Kesar pūjā (worship with saffron paste) is done for several beautiful and deep Jain reasons:

1. Pavitrata (Purity)

- Kesar is naturally very pure, fragrant, and precious. - When we apply kesar on Bhagwan’s idol, we are symbolically offering our pure and fragrant (sadbhaav) inner feelings.

1. Tyāg & Shraddhā (Sacrifice and Devotion)

- Kesar is costly and not a basic necessity of life. - Offering something precious reminds us that Bhagwan is highest in our life and worldly things are secondary. - It creates a feeling of tyāg (letting go of attachment) and deep bhakti.

1. Saumyatā & Shānti (Gentleness and Peace)

- The soft color and fragrance of kesar represent calmness, simplicity, and peace. - By doing kesar pūjā, we pray that our krodh, mān, māyā, lobh (anger, pride, deceit, greed) become soft and disappear, and our nature becomes gentle like Bhagwan.

1. Sharir se nahi, Bhāv se Pūjā (Inner worship)

- Real worship in Jainism is bhāv-pūjā (inner attitude), not only dravya-pūjā (material). - Kesar is only a medium to express: - “Hey Bhagwan, may my heart become as pure as this kesar.” - “May my life spread fragrance of good conduct like this kesar’s fragrance.”

1. Saṃskār & Smaraṇ (Good impressions & remembrance)

- Regular kesar pūjā creates a habit of: - going near Bhagwan daily, - bowing with humility, - remembering His guṇ (virtues). - This slowly changes our chitta (mind) towards dharma, ahimsā and samyak darshan–gyān–chāritra.

1. Tradition in Different Sects

- Shvetāmbara: Kesar is commonly used in daily pūjā, abhiṣek, special pūjās, yantras, swastik, tilak, etc. - Digambara: Focus is more on abhishek, jal, dravya & bhāv-pūjā; in some places kesar is used, in some mainly chandan or other dravyas. - In both, the main purpose remains the same: respect, purity and inner upliftment, not decoration or show.

In short: We do kesar pūjā because kesar is a symbol of purity, sacrifice, peace and fragrance of good virtues. By offering it to Bhagwan, we pray that such qualities awaken in us and we move closer to moksha.