Paryushan is an 8 day festival in Jainism observed around August and September, depending on the lunar calendar. The word Paryushan has several meanings; Pari means all kinds and Ushan means to burn, so one meaning is to burn all kinds of karma. Another meaning of Paryushan is to get closer to one’s soul, through introspection, meditation, and austerities. Das Lakshan, meanwhile, is a 10 day festival that occurs directly after Paryushan. Its name references the ten virtues that are celebrated during each day of the holiday.

Overall, Paryushan is a time in which Jains try to reduce their involvement with worldly affairs like shopping, socializing, entertainment, and eating out. Instead, a Jain is supposed to spend the time focusing inward on their own soul, reflecting on their habits and actions and affirming their commitments to Jain principles. The final day of Paryushan, and the beginning of Das Lakshan, centers on forgiveness and is the day all Jains are asked to do Samvatsari Pratikraman.

This year, Paryushan begins on Friday August 18th, and Das Lakshan begins on Saturday August 26th. During these important days, YJA will be posting on its Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapstory with information about these days and ideas for practicing Jainism on those days, especially for those of you who are not near temples or may be just starting college and have moved away from home. The first three days of Paryushan, we will focus on the 3 A’s, Jainism’s most fundamental principles. For the last five days, we will highlight the 5 essentials of Paryushan and ideas for ways that each of us can practice them. During Das Lakshana, each day we will focus on that day’s associated virtue or Yati Dharma and give ideas related to that.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email [email protected]. We hope this content is useful and informative, and helps you find meaning and value in this most important of Jain festivals!

Micchami Dukkadam!