Paryusana is a holy festival in Jainism, an ancient religious and philosophical tradition of India (see Jainism ). The festival takes place every year in August or September, and lasts eight days. Paryusana is celebrated by the Svetambara (white-clad) sect of Jains; the Digambara (atmosphere-clad, or naked) sect celebrates a similar festival called Dasalaksana, which begins immediately after Paryusana.
Paryusana is a time of fasting, repentance, and goodwill. Jain monks and nuns are wandering beggars; they do not have permanent homes. They move from place to place all the time, except during the rainy season, when they must settle in a town. On the day the rainy season begins, Jains visit monks and nuns, and begin a routine of fasting, religious study, and contemplation that lasts for the time of the rains. This practice is known as posadha, and it reaches its height during the Paryusana festival. The rainy season may last about four months. However, the minimum duration of Paryusana is 70 days.
On the fifth day of Paryusana, Svetambara Jains read out sections of a holy book called the Kalpa Sutra dealing with the birth of Mahavira, the last of the great Jain teachers, who was born in the 500’s B.C. The final day of Paryusana is called Samvatsari-pratikramana, or Samvatsari for short. This is the holiest day of the year for Jains. Jains fast on this day, and they do not work. They confess their sins, visit friends and relatives, and ask forgiveness for the sins and injuries committed during the previous year. The next year is thus begun with these sins and grievances firmly in the past.
Dasalaksana lasts 10 days. Each day of Dasalaksana celebrates one of the Ten Virtues: forgiveness, gentleness, honesty, purity, truth, restraint, austerity, renunciation, poverty, and chastity.
See also Mahavira .
