Jin puja

Author(s): Harendra Shah
Publisher: USA Jain Center Northern Calfornia

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Jin Pujä
destinies: 1. heavenly beings, 2. humans, 3. hell beings and 4. rest of the living forms (animals, plants, etc.). A given soul can be born unaccountable number of times in each type. Then he/she places three dots above the swastik sign. Three dots symbolize the three jewels - perfect perception, perfect knowledge and perfect conduct. These three provide the means for escaping the miserable samsarik cycle. Finally, he/she makes a half circle on the top of three dots and puts a dot in that half circle. This half circle figure with a dot symbolizes the place, sidhdhha-lok (upper portion of the universe) where the liberated souls are. The aspirant desires to be liberated from the samsarik cycle of four destinies by the means of right perception, right knowledge and right conduct and attain Moksha. The aspirant puts Sweet on the swastik symbolizing he/she wants to attain a foodless state (Anähäri - Siddha). In addition, the aspirant puts fruit on the siddhashilä symbolizing the fruit of the Jinpujä is the fifth state of liberation that is liberation.
7. Naivedya Pujä: (Sweets): Naivedya symbolizes tasty food. The aspirant puts the
Naivedya on the siddha-shilä (made out of rice in the Akshat Pujä). By doing this Jinpujä, one should thrive to reduce or eliminate attachment to tasty food. Healthy food is essential for survival, however one should not live for tasty food. Ultimate aim in one's life is to attain Moksha where no food is essential for survival.
8. Fal Pujä: (Fruit): Fruit is a symbol of Moksha or liberation. . The aspirant puts the fruit
on the Swastik (made out of rice in the Akshat Pujä). If we live our life without any attachment to worldly affairs, continue to perform our duty without any expectation and reward, be a witness to all the incidents that occur surrounding us, truly follow monkhood life, and have a love and compassion to all living beings, we will attain the fruit of liberation. This is the last Jinpujä symbolizing the ultimate achievement of our
life.
After completion of Ang Pujä, you come out of the Gabhärä and perform Agra Pujä. After Agra Pujä, one may perform Darpan Pujä and then perform Chowri dance as explained in sub-sections 2.7 and 2.8.
2.7. Darpan
We look into a mirror (Darpan) to see the face of the Parmätmä as the Vitaräg Bhagwän (who has conquered attachments and aversions) symbolizing that we may attain the state of non-attachment like HIM. This is done after performing JinPujä.
2.8. Chowri Dance
After performing Darpan Pujä, we Chowri dance while swaying the Chämar before the Parmätmä to express our love, respect and devotion to our Veeträg Bhagawän. While doing the Chowri dance, you may want to recite the following:
Orientals, Greek, American Indians, etc., regard swastik symbol as a good luck symbol. Nazis' swastika sign has all its arms at 45 degree angle (neither horizontal or vertical) and in clockwise direction. Nazis' swastik sign was abandoned by Germans in 1945. It represents lots of hatred. We need to be very careful in displaying our swastik sign in public so that we do not hurt the feelings of the people who suffered a great deal by Nazis in the second world war. Compiled by Harendra Shah
6/20/02
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