''Saṃvatsari'' () (lit. Annual Day or fig. Forgiveness Day) is the last day of '' Paryushana'' according to the

Śvetāmbara The Śvetāmbara (; also spelled Shwetambara, Shvetambara, Svetambara or Swetambara) is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the Digambara. ''Śvetāmbara'' in Sanskrit means "white-clad", and refers to its ascetics' practi ...

sect of

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

. It falls on Shukla Choth each year in the Jain calendar month of Bhadrapada, somewhere between the middle of August and September in the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

. On this day, Jains forgive and seek

forgiveness Forgiveness, in a psychology, psychological sense, is the intentional and voluntary process by which one who may have felt initially wronged, victimized, harmed, or hurt goes through a process of changing feelings and attitude regarding a given ...

for their mistakes committed, knowingly or unknowingly, on all the living beings. A yearly, elaborate penitential retreat called "''samvatsari pratikramana''" is performed on this day. After the ''pratikramana'', Jains seek forgiveness from all the creatures of the world, including friends and relatives by uttering the phrase — '' Micchami Dukkadam'' or its variants like "Khamau Sa", "Uttam Kshama" or "Khamat Khamna".

Etymology

Samvatsari is derived Sanskrit language. '' Samvatsara'' refers to a "year" in Vedic literature such as the ''

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...

'' and other ancient texts. Thus, Samvatsari literally refers to a day that comes annually.

Customs and Traditions

As a matter of ritual, they personally greet their friends and relatives Micchami Dukkadam. No private quarrel or dispute may be carried beyond Saṃvatsarī and messages, telephone calls are made to the outstation friends and relatives asking their forgiveness. Being the holiest day of the Jain calendar, many Jains observe a complete fast on this day.

''Samvatsari'' and ''Kshamavani''

While ''Samvatsari'' and '' Kshamavani'' are typically associated with

sect and

Digambara ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major Jain schools and branches, schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic pract ...

respectively, there is no major difference between the two days and both are observed as Forgiveness Days. Rather, the two are usually used interchangeably. However, a major difference between the two is that despite both ''Samvatsari'' and ''Kshamavani'' falling on the last day of Paryushan, they are in fact two different days. This is because the Paryushan festival for the two sects itself commences on different dates and is of varying duration. As a result, while Samvatsari is observed on Shukla Chaturthi of Bhadrapada month by the

s, the

s celebrate it on the first day of '' Ashvin Krishna'' month of the lunar-based Jain calendar.

References

Jain festivals Festivals in India Jain practices {{Jainism-stub

Etymology

Customs and Traditions

''Samvatsari'' and ''Kshamavani''

See also

References