Religion and Culture of the Jains

Author(s): D C Sirkar
Publisher: University of Calcutta

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RELIGION AND CULTURE OF THE JAINS
According to the Svetāmbaras, Pajjusaņā begins with the twelfth of the dark half of Śrāvana and ends with the fifth of the bright half of Bhādrapada (August-September). It lasts for eight days. On the third day of the Pajjusaņā, the Svetāmbaras organise a procession in honour of the Kalpasūtra, a religious text which they hold in great reverence. This Sūtra principally deals with three subjects, i.e. lives of Tirthařkaras, list of sages, and rules and regulations to be followed by the Jain monks. According to the Digambaras, Pajjusaņā lasts every year for ten days from the fifth to the 14th day of the bright half of the month of Bhādrapada. On these days, early in the morning, all people assemble in the temple and perform worship in a large scale. After the worship, on every day, one chapter out of the ten chapters of the Tattvärthasūtra is read and explained to the people. During this festival, the annual or great Pratikarman or confession called SamvatsaraPratikarman is performed, in order to remove all ill-feelings against all living beings and to ask pardon from all living beings for any act done knowingly or unknowingly in the course of their mutual exchange during the year. At the close of the meeting everyone present asks the forgiveness of his neighbours for any offence he may even unwittingly have given. This means determination to spend the new year in love and charity with their neighbours.
Siddhacakra-pūjā. This is performed only by the Svetāmbara Jains twice in a year in Caitra and Āśvina, and lasts for eight or nine days, beginning on the 7th and ending on the full-moon day. In every Svetāmbara temple, there is a saint-wheel, or Siddhacakra, which is a little eight-sided plate made either e brass or silver with five tiny figures representing the Five Great ones (Sādhu, Upādhyāya, Ācārya, Arhat and Siddha). Between the figures are written the names of the three jewels (right knowledge, right faith and right conduct) and also the word tapa, austerity, which might almost be called the keyword of the whole Jain system. On the last day 'Navapada'
3 Vilas Adinath Sanghve, Jain Community, p. 248.