Shree Jain Svetamber Derawasi Sangh Mombasa
e-Newsletter
July 2015
Jai Jinendra & Pranaam Welcome to the second e-Newsletter from the Sangh. The month of June was a busy one for the Derasar - Bhandar counting, Pathshala children’s Skits and Dance show and the annual cleaning of the Derasar ( Shuddi Karan). We have received some feedback from readers of the June issue. “”My Heartiest Congratulations to the entire committee in bringing out such a beautiful newsletter. It has been done very professionally and the layout is brilliant. Keep up the good work you are doing and God Bless you All! “” “”Congratulations to all those responsible on this phenomenal progress. It was very interesting to go through the enewsletter.”” “”I have read the first e Newsletter prepared by the Shree Jain Svetambar Derawasi Sangh Mombasa and have to state that it is an excellent piece of work . It contains the right amount of information on activities undertaken by the Sangh interspersed with Jain quotations and answers to tricky questions as well providing details of programmes to come . Congratulations are in order for those whose efforts made this possible .””
We are looking for members to be part of the editorial team to ensure continuity of this newsletter and to publish a wide range of articles. If you would like to join the editorial team than please forward your name and contact to Sangh office in writing or by email to mombasajains@gmail.com. We would like to thank Dr Harshadbhai Sanghrajka for giving detail replies to questions posed by readers. Please continue to send us more questions and he will answer them to the best of his knowledge. All views expressed in the articles are those of the writers and not necessarily of the Sangh. Editorial Team.
INDEX “Know Basics of your Religion” Retreat Page 2
Reader’s Question & Answer
Page 5,6
Pathshala Classes
Page 3
Ego Vs Soul
Page 6
Why Jains can eat Dried Ginger
Page 3
Skits & Dance Show
Pages 7,8,9,10,11
Newsletter Name Suggestions
Page 3
M M Shah & M V Shah Academy
Page 12
Shuddi Karan in Pictures
Page 4
Scholarship Program
Page 13
Tirth article in Gujarati
Page 4
August Calendar
Page 14
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A “ Know Basics of your Religion” retreat has been organized for young adults from 15 to 24 years ( slightly younger and older will be considered). The aim is to acquaint young adults with basics of Jain Philosophy so that they are able to make informed and intelligent decisions on it’s application when they venture abroad for further studies or start their careers. Modern life comes with stresses of work/life balance, materialism, a peer group expectation for all to live a high standard of living, high pressure to do well in exams and at work place, increase in white collar crime, opportunity to be extremely wasteful due to availability of things. At times this leads to unhappy families, involvement in wrong doing to ‘keep up with the Jones’s’ and environment degradation.
This retreat hopes to equip our children with basic knowledge of our religion which would be very useful to overcome the above. The rate of 6,000/= is for one night / two days retreat at Bamburi Beach Hotel with all meals and accommodation. The retreat will be in a seminar room plus there will be time for fun including swimming, gym, beach walks and a fashion styling demonstration by Nipun Shah. We hope that young adults themselves will register for this retreat. However, parents can nudge them into registering. The money can be paid to the Sangh office or to Ajul Shah—a receipt will be issued by the Sangh.
Kindly register by 31 July to enable bookings with the hotel. 2 SJSDS Newsletter July 2015
Regular Pathshala Classes The Saturday Pathshala classes at Oshwal Academy will resume on Saturday 29th August 2015.
New Entrants : New entrants aged between 4 1/2 to 6 years are only taken at beginning of the term and so parents interested in sending their children should send details of their child ie Name and age to liljains@gmail.com by 31th July 2015.
ANSWER TIME Why can Jains eat dried GINGER although it is grown underground ? Root vegetables are anantkaya meaning they have infinite souls in one body. Hence consuming root vegetables destroys infinite souls. In addition, removing the root vegetable kills the whole plant. Removing green vegetables and fruit does not kill the plant and they are one soul/body. Yet again, the soil which is disturbed contains other mobile life which is disturbed, scared and made to run for life giving them pain. Since root vegetable grow without access to sunlight, their nutritional value is limited in most cases. Root vegetables can be classified into two: 1.
Which start growing when exposed like potatoes;
2.
Those which start drying up and get fibres when exposed like ginger and turmeric. When there are fibres in ginger, it is considered to be acheta i.e. lifeless, and hence is used.
There are two different items to consider: 1.
Aadu ie fresh ginger : This can be used by shravaks only. The fresh ginger should have fibres in it as that proves it to be lifeless/achet. Sadhus and strict Jains do not use fresh ginger in any form.
2.
Soonth ie dry ginger : This can be used by shravaks, usually in powder form. Sadhus can only use it as AUSHADH/ayurvedic medicine.
The above reply is from Dr Harshadbhai Sanghrajka . He has given this answer to the best of his knowledge.
Suggestions for name of Newsletter Many suggestions for name of the newsletter were received :
Su Prabhat Dharma Ashtha
Jainam Siddhi Dharma Shasan
Jai ho Jain Darshan
Jain Jagruti Atma Chitan
Dharma Saurabh e-Anekantavada
We thank the contributors for the suggestions. However, the editorial team decided to leave the name as “e-Newsletter� to keep it simple.
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Shuddi Karan Sunday 28th June 2015 As a preparation for Paryushan, devotees do a “spring clean� of the Derasar itself. It is our duty to ensure it is in spic and span state for our biggest festival, Paryushan. This spring cleaning exercise is called Shuddhi Karan. The event went well with nearly 35 people turning up to help, including some children too. It was good to see our bhaviko applying a lot of elbow grease in scrubbing clean the Derasar and various brass items.
This was followed by lunch at Derasar for all those who came to help, courtesy of Mr Bhogiebhai Doshi.
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Questions asked to Dr Harshadbhai Sanghrajka and his replies : How can I believe in the concept/existence of God (in our case this would be Tirthankars which are the next best to being called God)? What tangible proof can be provided to me to this effect? Response: Clarification on the definition of ‘God’: In the monotheistic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism, the belief is in one God who is the creator of the universe and controls everything that happens therein. In the pantheistic Hindu religion the belief is in many gods but still the creation, maintenance and destruction for recreation is assigned to gods. In the Shramanik traditions: Jainism and Buddhism, there is no belief in a creator god. In Jainism, we treat Tirthankars as gods. That is why we have derasar ji, pratima ji and pooja. However they are supreme by the purity of their soul rather than by being the creator of or in control of the universe. The statement that Tirthankars ‘are the next best to being called God’ is therefore inaccurate. We do call them BHAGAVAN. Contemplation on existence of Tirthankars: Let us take the case of the last Tirthankara, Mahavir Svami. He is accepted as a historical person by scholars of Jainism in all countries. History is that information which relates to the past, to that which no longer exists. That which no longer exists can only be defined by people who have personal experience of such things. When our parents tell us about our grand-parents, they have personal experience and hence are qualified to describe the grand-parents. We accept this as a fact and we tell our children about their great-grandparents. Similarly, the personal knowledge of Mahavir was with his first disciples, Ganadhars. The fifth disciple, Sudharma took the seat when Mahavir attained Moksha. He recited his experiences with Mahavir to his disciple Jambu. This is evident from our scriptures in which lessons usually start with the quotation: “O long-lived (Gambûsvâmin 4)! I (Sudharman) have heard the following discourse from the venerable (Mahâvîra): (1)” This is the opening in Acharanga Sutra. This information was passed from teacher to disciple through a lineage of disciples who assumed the seat of Mahavir. The sixth in line, Bhadrabahu Svami, created Kalpa Sutra which is an important text in Jain Agams/scriptures. This contains the life story of Mahavir in full detail. This is accepted as genuine history. This scripture is available in English translation by Hermann Jacobi [1884] and is accepted as a historical text by universities teaching Jainism or Religion/Philosophy courses. www.sacred-texts.com/jai/sbe22/ sbe2281.htm One section of this scripture, called sthaviravali, defines the genealogy starting from Mahavir with historical lineage. www.sacred-texts.com/jai/sbe22/sbe2290.htm
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An organigram exists at a small memorial in Jetpur, near Junagadh, which is dedicated to one Tapasviji Maharaj Saheb which starts from Mahavir and links to current acharyas. We read History in school and we accept the details of kings as taught to us. Similarly we have to accept the history of Jainism as expressed in our scriptures. Jain temples and inscriptions are also historical. These prove the lineage of Acharyas. The older idols are inscribed on the seat with the names of Acharyas who had commissioned the idol and the location for which it was created. Some idols are over 2000 years old. Temple in Bhadreshvar, Cutch has some historical idols. The scriptures of Buddhism, tri-pitak, in Pali language, have many references to Mahavir who was addressed as Niggantha, Gnatri putra, and Arhat. This is further proof of Mahavir being a historical person, especially as mentioned by another religion. The question says: “How can I believe .. .. .. .. ..”. Exactly! It is up to each individual to believe or not according to their own volition. Jain philosophy does not force anyone to believe; there is no proselytization. The scriptures in Jainism are the knowledge of the omniscient. In Jain philosophy, right faith, right knowledge and right conduct is the path of liberation. Micchami dukkadam if anything stated above is inconsistent vis-à-vis the scriptures.
Useful Links Please see below blog for slides and notes from the Basic Jainism course conducted by Mrs Bina Shah.
Www.mombasajains.blogspot.com
EGO vs SOUL **************
Ego seeks to serve itself, Soul seeks to serve others. Ego seeks outward recognition, Soul seeks inner authenticity. Ego sees life as a competition, Soul sees life as a gift. Ego seeks to preserve self, Soul seeks to preserve others. Ego looks outward, Soul looks inward. Ego feels lack, Soul feels abundance. Ego is mortal, Soul is eternal. 6 SJSDS Newsletter July 2015
Ego is drawn to lust, Soul is drawn to love. Ego seeks wisdom, Soul is wisdom. Ego enjoys the prize, Soul enjoys the journey. Ego is cause to pain, Soul is cause of healing. Ego rejects God, Soul embraces God. Ego seeks to be fulfilled, Soul is eternal wholeness. Ego is ME, Soul is WE.
Pathshala Students Skits & Dance Show The Sangh staged a Pathshala Children skits and dance program on Friday 26 June 2015. This was to demonstrate their learning in the classes by the children who have been attending pathshala classes on Saturdays and Sundays. Kanchanbhai provided the background music and sang beautiful stavans to go with the skits. As usual, Niraj was excellent on the dhol. Krishna Bhavesh Shah did a splendid job as a Master of Ceremonies.
In total 41 children participated and the audience exceeded 200 people—many young parents and grand parents were there to encourage the children.
Stavan recital by Pathshala students.
Watch full performance at : https://youtu.be/3Zhmmr1Nc6o
Navkar Mantra dance, ‘Chattari Mangalam’ and Jain Poem recitals by Little Stars. Watch full performance at : https://youtu.be/8UGfvi_2J3c and https://youtu.be/BIgvc8ZajeY 7 SJSDS Newsletter July 2015
GRAND
FINALE Watch at : https:// youtu.be/084atgGf YI4
The children were treated to a party at CafĂŠ Mocha courtesy of the Sangh. In addition each participant received the Kshs 1,400/- and a movie ticket from the following well wishers : Jayendra Gudka
500/- per child
Anonymous donor 500/- per child Amubhai & Mitesh Visaria - 200/per child Niraj Sudhir Shah
2,000/- total
Dharamshi Virpar & Tiny Tots family - 5,000/- total Chandramani Raichand Shah - One movie ticket
Priya Majithia kindly choreographed all dances and gave the costumes free of charge.
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King Bahubali Skit Our first tirthankar, Lord Rushabhdev, had one hundred sons and two daughters—who all took diksha with their father except for his two eldest sons, Bharat and Bahubali. The throne was entrusted to his eldest son Bharat and another large territory of the kingdom to Bahubali, but Bharat was not satisfied and he wanted Bahubali’s territory as well. So Bharat challenged Bahubali who accepted to go to war as he also wanted to show his strength. Bahubali means someone with immense power in their arms. Bahubali defeated his brother in many tactics and finally raised his hand for the final blow. Suddenly a thought crossed his mind— “ I am prepared to kill my own brother just for a kingdom and its luxuries ?” He realized the importance of his pure soul an decided to take Diksha. With his raised hand he plucked all his hair and left for the forest.
Moral : We quarrel with our siblings or friends for petty matters whereas permanent happiness comes from realizing one’s true self, the pure soul, and not any material luxuries. In the forest, Bahubali realized that if he went to Lord Rushabdev, he would have to bow down to his younger brothers as they had taken Diksha earlier. Therefore, he decided to attain Kevalghan on his own. He stood in one position for many years and performed severe penance as he had to bear cold, heat, thirst, hunger, and insect bites. Creepers grew around his body and snakes made it their home. He failed to achieve Kevalghan for thousands of years. Lord Rushabdev having achieved his Kevalghan knew that Bahubali’s ego was the reason. Out of compassion, he sent Brahmi and Sunderi, who were Bahubali’s sisters, to give him a message. The sisters said to him “ Come down from your high elephant, brother, Kevalghan is not attained on the elephant’s back. “ After thinking deeply about what his sisters said, Bahubali realized that they meant what they meant. He thought to himself “ I am riding on the elephant of Pride. Not wanting to bow down to my younger brothers is my pride. Thinking I will attain salvation on my own is my Ego. “
He repented sincerely and immediately decided to go to Lord Rushabdev and to bow down to his younger brothers. Just as he lifted his leg to move, he attained Kevalghan.
Moral : If a person younger than us if even slightly superior to us in any field we should respect him or her. Our ego and pride will not let us attain salvation or moksh.
Narrators :
Shivani Mitesh Visaria Kreeshi Rakesh Shavadia
Watch the full skit at https://youtu.be/Tw1TDXbS0P4 9 SJSDS Newsletter July 2015
King Shripal & Maynasundari Skit King Prajapal and Queen Rupsundari had two daughters—Rupsundari & Maynasundari. The King once asked them “ By whose favour have you got all the skills and luxuries that you are enjoying ?” Maynasundari replies : Sursundari replies :
“With due respect to you, all the comfort that you provide me are only because of my Punya Karma. Everyone gets whatever is written in his or her destiny due to his or her karma. You yourself cannot give or take away anything.
“I have gained all that by your favour father “ The King is pleased with her reply and rewards her appropriately by marrying her to Prince Aridaman of Shankhapuri.
Everything right from being born as your daughter up to the present situation could occur solely as a result of my good or bad karmas. No one or nothing could have made any difference.
The King grew angry from Maynasundari’s unexpected reply and he could not believe that everything happens according to one’s own Karma.. The King got Mayansundari married to the ugliest man and gave them some basic things and a small house and asked Maynasundari to undergo the results of her Karma. Maynasundari was deeply religious. She accepted Shripal as her husband. Then went to see Acharya Munichandra who advised them to do the fasting of Ayembil Oli to cure the disease. They observed this fast for 4 and half years ie 9 Ayembil Oli—only one meal a day of very bland food without spices, milk, sugar, salt, oil, butter, fruits and vegetables for 9 days twice a year. The leprosy got cured and Maynasundari blessed her Karmas for that change too. King Prajapal accepted that the theory of Karma is right and invited Shripal and Maynasundari to stay with him at the palace. Narrators : Keya Jinal Shah , Rheya Tanil Shah , Parita Sanjay Dodhia
Watch the full skit at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTeMYnS-9F0 . 10 SJSDS Newsletter July 2015
King Hansa Skit The ancient city of Rajpur was ruled by King Hansa. He was a wise and just king. He was known for always telling the truth and for avoiding doing anything that might cause harm to any other living thing.
The King decided to go on a pilgrimage alone. But ministers persuaded him to go with 4 servants all dressed in exactly the same way—there was no way of knowing who was the king and who were the servants.
King Arjuna’s army was vast and well armed whereas King Hansa’s army was small because he was a peaceful king. Arjuna attacked Hansa’s army which was soon defeated. Arjuna took over Hansa’s throne. On hearing this, Hansa sent back the servants to Rajpur and he continued alone. Hansa was always spoke the truth. Once he met a hunter who asked him if he had seen a deer which he had. He could cannot lie to the hunter and if he spoke the truth the deer would be killed. So he diverted the hunter’s attention by showing him a monkey that the hunter was not interested in. In another instance, he overheard some robbers planning to rob pilgrims. When the police asked him if he had seen any robbers he could not reveal their hideout as they would be arrested before having harmed anyone. He suggested to the police that they walk with the pilgrims to ensure they were safe from the robbers. Arjuna sent two horsemen to find and kill Hansa. Hansa identified himself and told the horsemen to carry out their masters orders. He closed his eyes an d prayed. All at once an angel appeared and the horsemen rode off. The angel said, “ I am impressed with your truthfulness and faithfulness. “ The angel ensured he completed his pilgrimage and then took him home where she scattered Arjuna’s army and Hansa was once again king of Rajpur.
Watch the full skit at https://youtu.be/dj1J5ouHfMc 11 SJSDS Newsletter July 2015
Narrators : Mahi Tejul Shah, Neeshi Rakesh Shavadia, Veer Vikash Shah, Viraj Amit Shah
M M Shah & M V Shah Academy
Badminton & Tennis Court
Basketball Court
Netball Court
Handball Court
These sports were constructed at a cost over 3 million schillings. Volleyball Court in the far end, and a full view of the main courts .
In addition, the football pitch is being levelled and re-grassed. The football pitch will be used for football, rugby and athletics. There is also a small junior football pitch for younger children.
Exhibition of Clubs & Societies The school did an exhibition of various clubs & societies offered to give the parents an idea of what their children learn in them. The nursery section exhibited three clubs—Spelling bee, Science and Art. The lower primary had Science, Spelling Bee, Art, French and Scouts.
The upper primary had Eco Club, Red Cross, Journalism, Mathlete, Scouts and Art clubs. In addition, there was demonstrations by top swimmers, scouts, items from Music festival and Taekwondo. Our trustees, Dr Kanti Vora and Mr Somchand Shah, visited the exhibition and witnessed the demonstration of various items.
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SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM A very generous Jain, Mr. Jayendra Gudka, expressed a wish to sponsor 5 students for 5 years at The M. M. Shah & M. V. Shah Academy in 2013. After much soul searching by the Jain Education Board (J. E. B.) it was decided to give the scholarships to children from Orphanages & Homes. Thus the Scholarship program was launched in 2014 and requests were made for more scholarships during Paryushan in the same year. A scholarship of KShs. 100,000/= per annum per child pays for tuition fees, transport, class uniform, sports uniform, class & sports shoes, lunch, books and class trips. 21 scholarships were received and taken up by children from 8 different Children’s homes. The progress of these children is under constant review and two teachers having been appointed as mentors to look after their progress and welfare in the School. This is a wonderful way to share our excellent facilities with the less privileged in our society.
Current List of Sponsors—2015 Mr. Jayendra. R. Shah (5 students)
Kikambala Group (2 students)
Mr. Lalit Doshi
Mr. Chuni Devshi Shah
Mr. Kirti Ramniklal Shah
Mr. Rohit Maganlal Shah
Mr. Prabhulal Narshi Samat Shah
Mr. Ketan Shantilal Shah
Mr. Ramesh Devchand Shah
Mrs. Chandramaniben Raichand Shah
Mr. Ramnik Virpar Shah
Mrs. Suryaben Chandrakant Meghji Parivar
Family of Late Mr. Keshavlal Rupshi Shah
Messrs Kachra Surah Shah
Scholarship - 2016 The school principal and his team are very happy with the programme and they are confident to scale up the same. Therefore, the Jain Education Board would like the number of sponsors to increase to 50 !
The scholarship sponsorship for 2016 academic year will be KShs 110,000/= per child. The increase is due to increase in tuition fees, transport costs and other costs. Please email to JEB Secretary, Mr Niteen Shah, or JEB members in charge of the Scholarship program, Mr Atul Gudka and Mr Dhiren Shah, for further information or you would like to sponsor a child.
Mr Niteen Shah 0733 234482 Mr Atul Gudka
0727 067488
Mr Dhiren Shah 0722 752713 13 SJSDS Newsletter July 2015
Email : jaineducationboard@gmail.com
Calendar courtesy of : Mr Kishor Bhimji Shah of UK
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