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Spiritual search

World is a giant cage and the upasaks are engaged in an inspiring struggle to break free, says P. Sujatha Varma

SPEAKING RIGHT Neelesh and Ketan Shah PHOTO: RAJU.

Abhay Siddhanth did not eat a morsel of food for three days in a row. The boy was not only unrelenting to repeated pleas of his father but also managed to persuade the latter to join him in the penitence.

If you're eager to conclude that Abhay must have gulped mugs of fresh juice and other fluids to suppress hunger, pause at once. For, the boy survived only on warm water during the three-day Attham Tap, an essential principle of the eight-day long Paryushan Parv (Instrospection) indulged in annually by the Jain community.

The rumination period makes it mandatory for the observers to consume only methodically boiled and cooled water, strictly between 9 am and 6 pm.

It is amazing to see an eight-year-old boy voluntarily choosing to resist the urge to linger on to small luxuries that most often become an obsession. Unfolding his brand new avatar before his parents by declaring that he would observe Attham Tap, he took everyone by surprise. "He refuses to eat cakes and ice-creams after listening to Guruji's pravachan. Catching them young is necessary to advocate simplicity, a life devoid of ostentation," says his mother, Poonam.

Cleansing the soul

Jainism is a constant struggle of those embedded into the system to overpower human weaknesses. It is the effort and subsequent victory of the Jain monks over passion and bodily senses.

The victory is necessary for the complete purity of soul, which is the religious goal in the Jain system. Deriving its name from the Sanskrit ji which means `to conquer', this religion has survived in India for almost 2,500 years.

The first Tirthankar Rsabha is the founder of Jainism, but very little is known of him. The real historic founder was Mahavira, a contemporary of King Siddhartha or Buddha.

Paryavashan Parv that concluded on Thursday calls for imposition of self-discipline. Of the nearly 800 Jain families in the city, at least 350 members observed fasting and Siddhanth was the youngest of all.

SPIRITUAL WALK Participation in Paryushan Parv is essential PHOTO: CH.VIJAYA BHASKAR

Since the rules are tough and insist on strict adherence, a team of eight Shramanopasaks from Tapovan Samskar Kendra near Ahmedabad, descended on the city to guide the community on how to go about the rituals.

It is a period they allot for themselves to move closer to divinity under supervision of shramanopasaks. Ketan Bhai Shah, assisted by Neelesh Mehta, are the shramopasaks set out on a mission to influence the youth to take to the path of compassion and forgiveness.

The parv is based on five main tenets of Amaari (non-violence to the extreme extent), sadharmik bhakti (helping and uplifting people around), Attham Tap (three-day fasting to develop a habit of detachment to worldly pleasures), Kshamaapan (forgiveness) and Chaitya Paripati (visiting temple with pomp and gaiety).

"This is just to remind oneself that the greatest of all is the Almighty," explains Ketan Bhai.

At a young age of 32, he has already attended 19 parvs across the country. "There is a dire need for youngsters to take on the mantle and prevent their brethren from going astray. We have the advantage of being able to strike an immediate cord and put across our message more profoundly. Despite the growing avariciousness, I see a glimmer of hope in the youth. They are gifted enough to usher in a revolutionary change," says he.

Ketan Bhai has befriended many in the city and firmly believes that where trust and respect co-exist, strangers turn friends and friends, soul mates.

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