Rishabhdev’s message of forgiveness: The timeless path to inner peace and karmic freedom

Rishabhdev, the first Jain tirthankar, gave us the mool mantra of living a peaceful and happy life. Rishabhdev preached that under the influence of krodh, anger; maan, ego; maya, deceit; and lobh, greed - the biggest enemies of the soul - we develop feelings of raag, attachment, and dvesh, aversion, and get bound to the karmic particles.

As a result, we can be reborn into one of the four gatis, destinies: human beings, celestial beings, tiryancha beings - animals and birds - and infernal beings - those living in hell, continuously suffering, and sometimes even as nigod, invisible beings. Rishabhdev prescribed that to enjoy inner bliss and to be free from karmic bondage, one should adopt kshama dharma - forgiveness.

Ever since, Jains all over the world celebrate Paryushan Parva, starting from the 5th day of the Bhadrapada Shukla, till Purnima, full moon day, every year. The festival denotes 10 facets of dharma, qualities every soul possesses. They are kshama, forgiveness; maardav, humility; arjav, straightforwardness; shauch, cleanliness; satya, truth; sanyam, self-restraint; tapas, penance; tyag, renunciation; akinchana, non-attachment; and brahmacharya, celibacy.


The Western world, taking a cue from the teachings of the preceptor, organises workshops on kshama dharma, achieving remarkable results. Most of the participants report significant improvement in their blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels.

Kshama lies deep within our soul. It works like a panacea to wash off all inner evils and cleanse our souls.