Jainism - Jain festival - Daslakshan Parv

Jainism - Jain festival - Daslakshan Parv:

Daslakshan (ten virtues) Parva or the Festival of ten virtues is the Paryushan festival celebrated by the Digambar Jains annually for self-purification and uplift. This parva ultimately leads us to our true destination i.e., salvation. All Digambar jain celebrate the Dash Lakshan Parva for ten days. It is the festival for the observance of ten universal virtues; viz., forgiveness, contentment, and celibacy, which aim at the uplift of the soul and are vividly preached and practiced during the festival. The ten virtues or dharma are: ‘Dharma, Seva, Kshanti, Mridutvmrijuta, ch Shotmath, Satyam Akinchanyam, Brahm, tyagshch, tapashch, sanyamshcheti’ (Acharya Amritchandra, Shloka 208) Uttama Kshama (Supreme Forgiveness) - To observe tolerance whole-heartedly,shunning anger. Uttama Mardava (Tenderness or Humility) - To observe the virtue of humility subduing vanity and passions. Uttama Aarjava (Straight-forwardness or Honesty) - To practice a deceit-free conduct in life by vanquishing the passion of deception. Uttama Shaucha (Contentment or Purity) - To keep the body, mind and speech pure by discarding greed. Uttama Satya (Truthfulness) - To speak affectionate and just words with a holy intention causing no injury to any living being. Uttama Sanyam (Self-restraint) - To defend all living beings with utmost power in a cosmopolitan spirit abstaining from all the pleasures provided by the five senses - touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing; and the sixth - mind. Uttama Tapa (Penance or Austerities) - To practice austerities putting a check on all worldly allurements. Uttama Tyaga (Renunciation) - To give four fold charities - Ahara (food), Abhaya (fearlessness), Aushadha (medicine), and Shastra Dana (distribution of Holy Scriptures), and to patronize social and religious institutions for self and other uplifts. Uttama Akinchanya (Non-attachment) - To enhance faith in the real self as against non-self i.e., material objects; and to discard internal Parigraha viz. anger and pride; and external Parigraha viz. accumulation of gold, diamonds, and royal treasures. Uttama Brahmacharya (Chastity or celibacy) - To observe the great vow of celibacy; to have devotion for the inner soul and the omniscient Lord; to discard the carnal desires, vulgar fashions, child and old-age marriages, dowry dominated marriages, polygamy, criminal assault on ladies, use of foul and vulgar language.