पर्युषण : प्रेम और सहअस्तित्व का प्रशिक्षण
Summary
The text discusses Paryushan, an eight-day Jain festival, as a training ground for non-violence, love, and coexistence. It argues that such spiritual festivals should be celebrated globally to establish values like non-violence and compassion, envisioning a peaceful world. A superior society and nation are built on citizens possessing truthfulness, honesty, brotherhood, simplicity, and self-control. Paryushan provides collective practice for developing these qualities. The text criticizes modern society for forgetting a culture of vows and embracing a culture of bombs, where violence, terror, and hatred have disfigured humanity. Consumerism and a convenience-oriented mindset have made people cruel, leading to environmental imbalance through the exploitation of natural resources. Paryushan counters this by promoting awareness of the environment and balance. The festival is described as a spiritual session for returning to one's true self, moving away from external attachments. Over eight days, practitioners engage in fasting, dietary restraint, silence, study, meditation, and developing friendship. The final day, Samvatsari, is the core of Paryushan, dedicated to introspection, reviewing the year's shortcomings, and seeking forgiveness through the practice of *khamatkhamana*—a mutual exchange of forgiveness to resolve conflicts and purify relationships. This process is presented as a form of spiritual therapy for mental, physical, and emotional ailments. The text concludes that Paryushan is not merely a tradition but a comprehensive life philosophy and a workshop for living an elevated, disciplined, and non-violent life, deserving national and universal recognition.
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Conclusion
The document underscores that Paryushan is not merely a religious ritual but a vital training ground for cultivating non-violence, love, and coexistence, essential for a peaceful society and a war-free world. Its practical outcomes include fostering superior citizens through values like truthfulness, forgiveness, and emotional unity, directly countering the violence, consumerism, and environmental neglect plaguing modern life. The festival’s unique practice of *khamatkhamana* (mutual forgiveness) serves as a therapeutic tool for resolving interpersonal conflicts and mental stress, promoting social harmony. Ultimately, the text argues for Paryushan’s universal recognition as a national festival, emphasizing its role in building a compassionate, disciplined, and spiritually aware global community, thereby offering a transformative solution to contemporary crises of hatred and existential insecurity.