“Samvatsari” is the last day of Paryushan for us Shwetambar Jains. The Samvatasarik Pratikraman – a 3 to 4 hour event is a big deal for Jains all over the world. And even those who hardly follow any Jain stuff, will try to do this Pratikraman. This Pratikraman is an event where formal forgiveness is […]
Jainism
Where’s the Devi in Jainism?
As Navratri passes by once again, I find myself pondering on the Devi. It has been happening quite often. I find myself a bit flummoxed with the Devi. And I am realising it is a more deeply rooted matter than mere pondering. I can’t quite grasp it. And yet it is there. As I wondered […]
मिथ्या मे दुष्कृतं : Michchami Dukkadam : Bringing Humility to my Actions
I was going through an English explanation/meaning of the Jain rituals like the Pratikraman. I have hugely propounded always that we should delve into the actual meaning of words and scriptures. And so I am always encouraging (pushing) my Jain relatives to delve into the actual meaning of the scriptures which they hold in high […]
Vir Samvat and Vikram Samvat – Traditional Indian Calendars
Vikram and Vir Samvat (samvat means ‘era’) are two traditional Indian calendars. In 2016, I decided to shift my personal year-end reckoning to these Indian calendars. Because it has a whole cultural and traditional net around it, making it a very useful tool to make life more meaningful. And also, I was delving into the […]
Acts of Merit, पुण्य : Offering Support To Other Spiritual Seekers
Acts that gain you merit or पुण्य. Earlier I wrote about Karma Yoga and doing work such that it becomes a way to enlightenment. Part of this are acts conducted to spread the word about a spiritual path. These acts could inspire others to take a look at this path and also support a person walking this […]
Jain Diet & Compassion
In Mumbai the Jain community is pretty well known. Large number of restaurants are pure vegetarian and commonly provide dishes without onion, garlic and potato. When I am traveling I find a lot of people aren’t aware of the Jain diet. Here, Jain Diet [For the folks that don’t know anything about Jains – they […]