ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 01

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 267

SCHOOL
TIONAL
OF
TAN STUDIES
SELF STUDY IS THE SUPREME AUSTERITY,
Digambara Jains, generally do not touch the idols, except a handful of men (women also allowed in Bisapanthi sub-sect). The men, who touch and give bath (prakṣāla), first thing in the morning to the idols, take the bath themselves in the temple and wear two non-stitched clothes (dhotis) before starting the pūjā. The person starts pūjā with first chanting abandonment (nissīhi) or move from the world to a holy place three times while entering the temple, then with folded hands recites navakāra three times before the idols and making three circumambulations of the idols afterwards followed by bowing before the idols. After dusting the idols with clean cloth, they remove the metal idols from the pedestal and keep them in a plate on the table at the altar. These men, one at a time, give bath to the idols with clean water in specified manner and reciting mantras, followed by drying the idols with a clean cloth and placing the idols back on their normal place. They along with other fellow devotees in the temple, sing hymns, perform ārati with lighted oil lamps and adore the idols with fly whisks.
Some men then stay at the table and perform pūjā there while others sit at different palces in the hall. The sequence consists of first preparing a plate with painting, using sandalwood paste, a svastika with three dots on top and a half moon for offerings and keeping all the ingredients in a separate plate, small pots for water and sandalwood water to use as offerings, bowl to offer water and sandal wood water and a separate stand to offer rice or cloves while invoking the divinity being worshipped.
Then both women and men sing hymns, mantras etc using eight types of substances (water, sandalwood water, rice, flowers (replaced by saffron coated rice), sweets (replaced by coconut bits), lamp (substituted by coconut bits coated with saffron), sandalwood powder (substituted by cloves), fruits (substituted by almonds) and a mix of all these. They perform the pūjā singing hymns adoring the fordmakers, holy teacher, liberated souls, mantras and offering different substances at different times in the course of the pūjā. Most lay persons, not involved in the above manner of pūjā, bring rice, almonds, and coconut bits and cloves mixture from the home and perform the pūjā without preparing the plates as indicated above. Generally the temples also provide these ingredients to the devotees who do not bring them from their homes. Mostly the puja is performed either individually or a team of husband and wife together.
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STUDY NOTES version 5.0