PARYUSHAN PARV

Hello!
As I promised a day earlier, Now I would give all my non-Jain friends an insight to Paryushan Parv.
NOTE: THIS IS EXCLUSIVE MY VIEWPOINT ABOUT THE FESITIVAL. NO INTENTION OF HURTING RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS,WHATSOEVER.
Well,
Some call this Paryushan but I would call it "DASLAKSHAN PARV".

The Jain community like other communities throughout the world celebrates many social and religious functions annually. The superb Jain festival popularly known as ‘Paryushan Parva’ organized every year in the auspicious month ‘Bhadrapad’ of the Hindu calendar extends from the fifth day to fourteenth day of the bright fortnight. The festival ordains the Jains to observe the ten universal supreme virtues in daily practical life. Besides assuring a blissful existence in this world and the other world for every living being, it aims at the attainment of salvation - the supreme ideal for mundane soul.
The non-Jains also express high reverence for this Jain festival. All members of Jain community- high and low, young and old, and males and females, participate with full vigor and zeal in the various religious rituals and cultural programs. They listen with rapt attention to the holy sermons of the saints and learned Jain scholars arranged during the ten-day festival. In these celebrations lie dormant the seeds of the well being, peace and happiness of the common man. On the eve of this festival all activities, which add to social discord or bitterness are declared taboo from the temple pulpits. These celebrations harbinger social harmony and amity and preach the lofty Jain motto ‘Live and Let live’.
This is a ten day festival, celebrated by the Jains worldwide. the ten days include:
1.UTTAM ARJAV
2.UTTAM MARDHAV
3.UTTAM KSHAMA
4.UTTAM SHAUCH
5.UTTAM SATYA
6.UTTAM TAP
7.UTTAM TYAGYA
8.UTTAM BRAHMACHARYA
9.UTTAM AKINCHAN
10.UTTAM SAYAM.
These are the names of the ten days.(I have written them in random fashion.).
As the name suggests, each day comes up with a new motto, a new thought.
Many people keep fasts for these 10 days and live only on boiled water.
Others if not doing the same , (like me), donot eat Onions,patatoes and all underground veggies.
We eat as early by 7 p.m. followed by milk at night.Then go to the temple, listen to the pravachans by the respectable ppl of our caste. Also, various cultural programmes are arranged in the temple. We meet all our friends and all of us together do 'bhajans' and 'aarti'.
It's during this time, I really feel close to GOD.
I feel as if no matter what may happen, I have GOD to look upon me. We all bond with HIM during these 10 days.
It's time that we all SPIRITUALLY awaken and try and add any of those elements in our life.
This is all for now.
Till the next post, U all (like me) bond with GOD in any form you wish, in your own special way and show HIM that YOU are HIS wonderful creation.
At the last, I would like to share this beautiful quote, (I read a few second back) with you,

There is no separate existence of God. Everybody can attain God-hood by making supreme efforts in the right direction