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Jainism : The Cosmic Vision of the previous birth came as a cowherd and thrust straight long thorns into Bhagwan Mahavira's ears. This happened during the twelfth year of his penance. This incident shows that if animosity is not calmed and quietened in time, it produces very horrible results. The real way of celebrating the Samvatsari festival lies in seeing one's own faults, in rising above the mud of attachment and aversion that lies at every step, in being awakened to one's errors. If a man does not get awakened to his errors and enjoyments in time, he is put into a very bad plight. He becomes untruthful, addicted, attached and full of harm to others. Regarding the plight of such an ignorant man, Dashuvaikalika Sutra says :
निच्चुम्विडगो जहा तेणो, अत्त-कम्मेहि दुम्मड़। तारिसो मरणंते वि, नाऽऽराहेइ संवरं ।।
(- EST. 37. 4) (As the ever-fearing thief comes to grief as a result of his own bad deeds, so the ignorant person comes to grief on account of his own misdeeds and even when his end comes near, he cannot restrain his sense organs.]
An old woman of eighty was lying on her death-bed. She was breathing her last. Somebody told her, "Granny, now ask everybody's forgiveness." Then the old woman said, "I will ask forgiveness of everybody except my second son because I don't want to see his wretched face." Thus even at the age of eighty, even when one is breathing one's last, the mind is pre-occupied with past hurts of anger and spite. At the end, even when navakar mantra is being spoken to him, man tightens the knot of his animosity and retaliation.
Thus, these days of Paryushan are the days of introspection. Man constantly roams outside. It is easy to see the outside world. For it, eye-sight would do, insight is not needed. Our
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