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JAINA CONVENTION 2011
houses, because they were used in farming and in drawing bullock carts.
The conditions have now totally changed. Milk is drawn to an extent where the lifetime of domestic animals is reduced; they are not maintained when they go dry; their young ones are not allowed to suck; and since they are no longer used in farming or in drawing vehicles, they are consigned to slaughterhouses. There is thus too much violence in dairy industry. Milk cannot therefore be considered auspicious or an object of purity. Its use in performing rituals goes against the principle of nonviolence and needs to be stopped.
Now let us turn to Snätrapoojä, which is a mode of performing Abhishek on a large scale. Its ritual states that all heavenly beings take part and that 16 millions Kalash (Pitchers) of water is used in it. Does it fit with the Jain tenet of using minimum possible water? When we take pride for our tenets being helpful in preserving ecology, how can we justify the idea of wasting so much water? Surprisingly enough, the people get elated while reciting that part! It is the conceptual extravaganza and needs to be set aside. Another aspect relates to decorating the idol with crown and other ornaments that prevails in Deräwäsi sect. Of all the attributes of the Lord, Vairagya (Detachment) is the most important. Our idols therefore need to present the image of detachment. Ornamentation goes against it. Moreover, ornaments cannot fit with the posture in which the idols are carved. Is it possible to conceive of anyone in lotus posture meditating without clothes and wearing a crown on the head? Could we have put the ornaments on the Lords, if they were alive? Such audacity can be resorted to only when one treats the idol as a lifeless stone!
Decorating the idol is at times justified by an analogy. It is said that mother is revered in all her states, not only when she might be feeding her child. Similarly all the states of Lords are to be worshiped. The Lords had once been kings or princes. Idol with crown and costly apparel presents Lord's image in that state and needs to be worshipped. But the
"Live and Help Live"
basic premise is wrong. All states of mother are not to be revered. Her state on toilet is not revered, nor is the state when she might be quarreling or misbehaving. The fallacy arises by the failure in distinguishing the mother and her states. As all states of mother are not to be revered, so are not to be worshipped all states of Lord. The concept of decorating idols has been borrowed from Vaishnav community and needs to be given up because it does not fit with the image of detached Lords. The next point relates to the ritual called Ashtprakäri Poojan. It consists of worshipping the idol with eight objects, viz. water, sandalwood, incense, lamp, rice, fruits, flowers and sweets. Of these eight, we have to point out towards last three. The fruits offered in the temple should not be too ripe in order to avert the attraction of flies and other insects. Moreover they should be covered in plastic or other kind of wrapping.
Use of flowers requires plucking them from the plants and that involves violence of sentient life. Jainism stipulates that the command of Lord is violated where even a flower petal is made to wither. The practice of using flower in worship is thus misplaced and needs to be given up. Sweets invariably attract ants, flies and other bugs. Use thereof in worship gives rise to polluting the wholesome environment. This practice also has been borrowed from Vaishnav community. It does not fit with Jain concept and needs to be given up.
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તજી દીધો મે મારો ક્ષુદ્ર અહમ મને મળ્યો અગાધ આતમ દરિયો.
રાજા ભરત અને બાહુબલીનાં ભીષણ સંગ્રામ પછી પંચમુષ્ટી લોંચ કરી ધર્મ માર્ગે કઠોર તપશ્ચર્યા કરતા મુન્ની બાહુબલીને આ અહમ તો નડતો હતો. બહેનો બ્રાહ્મી અને સુંદરીએ પ્રાર્થના કરીકે “વીરા મોરા ગજ થકી ઉતરો" એ વિચાર સ્વિકારનાં પગલે કૈવલ જ્ઞાન પ્રાપ્ત થયું....અહમને નાનો કરવાનો સરળ રસ્તો છે પોતાની દોરેલી લીટી નાની કરવાનો જે વધી બદલવાથી તરત થતો હોય છે. http://wp.me/P1kN8-kf
