Paryushan is celebrated for self‑purification and returning to the path of right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. It is the most sacred annual festival for focusing on inner change rather than outer rituals.

Main purposes

• To reduce and remove karmas through fasting, restraint, and repentance.
• To practice ahimsa (non‑violence) in thought, word, and deed.
• To do pratikraman: confessing and repenting for faults committed knowingly or unknowingly.
• To deepen svādhyāy (study of scriptures), dhyān (meditation), and jap (chanting of Namokar Mantra).
• To cultivate kshamā (forgiveness) and universal friendship, ending with asking and granting forgiveness: “Michhami Dukkadam.”

Key observances

• Daily pratikraman and special Samvatsari Pratikraman (annual atonement).
• Fasting (from ayambil to upavās/attham/aththai/masakshaman as per one’s capacity).
• Giving up passions (krodh, mān, māyā, lobh) and practicing humility and truth.
• Donating, serving monks/nuns, and caring for all living beings.

Two traditions

• Shwetāmbara: Paryushan lasts 8 days, culminating in Samvatsari, the great day of forgiveness.
• Digambara: Das‑Lakshan Parva lasts 10 days, focusing each day on one supreme virtue: Uttam Kshamā (forgiveness), Mardav, Ārjav, Shauch, Satya, Sanyam, Tap, Tyāg, Ākinchan, and Brahmacharya. Forgiveness (Kshamā‑Vāṇī) is emphasized at the end.

Meaning of “Paryushan”

• “Pari” + “Ushan” means “to stay close to” or “to come together” within the Self—turning inward, restraining the senses, and settling the mind.

Essence

• We celebrate Paryushan to purify the soul, repair relationships through forgiveness, and strengthen the resolve to live by Jain dharma for the entire year. Michhami Dukkadam to all.