Jain
festivals are celebrated by penance, Jap prayer, worship and friendship. The most
important part of Paryushan is daily meditation and prayer, which provides an
opportunity for looking within and towards the teachings of the Tirthankaras
for guidance. Beginning on the fourth day of Paryushan , it is customary for
all of us to read from the Kalpa Sutra , which recounts the life of Mahaveera the 14
dreams of his mother before his birth, followed by the story of his birth, life
and liberation. It also recounts the lives of other Tirthankaras and the rules
of Paryushan.
The
final day of Paryushan is Samvastsari Pratikraman . to ask to forgive the
family and friends and, finally, all living beings and receiving forgiveness
from all living beings and also granting forgiveness to all. Forgiveness is the
rite of "universal friendship". "I grant forgiveness to all living
beings, May all living beings grant me forgiveness; My friendship is with all
living beings, My enmity is totally non-existent. Let there be peace, harmony
and prosperity for al
1. Pari +
ushan = all kinds + to burn = to burn our all types of karmas. To shed our karmas,
we do twelve different types of austerities including fasting.
2. Another
meaning of "ushan" is to stay closer. To stay closer to our own soul
from all directions and to stay absorbed in our own-self, we do Svadhyaya,
meditation, austerities.
3. Pari +
upshamana = upshamana means to suppress, to suppress our passion kashaya -
anger, ego, deceit and greed.
Therefore,
the real purpose of the Paryushan is to purify our soul by staying closer to
our own soul, to look at our own faults, to ask for forgiveness for the
mistakes we have committed, and take vows to minimize our faults. We try to
forget about the needs of our body (like food) and our business so that we can
concentrate on our-self.
To ask
for forgiveness is the toughest thing to do.
"Kshama
Viram Bhushanam, Kshamavani Michchha Mi Dukkadam"
- To ask for forgiveness is a great quality
of the brave ones and if I have committed any mistake, knowingly or
unknowingly, I ask for your forgiveness.
There are several great aphorisms (Sutras) to ask for forgiveness with
the unity of the body, speech and mind.
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