Introducing Jainism

Author(s): Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 68

INTRODUCING JAINISM
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stories are found. The wanderer, who is the hero of the story, travelled different parts of India and wherever he went he faced lots of difficulties to encounter with the people belonging to the different parts of the country. Because he followed particularly the message of trigupti in his wandeings, he overcame all sorts of difficulties in his life. The Jain literature is full of stories to illustrate the different aspects of Jainism, and tolerance is one of them. In this short space, it is not possible to ransack all these stories where the episodes on tolerance are adumbrated.
The Paryusana parva of the Jains is one of the finest festivals which lead people to the goal of tolerance and thereby maintain a friendship between men and men, and even between men and animals. Paryusaņa parva is normally held between the end of August and beginning of September of every year. It is one of the compulsory festivals of the Jains. Irrespective of men and women, this festival is performed. The main purpose of this festival is to sing and hear the life-stories of Lord Mahāvira and also doing tapasyā (penance) for eight days. At the end of the paryusaņa parva the kşamāyācñā ceremony starts, and in that ceremony everybody craves indulgence of others to forgive Everybody asks for pardon as a sort of atonement for the deeds done during the last year. Everybody says to everybody the following verse:
khamemi savva-jive sauve jīvā khamantu mel metti me savva-bhūesu veram majjham na keņāvi//
"I pardon all the animals and let all the animals perdon me; I have friendship with all animals and I have no enmity with anybody".
This verse (which every Jain uses at the end of the Panyuşaħa parva) is one of the most important verses in Jainism and so this festival is one of the most important festivals which bring all the Jains under one canopy. This is one of the greatest events where tolerance plays a prominent part. Just as daserā of the Hindus, so also panyaşaņa parva of the Jains.
Some of the Jain kings, Vastupāla, for example, in