Editor Carla Geerdes
Paryushan lectures of Samanijis are started and completed with recitations of prayers and auspicious mantras. Recitation of Namokar Mahamantra is done with great devotion, and people are enjoying its in-group recitation under the guidance of Samanijis Pratibha & Punya Pragya. “This gives me a lot of energy, and helps me to focus my concentration on the self, so I can realise the festival of Paryushan properly, for it is the festival when we all should be focussed on the soul, and step out for eight days from worldly life, if possible,” as someone had put it.
For Paryushan 2005, Samani Pratibha Pragya (left) started a series of lectures from Kalpa Sutra. In Kalpa Sutra are described the life stories of Lord Mahavira, Lord Neminath, Lord Rishabha, and other Tirthankaras, further those of famous Jain Acharyas. Samani Pratibha Pragya has chosen to bring the life story of the first Tirthankara, Lord Rishabha, near to the people. Her morning lectures are given in Gujarati language.
“Everybody is listening during Paryushan to the life story of Lord Mahavira,” she states, “ This is rather well known to most of the listeners. I decided to read that of Lord Rishabha, to add some new details from the life of a Tirthankara to the people's mind. I am happy, that people appreciate it.” As people know that the author of this article is not able to follow Gujarati, they told me, that it is very easy to follow her lectures, and that one is getting a lot of inspiration from her often humoristic interpretations, as proved by the face expression of Samani Punya Pragya (right)…
Samani Punya Pragya is connecting everybody with his own inner reality by chanting mantras in her wonderful voice. All listeners experience spiritual upliftment, and when both Samanijis chant Slokas and Yappas together with the audience, one feels connected to oneself as well as to the higher reality in an inspiring session of meditation.
Samani Pratibha Pragya was offering the book ‘Mahavira's Scripture Of Health' to this devotee who had completed three days of whole fast on Saturday. This three days fast is done quite often by members of the Jain community in memory of Chandanbala, the first Jain nun.
On Samvatsari, last day of Paryushan, everybody will observe complete fast, and take water only from sunrise to sunset, whereas Munishrees, Sadhvishrees, and Samanijis will even not take water on this day.