Karnal, October 21: The 2551st Nirvana festival of Lord Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism, was celebrated with great devotion and enthusiasm today. Religious programs were organized at various Jain temples and shrines across the city. The main events were held at the Jain shrine in Sector 14 and the Digambar Jain temple.
Nirvana laddus were offered at the Digambar Jain temple, and religious rituals began in the morning. Children from Jain schools created beautiful posters about Diwali and Nirvana festival, which were later awarded.
During the program, several dignitaries, including Biresh Jain, SC Jain, Nirdosh Jain, Ajay Jain, Rakesh Jain, Dinesh Jain, and SK Jain, expressed their views.
A special program was also held at the Jain Sthanak in Sector 14, where Jain Sadhvi Dr. Sarita Ji Maharaj informed the audience about the significance of Diwali and Lord Mahavira's Nirvana Day.
She said that Jains celebrate the Nirvana festival like Diwali, because it was on this day that Lord Mahavira attained salvation. The gods and Gandharvas lit lamps in the sky at that time, and this tradition is the origin of the Diwali festival.
She explained that the Veer Samvat calculations begin from this day, and this year marks the 2051st Veer Samvat. The Jain Samvat is considered the oldest in the world. The new year begins on Diwali, and the business community exchanges their accounts.
Sadhvi Dr. Sarita Ji said that Lord Mahavira preached the five great vows, which Mahatma Gandhi later adopted as the Panchsheel principle. She said that if the world follows the path shown by Lord Mahavira, peace and brotherhood can be established in the world.
She also told that on the day of Diwali, Gautam Swami, the first Ganadhar of Lord Mahavira, attained Keval Gyan. Sadhvi Ji said that scientist Einstein was also influenced by Jain philosophy because Jainism gives a profound definition of science.
She said that principles like the theory of relativity, atom-molecule, conservation of energy, birth-rebirth, soul-God, moving-immoving creatures and microscopic creatures are already described in Jainism.