महापर्व पर्युषण : एक दृष्टि

Summary

The text discusses the concept of living according to a lifestyle that is not imaginary but based on participation, which can change people's lives. It highlights the Paryushan festival as an ideal time for testing this lifelong practice, suggesting that eight days of training and experimentation in this lifestyle could lead to meaningful change. The text notes that Indian culture is rich with festivals and celebrations, occurring throughout the year, and questions why humans celebrate them, concluding that they provide joy and enthusiasm. Festivals are categorized as worldly, connected to tradition and joy, and transcendental, primarily associated with faith and devotion. Jainism is presented as a major Indian religion with origins in prehistoric times. Time in Jain tradition is explained as a cycle with two halves: avasarpini and utsarpini, each divided into six parts. The third part of the cycle was the era of Kulakara Nābhi, whose son was Ṛṣabha. Nābhi adapted the system to changing circumstances and entrusted governance to Ṛṣabha, who became the first king, developed crafts and arts, and established social and cultural values. After ruling, Ṛṣabha became a monk, attained enlightenment, and taught the truth to people, establishing the fourfold order of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. He became the first Tirthankara of Jainism. After Ṛṣabha, the fourth part of the time cycle began, and twenty more Tirthankaras followed. The twenty-second Tirthankara, Ariṣṭanemi, is linked to the era of Krishna, who is considered his spiritual disciple. The twenty-third and twenty-fourth Tirthankaras, Pārśva and Mahāvīra, are historical figures, with Mahāvīra being the source of all current Jain branches.