Jaina Monuments Of Orissa

Author(s): R P Mohapatra
Publisher: D K Publications

Page 35

Background and Tradition
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worship, ceremonious worship, occasional processions, decorations and arar. Almost in the same way as that of the Brāhmaṇas the deities are offered rice, water and naivedya. There are bells, drums, chauries and no foreigner unless he is told, will find any appreciable distinction between a strictly Brahmanic temple and a Jaina one. In temple worship, the Digambaras and the Svetambaras differ in some important heiratic points. For instance the Digambaras bathe the images with abundance of water, but Svetämbaras use very little. The Digambaras may bathe and worship their images during the night but the Svetambaras do not even light lamps in their temples, much less do they bathe or worship the images lest in so doing they might thereby kill, or indirectly cause the death of any living thing, for to do so during the night they regard as a great sin. The Digambaras wash their images with palichamrita but the others do not.
The Jainas worship Pañchaparames!hins the five fold divinity, namely (1) Arhats i.e. the twenty-four Tirthankaras, (2) Sidha, the liberated soul, (3) Acharya, the preceptor (usually through his symbolic representation called sthapana, (4) Upadhyaya, the teacher, and (5) Sadhu, a monk who has renour.ced worldly ties. Specific qualities are attributed to them. There are different mantras or syllables to remember and revere them. The first syllables of the names of these parameşthinis constitute the sacred syllable OM, which has great religious significance. The real worship in the religious sense is confined to the first two especially the first under the twenty-four Tirthankaras whose biographies are elaborate in many respects. There are hymns of praise in their honour, which are not intended to ask for any thing from them, but the devotee who recites them wants their great qualitics to develop himself. There are rituals, pūjās of various kinds, etc., to express devotion to the Tirthankaras. All these aim at purifying oneself by pious activities at eliminating one's Karma, so that the Atman becomes Paramatman.