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All
the Jains celebrate the festival of Diwali with joy. Diwali or Deepawali is the most important festival in India. For the Jains, it
is the second most important festival after the Paryusana Parva. Diwali marks the
anniversary of Bhagavan Mahavir's moksha.
Diwali festival was first time mentioned
in Harivamsha-Purana written by Acharya Jinasena, in 783AD.
Acharya Jinasena mentions that Bhagavan Mahavira, attained nirvana
at Pavapuri in the month of Kartika,
Krashna paksh, during swati nakshatra, at the time of dawn.
In Harivamsha-Purana sloka 19 and in sloka 20 he writes
jvalatpradiipaalikayaa
pravraddhyaa
suraasuraih dipitayaa
pradiiptayaa|
tadaa sma
paavaanagarii samantatah
pradipitaakaashatalaa
prakashate| 19|
tatastuh lokah prativarsham-aadarat
prasiddha-deepalikaya-aatra
bharate |
samudyatah poojayitum
jineshvaram
jinendra-nirvana
vibhuti-bhaktibhak |20 | |
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ततस्तुः
लोकः
प्रतिवर्षमादरत्
प्रसिद्धदीपलिकयात्र
भारते |
समुद्यतः
पूजयितुं
जिनेश्वरं
जिनेन्द्र-निर्वाण
विभूति-भक्तिभाक्
|२० |
The
gods illuminated Pavanagari by lamps to mark the occasion. Since
that time the people of Bharat celebrate the famous festival
of "Dipalika" to worship the Jinendra on the
occasion of his nirvana.
In
Uttara-puraana written by Acharya GunBhadra (7th or 8th century) it
is mentioned that in
the month of Kartika, krashna paksha, svati nakshatra and on the
night of the 14th (dawn of the amavasya), lord
Mahavira became a Siddha (attained nirvana).
An
ancient mention of Lord Mahavira's nirvana and lightening of
lamps occurs in
Kalpasutra of BhadraBahu, v. 123, "When Lord Mahavira came to
Madhyam Pava for his last varshavas, it was the fourth month of the
rainy season, seventh paksha, and
krashna of kartik. It was then the last day of krashna of
kartik. That night Lord
Mahavira attained nirvana." Kalpasutra mentions that due to the
presense of gods, the night was
illuminated. It further says "that On the amavasya
night, 16 gana-kings, 9 Malla and 9 Lichchhavi, of
Kasi and Kosal, illuminted their doors. They said: "The
light of knowledge
is gone, we will make light of ordinary matter".
Bhagavan
Mahavira discarded the body and the
bondage of all Karmas on that night of Diwali, at Pavapuri and attained Mukti
or deliverance. Thus
we have been celebrating Diwali with lights since the nirvana of
Lord Mahavira.
It
is celebrated with with a special worship the next
morning. In the early morning after the day of Diwali, Ganadhar Gautam Swami, the first disciple of Lord Mahavira
attained absolute enlightenment. This could be another probable cause for celebrating the Diwali as the festivals of lights.
The new Jain year, Vira-Nirvana-Samvat
2534 begins right after this Diwali. This Year Diwali is on
21st October 2006. The Vikrama Samvat in Gujarat starts from Diwali. Thus the new
(Kartikadi) Vikrma Samvat 2064 will start in Gujarat.
Divali
is also important for Jains as it marks the beginning of their new
year. All business accounts of the previous year are settled and new
account books are started.
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