Paryushan parva time to move towards the light

Paryushan parva time to move towards the light

Every year in Bhadon, that is in the month of September/October as per the English calendar, Paryushan, also known as Dashlakshan Parva, the most auspicious Jain festival, arrives – to awaken us from our deep slumber, to take us from the darkness of ignorance to the path of divine light – the Truth.

Dashlakshan doesn’t mean that there are ten dharmas. In fact, dharma is one and whosoever adopts it in true sense, the dashlakshan, ten signs, start reflecting in his activities.

We have four main enemies, that is four kashayas, passions: krodh, anger; maan, ego/ false pride; maya, deceit; and lobh, greed. The soul gets coloured by these passions and wanders through 84 lakh yonis – birth and death cycles of 84 lakh species.

Once we overcome anger and start treating all living beings as friends and feel that nobody can put us to any harm, we get enveloped by Uttam Kshama – forgiveness of the highest order. Similarly, once we realise that in our past lives we may have been born as small insects many times and even as a human being in a poor family, or with some physical disability, it is due to our past deeds that we have taken birth now in this pious Bharat Bhumi and that whatever we have today will not last forever, then feelings of arrogance and false pride vanish, and we are endowed with Uttam Mardava – supreme humility.

When we decide not to deceive others for our personal gains, we are rewarded with Uttam Arjava – straightforwardness; and after getting rid of greed, the soul is blessed with Uttam Shauch – supreme purity.

Once we attain these virtues, Uttam Satya, supreme truth, appears in our lives and we start practising sanyam – restraint at every step. Without sanyam, our life is like a car without brakes, which is destined to meet with an accident, sooner or later. Thereafter, we move towards tapa, penance, because even gold has to pass through fire several times to attain purity. Uttam Tapa is instrumental in removing the dirt of sins from our souls. And once we realise that we cannot carry even a penny with us, we renounce all possessions, home, money, family, even clothes and start roaming like a sky-clad Jain sage, this stage is Uttam Tyag – supreme renunciation.

Gradually, there comes a stage when the atman feels, ‘who am I to renounce anything when nothing belongs to me.’ This facet of dharma is called Uttam Akinchanya. And finally, for such a pious and pure soul nothing is left for indulgence and it adopts Uttam Brahmacharya – supreme celibacy. Brahmacharya dharma is not to be restricted to abstinence from sexual activities only. In broader terms, it means that all sensual pleasures pertaining to the five senses no longer have any meaning for the atman and it loves to remain engrossed in the Brahmn.

Paryushan Parva is a golden opportunity for us to take a cue from the teachings of the guru and introspect on our deeds, thoughts and speech and move forward to free ourselves from the karmic bondage by adopting these ten facets of dharma.