Mumbai: Jains worldwide will begin Paryushan Parva, one of their most important festivals and a period of introspection, confession, and charity this weekend. The two major sects of Jainism follow different dates for the festival. While the Shwetambar sect, named after the all-white attire of their ascetics, will start the festival on August 31 or September 1, the Digambaras, whose monks do not wear any vestments, will observe it for ten days from September 8.
The annual festival, also called Paryushan, is observed in the middle of the rainy season, from the Panchami or fifth day of the shukla or bright phase of the lunar month of Bhadrapada. The festival ends on Anant Chaturdashi. The period is also known as Paijusaṇa in Prākrit, the ancient language of the Jain scriptures.
The festival's length varies from tradition to tradition, lasting eight or ten days. "It is a celebration of the soul. The period is purely spiritual and not related to any God or birthday of a saint," said Dr Aneket Jain, professor of Jain philosophy at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University, Delhi.
Fasting, studying the scriptures, prayers, and meditation are some of the observances during the period. Some live the lives of monks. One of the biggest programmes in Mumbai to mark the festival will be held by the Shrimad Rajchandra Mission at the National Sports Complex of India's dome stadium at Worli.
The eight-day programme will feature workshops, discourses, and meditation sessions, some of which will be led by the organisation's founder Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji. The organisation is devoted to the teachings of Shrimad Rajchandra who was the spiritual guru of Mahatma Gandhi.
Manish Modi, a religious scholar who has been teaching Jainism, said that during the period believers are asked not to get caught up p in rituals and instead focus on the experiential aspect, with a focus on maintaining heightened awareness, innate calmness, and getting rid of anger, arrogance, artifice and avarice.
"I like the Paryuṣaṇa Parva because it is a time of reflection. It keeps us focused on the true self and serves as a reminder that if we wish to attain lasting happiness, we will have to begin the inward journey," said Modi, who will travel to the United States for lectures.
Dietary advice for the period includes avoiding eating after daylight hours and certain foods like root vegetables. The festival ends with the celebration of Samvatsari, or Universal Forgiveness Day. Jains greet each other with the words 'Michhami Dukkadam', a Prakrit phrase that means 'May all the evil that has been done be fruitless' or 'I sincerely ask for your forgiveness'.
