________________
Chapter 18
PARYUSANA AND SAMVATSARĪ
The Purpose of Jain Festivals
Jain holidays and festivals are unique in the sense that there is not a single festival that is born of a desire for worldly prosperity or enjoyment, or originating from fear, temptation or awe. If any such thing has got mixed up with them, these are not approved by the Scriptures. The purpose of the festival is in some blessed deed of the Tirthankars or something similar to it. The holidays or festivals current in view of these have, as their purpose only purity of knowledge and character and encouragement of these. In the Jain tradition, there are one-day festivals and holidays or festivals for nourishment of these.
The Paryusana Festival
In long-time festivals, there occur six Atthais and the Atthai during the Paryusana festival is considered to be the best. This is because of the annual holiday Parva that comes in it. In all the eight days of this festivity, people will pay lesser attention to their business etc. and try constantly to enrich renunciation and austerity, nourish the virtues like knowledge, liberality etc., and take to activities that will lead to this-worldly and other-worldly bliss. In the Jain society, wherever we move, the same religious atmosphere surrounds their life like the rain-clouds of the morth of Aṣāḍha. On account of such an atmosphere, we find these things uniformly at all places.
(i) An effort to lessen tumult in life, get relief and spare time; (ii) A proper control over ones food and other enjoyment. (iii) A tendency to study and hear Scriptures and pondering over the Self.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
