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Samani Parimal Pragya | Samani Vikas Pragya |
JVB Houston recently celebrated the Akshaya Tritiya festival on May 12th, 2013. Followers of the Jain religion consider Akshaya Tritiya to be a holy and supremely auspicious day. It is associated with Lord Adinatha, also known as Rishabadeva, first of the twenty-four Tīrthankaras. The Day of Akshaya Tritiya is worshipped and said to be auspicious in Jainism because it is the day when Rishabhadeva concluded his year long fasting by accepting ikshu-ras (sugarcane juice) from his great grandson Shreyansha Kumar. It is said that the people were primitive and illiterate at his time and he taught people agriculture, family, administration, cooking, and more (total 72 arts for men and 64 arts for women).
Celebrations kicked off by an amazing performance by a group of young kids who danced to the tunes of a beautiful song summarizing their behavior at the temple. The highlight of the day was Rishab Magic Show that beautifully depicted the entire life of Rishabhadeva. Great performances by the entire cast, brilliant script and direction, and the accompanying special effects mesmerized the audience throughout the show. This skit set the stage for Samaniji Parimal Pragyagi’s Pravachan that focused on Bhagvan Rishabhdeva’s life and how he introduced the various tenets of civilization such as Food management, family management, politics, and administration and so on.
The prime event of the day was saved for the last to honor and felicitate the noble people who went through the rigor of Varsitapa and concluded the austerity by taking ikshu-ras. Varsitapa means fasting for one day followed by parana (conclude the fast) and repeating the cycle for the duration of the year. Smt. Pistabai Jain concluded her 10-year Varsitapa by accepting sugarcane juice from everyone present at the event. Audience was blessed to get this opportunity to do “Anumodhna” (serve ikshu -ras) to Pistabai who is visiting her son Ashok Jain here in Houston. Preeti Mehta who concluded her 1-year varsitapa also inspired the young audience to embrace and follow penance.
- Click here to see more Pictures from the Event
Upcoming Events:
- Monthly Preksha Meditation Workshop - Saturday June 8th, 2013; 9 AM - 1 PM (Register)
- Professional Event for Young Adults - Saturday June 8th, 2013; 4 PM - 6 PM (RSVP: 281.650.4782 or 281-575-0575)
- Sunday Discourses - Sunday June 9th & June 23rd 2013; 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
- Workshop on Pulmonary Issues with Dr. Ajay Jain, MD - Sunday June 9th, 2013; 3 PM - 4:30 PM