Bakersfield.com

One of the most important festivals in Jainism — as well as in Hinduism and Sikhism — is Diwali, the Festival of Lights.

On Diwali Day, which this year falls on Oct. 28, Lord Mahavir attained Nirvana, liberation from the cycle of life and death.

Lord Mahavir was the 24th and most recent Tirthankar — a person who establishes a religious order.

He lived from 599 to 527 B.C., and it is impossible to separate his story from the story of Diwali.

Conqueror of inner enemies

Mahavir was the son of King Siddhartha and Queen Trishladevi of Kundalpul, Bihar, in the eastern part of India.

From the time Queen Trishladevi became pregnant, the prosperity of the land began to increase, so the child was named Vardhman, “the one with increased prosperity.”

Vardhman was a very bright student and a very brave person. He married a beautiful princess, Yashoda, and had a daughter named Priyadarshana.

Despite all his princely comforts, Vardhman wanted to become a monk. After his parents died, he gave away all his belongings and lived a very simple life, righteously and selflessly. He was 28 when he became a monk.

For the next 12 1/2 years, he went through spiritual apprenticeship. During this time, he faced a lot of hardships but did so bravely and with self-control because he was aware that many of these spiritual toils were the result of his bad Karmas in previous lives.
At the end of his apprenticeship, he was able to conquer his inner enemies —  anger, ego, deceit, desire and pride — and attain perfect knowledge and self realization.

He was 42 when he became the 24th Tirthankar of Jainism. It was then that he received the name Mahavir, which means “the great conqueror of inner enemies.”

For the next 30 years, Lord Mahavir travelled to distant places and delivered the message of Jainism, particularly the message of non-violence and of the value of life inherent in all living beings. He spent the last two days of his life meditating and delivering his final sermon, which lasted for 48 hours. Upon death, he attained Nirvana.

Diwali

The day Lord Mahavir’s life came to an end, people realized that the light of knowledge had been extinguished  forever from the surface of the earth and that darkness had prevailed.

But the people didn’t want to give up the light, so they took clay lamps, filled them with scented oil and lit them in their homes, temples  and public places to drive away the darkness of ignorance. Jains called it Diwali, the Festival of Lights.

Jains celebrate their religious holidays by fasting, worshiping, recitation of sacred texts, holding religious discourses and almsgiving.

We wish a very happy Diwali and a prosperous new year to all.

Gita Doshi is a local member of Bakersfield’s Jain community. She is of Indian descent and was born in Nairobi, Kenya. Doshi is a homemaker who has lived in Bakersfield since 1982.

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Go & Do
Celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights
Hindu Community Celebration
When: 9 a.m. to noon and 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Hindu Temple of Kern County, 6700 Valleyview Drive in northeast Bakersfield
Information: 872-9396.

Jain Community Celebration
As the Jain community in Bakersfield is small, there is no Derasar — official place of worship. Local Jains sometimes attend the Hindu Temple, but they also hold a Diwali celebration at the home of a Jain member. For information, contact contributing writer Gita Doshi at gitadoshi@hotmail.com.