YJA Convention 1994 07 Chicago IL First

Author(s): Young Jains of America (YJA)
Publisher: Young Jains of America YJA USA

Page 40

of the ritual is fairly complex; thus a person of advanced religious standing (a Jain-Brahman, a ksullaka, or a layman who has reached at least the seventh pratima) "officiates", instructing the participants in their roles as the ceremony proceeds.
A panca-kalyana-mahotsav continues for a few days. Its third phase begins when the Jinaimage, now seen as a full-grown "prince", is adorned with jewelry and silken clothing. Various "kings" come to pay him tribute, and the laukantika-devas (played by certain young people of the community) remind him that the time for his renunciation is at hand. The image is then decorated still further and carried in grand procession to a park outside the town. If the image, or images, being sanctified is too large to be moved easily, a smaller one represents it in this procession. In the park the ornaments are removed and further consecration procedures (sprinkling with more holy water and sandalwood paste, for example) are carried out. Soon there after, the renunciant is considered to attain omniscience; this event is celebrated with great pomp, for it marks the point at which a Jina-image becomes worthy of worship. The fifth kalyana, attainment of nirvana, is of course duly celebrated, but not until after the image has been formally installed. As noted above, the Jina within a temple is considered to be still alive, seated in the samavasarana; hence, the marking of his departure from the worldly realm has little. relevance to the religious practice of the layper
son.
The ritual actions of the panca-kalyanamahotsava are accompanied by great festivity and merrymaking, especially at the time of birth ceremony. Music, temple dancing, and feasts are provided by the person installing the image; thus only a rich man can hope to undertake this meritorious activity. If he carries out the entire event in a grand fashion, such a man will receive the title of samgha-pati (leader of the community) and will command great respect from his fellows.
When the new image is finally placed upon its
Jain Education Intemational
pedestal, perhaps flanked by various guardian. deities, it obtains the very exalted status of a real Tirthankar. In a Digambar temple it will of course be devoid of all clothing and decoration. Shvetambars, on the other hand, will have carved it in such a way as to suggest certain garments and will provide ornamentation by, for example, using crystal for the eyes. In either case, the image now becomes the object of regular worship by members of the community.
The importance of the occasional panca-kalyanamahotsava, and of the temple images consecrated thereby, should not blind us to the fact that much of Jain lay practice occurs beyond the confines of the temple. Many homes have their own shrines, complete with small Jain images; so it is within the household that the daily rituals of the devout layperson are often carried out. A Jain is advised to awaken before dawn and immediately recite the five solutions of the Namokara-mantra. He should then ponder his religious duties, reminding himself to adhere closely to whatever vratas he has taken and to strive towards the eventual taking of those which he has not. Having bathed and donned newly washed clothing, he is likely to sit in his household shrine and begin the day in a holy manner by performing devapuja. Other rituals may also be regularly carried out at home; hence the role of the temple in the religious life of a Jain community, while very important, is by no means exclusive.
The Devapuja Ritual
Specific customs pertaining to devapuja, espe cially when it is practiced within a temple, vary among Jain sects. This is especially true for the Digambars, whose southern majority has developed a relatively elaborate form of the ritual. Such elaboration is to be expected in view of the role played by the Jain-Brahmans within this group, since increased complexity of any ceremony can only render their presence more essential.
But certain fundamental features characterize the performance of devpuja for all sects. As a 38