Paryushan or Daslasksana Parva

Paryushan or Daslasksana Parva –
The Jain community celebrates different days and festivals like other communities throughout the world celebrates many social and religious functions annually. The superb Jain festival popularly known as Paryushan parva. Paryashan Parva is a one of the most important festival days in Jainism. Paryushana takes place in August – September every year. Paryashan Parva festival is celebrated with fasting, reading of scriptures, observing silence etc. Svetambara jains celebrate eight days of paryushan and the last day is called Samvatsari and Digambar Jain’s celebrate this festival for ten days and it starting on the last day of Shwetambar Paryushan.
As peoples know that Paryushan mean pari + ushan = all kinds + to burn = to burn our all types of karmas and to shed our karmas we do twelve different types of austerities including fasting. The second meaning of ushan is to stay closer. The actual purpose of the Paryushan is to purify our soul, to look at our own faults, to ask for forgiveness for the mistakes we have committed, and gave up or minimize our faults. We try to forget about the needs of our body (like as food) and our business and other things so that we can concentrate on our-self.
great Jain Acharya have said that

“Kshama Viram Bhushanam, Kshamavani Michhami Dukkadam”

It means 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. The shedding of our karmas really begins by asking for forgiveness with real feelings and to take some vows not to repeat mistakes. The quality of the forgiveness requires humility (absence of ego) and suppression of anger.
There are several great aphorisms to ask for forgiveness with the unity of the body, speech and mind and one of them is as follows:

“Khamemi Savve Jiva, Savve Jiva Khamantu Mi
Mitti Me Savva bhuesu, Veram majjham na Kenai.”

Mean I forgive all the living beings in the universe and may all the living-beings forgive me for my faults. I do not have any animosity towards anybody, and I have friendship for all living beings.
Digambar Jains celebrate ten best characteristics of the soul and they are :-
Kshamaa, Mardav, Arjav, Shauch, Satya, Samyam, Tapa, Tyaga, Akinchan and Brahmacharya .

Courtesy: http://www.festivalsindia.com/paryushan-or-daslasksana-parva/

Note : There is no uniqueness  in the celebration of Paryushan Parv. Different sects celebrate on different dates and they have a valid reason to establish that  what ever they do is the only correct way. Without going into details we publish this article on the common  day of all the sects.

Michchami Dukkadam-2

Yesterday Sthanakvasi Sect  observed the samvatsari. For those of you who celebrate kshamapana today here is the message.

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Michchami Dukkadam

 The most important festival of Jainism i.e. “PARYUSHAN ” . One custom to be followed after the last day of Paryushan (Samvatsari) is that of saying “Michhami Dukkadam”. On Samvatsari day the ritual of “Pratikraman” is performed. Since “Samvatsari” is an annual event so is the Samvatsari Pratikraman. Under Samvatsari Pratikraman there comes the retrospection of all bad deeds and mistakes committed in the past year. We are critical of the bad deeds and resolve not to let them happen in the future. We also request forgiveness from all the living beings in the world if we might have knowingly or unknowingly caused harm to them. Thus, after the Pratikraman it is customary to request forgiveness from everyone we know and meet by saying “Michhami Dukkadam”. The idea behind it being that – “After requesting forgiveness from all living beings in general as part of Pratikraman, I do so one-to-one with you.” We become more specific and personal by doing so. In addition to requesting forgiveness, one has to grant forgiveness too. Thus by forgiving everyone and requesting forgiveness from all we ligthen ourselves and our mind from past year’s misdeeds.”Michchhami (Mithya) means fruitless / forgiven and Dukkadam (Dushkrit) means bad deeds. Therefore the meaning of Michchhami Dukkadam is’My bad deeds be fruitless’. So the idea behind conveying Michchhami Dukkadam is that if I have caused any harm to you then may those bad deeds be forgiven, become fruitless

” KHAMEMI SAVVE JIVA:- I forgive all the living beings

SAVVE JIVA KHAMANTU :- ME I seek pardon from all the living beings

MITTI ME SAVVA BHUTESU :- I am friendly towards all the living beings

VERAM MAJJHAM NA KENVI :- And seek enmity with none.

MICHHAMI DUKKADAM! Forgive me for my ignorance! Self-Realization: I am pure soul. I am not body. Concentrate on three spiritual jewels: Right Knowledge, Right Vision and Right Conduct. While meditating, exhale and inhale through the process, drawing our energy from the naval to head. Concentrate on endless virtues and attributes of our soul. The practice of meditation helps us to purify our mental state, to control our emotions of hatred, greed, etc., and feel eternal happiness and serenity.
Pls correct me if I am wrong in any of the explanations. I have tried to present it to the best of my knowledge and understanding.  (Article  By : Atul Bafna )

Our friend Dinesh Shah has sent in his Michchami Dukkadam Messages to all the members of Samaj

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