Modern life has been reduced to an unhinged pursuit of wants, with technology and increasing social security taking care of most of our basic needs. And with so much of the hunter-gatherer energy available for fulfilling our desires, Thomas Hobbes’ words have never rung truer, “Passions unguided are for the most part mere madness”! This ancient land of Bharatvarsha has been the Vishwaguru in the spiritual arena for time immemorial, being the cradle where philosophies like Jainism were born, which helped put human desires and needs into perspective. As the Jain festival of Paryushan commences on Monday, we delve into some of its teachings, which are as relevant today, as they were thousands of years ago.
The conventional perception of a festival makes one think of delicacies and indulgence, but Paryushan couldn’t be farther from that. Jain monks spend a majority of their time wandering, but this becomes harder in the monsoon months, when insects and worms abound, making it difficult for them to walk without harming them. During the monsoon season, the monks and nuns would congregate and spend time in collective meditation.
This ancient practice that was initially restricted to monks became a public phenomenon after King Dhruvasen, grief stricken after the loss of his son, requested Acharya Kalakasuri to help him. It was that time of the year when the monks would observe Paryushan, and the Acharya consented to permit the King to participate, who through listening to the narration of the Kalpa Sutra, which tells the life stories of Mahavir and the other Tirthankaras, was able to overcome his grief. Since then, Paryushan entered the public domain and is observed by the vast majority of Jains in the month of Bhadrapada.
The Ratnatraya, or the 3 diamonds of Jainsim, are the Right Perspective (or faith), the Right Conduct and the Right Knowledge are imperative for liberation from human suffering. In the days of Paryushan, the Jain community congregates and observes various Taaps or penances of body and mind to purify them, and allow their consciousness to rise above their gross body needs and focus on the higher purpose as laid out by the Tirthankaras. The last day is called Samvatsari, when Jains say the famous phrase Micchami Dukkadam (literal translation, May any evil done by me be fruitless) to each other, asking for forgiveness for any past transgressions, unintentional or otherwise, introspecting on the remorse (pratikraman) and eventually transcending it, as the promise of a brand new day beckons.
