each recitation, and it keeps the count, marks each round of 108 and stops at the number you set.
How it works
The target. Choose one navkarvali (108), 1,008, or any whole number from 1 to 100,000, and press “Start counting”. The counter stops at the target and says so.
The rounds. Every 108 recitations is one round of a navkarvali, and the counter shows how many full rounds you have made and how far into the next you are. At 1,008 that is 9 rounds and 36 more, which our check of the counter confirms. The number recurs elsewhere in Jain worship: Natubhai Shah notes that in the elaborate puja the image is anointed from 108 pots, each standing for one attribute of the pancha parameshthi, the five supreme beings the Navkar salutes (Jainism: The World of Conquerors, chapter 5.6).
Feel, not sight. Where the phone allows, each tap gives a tiny buzz, each round of 108 a short one and the target a longer one, so you can count with your eyes closed. On a computer, the Space bar or Enter counts one.
Your totals. Every recitation is added to a total for today and a total for all time on this device. If you tap one too many, “Undo one” takes it back from the count and the totals.
Reading the result
The large figure is the count so far, with the target below it, the rounds of 108 and a bar for how far you have come. Below the button are your totals for today and for all time on this phone.
Where traditions differ
The words of the Navkar Mantra are shared by Shvetambara and Digambara Jains, as our Navkar Mantra page explains. Shvetambara practice makes heavy use of counted japa on the 108-bead navkarvali; Digambara practice sets the mantra inside the thrice-daily samayika and as the opening of a text or discourse. How many to count, and when, is a matter for you and your sangh; the counter only keeps the number.
What it does not do
It does not recite the mantra or play sound. It does not tell you what number to keep, and it promises nothing from a count. Nothing you count is sent to us: the count and the totals are kept in this browser on this device, and clearing the browser’s data removes them.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Why 108?
A navkarvali has 108 beads, one recitation a bead, so 108 is one round. The number recurs in Jain worship: Natubhai Shah notes 108 pots in the elaborate puja, each standing for one attribute of the five supreme beings the Navkar salutes.
↳ How many rounds is 1,008?
Nine full rounds of 108, which is 972, and 36 more. The counter shows the rounds and the remainder as you go.
↳ Will I lose my count if the page closes?
No. The count is saved in this browser after every tap, so it is there when you open the page again on the same phone and browser. Clearing the browser's data removes it.
↳ Can I count without looking at the screen?
Yes, on phones that allow vibration: every tap gives a tiny buzz, every round of 108 a short one and the target a longer one. The button is large and sits just below the count, so it is easy to find.
↳ Is my count sent anywhere?
No. It stays in this browser on this device, and it does not move to another phone.
Sources. The 108-bead navkarvali, one recitation a bead, and how Shvetambara and Digambara practice use the mantra: our Navkar Mantra page and its sources. The 108 pots, one for each attribute of the pancha parameshthi: Natubhai Shah, Jainism: The World of Conquerors, chapter 5.6, pp. 277 and 278. Corrections are seva: tell us.