Jindarshan Pooja - Book Summary

The Jain text "Jindarshan Pooja" is a comprehensive guide on the rituals and etiquette involved in Jain temple worship, focusing on the correct performance of darshan (seeing the deity) and pooja (worship).

Here's a summary of its key aspects:

Purpose and Scope: The book aims to provide clear, illustrated instructions on the proper way to perform darshan and pooja, emphasizing the distinction between correct procedures (vidhi) and incorrect ones (avidhi). It clarifies that the book is useful not only for those performing pooja but also for anyone who wishes to have a proper darshan of the deities.

General Guidelines and Etiquette:

Attitude and Conduct: The text stresses the importance of approaching the temple with reverence and devotion. It outlines five types of respectful approaches (abhigam) and ten sets of practices (shastrik), which include:
- Abhigam: Renouncing worldly items, accepting only worship-worthy materials, wearing appropriate clothing (like a khes), joining hands in reverence, and concentrating the mind, speech, and body on devotion.
- Shastrik: Various forms of prostrations, purification pronouncements (nisihith), circumambulations (pradakshina), worship practices, contemplation of spiritual states, purification of the ground, directional observance, understanding scriptural references, and specific postures (mudras) for prayers.
Temple Etiquette:
- Items to Bring: Essential items include materials for panchamrut, abhishek, sandalwood, flowers, incense, lamps, mirrors, fans, rice, offerings (naivedya), and other necessary items for aangi. Vessels made of gold, silver, copper, brass, or German silver are acceptable.
- Items Not to Bring: Prohibited items include biscuits, mints, chocolates, unwholesome sweets, common fruits, scentless flowers, pan masala, cigarettes, tobacco, and medicines. Students are advised not to bring school bags or lunchboxes into the temple. Eating inside the temple is strictly forbidden. Steel utensils are not to be used in the temple.
Clothing: Specific instructions are given on wearing appropriate clothing for worship, emphasizing modesty and the correct way to drape a khes and wear a dhoti, ensuring the stomach and other parts are covered. It advises against wearing casual or everyday clothes for worship.
Purification: Detailed instructions are provided for washing feet, emphasizing the use of filtered water and avoiding places where microscopic organisms (nigod) might be present.

Specific Worship Rituals and Their Correct/Incorrect Practices:

The book systematically details the correct and incorrect ways to perform various aspects of temple worship, often with accompanying illustrations:

Entering the Temple: Proper greetings, bowing, and silence are emphasized. Items like school bags and snacks are to be left outside.
Bell Ringing (Ghanad): The correct time for ringing the bell (upon entering and leaving) and the manner of ringing it (gently, once) to avoid disturbing others.
Circumambulations (Pradakshina): The requirement of three circumambulations, the direction to begin, and the practice of reciting verses during the process.
Singing Praises (Stuti): The correct posture, placement of hands, and respectful way of praising the deity.
Head Covering (Mukhosh): The proper way to tie a mukhosh (face covering), often with multiple folds, and the importance of remaining silent after wearing it to avoid contaminating the deity.
Grinding Sandalwood (Chandan Ghuntana): Using filtered water, maintaining silence, and the specific tools and methods for grinding. It also advises on the appropriate use of saffron.
Applying Tilak: Specific instructions for men and women on the shape and placement of the tilak, and the spiritual intention behind the act.
Preparing Prakshal (Water for Washing): Using filtered water, the correct proportions of ingredients for panchamrut, and the importance of preparing it oneself with due reverence.
Entering the Sanctum (Gabhara): Emphasizing silence, proper posture, and carrying out only essential worship activities.
Removing Nirmalya (Used Flowers, etc.): Using soft tools like peacock feathers and disposing of them properly, avoiding harmful actions to small organisms.
Types of Ashatana (Offenses/Disrespects): The text extensively lists numerous ashatanas, categorized into minor, medium, and major offenses, covering a wide range of prohibited actions within the temple, from eating and spitting to specific forms of disrespect to the deities and temple property.
Washing the Deity (Abhishek): The correct order of applying panchamrut and water, the manner of holding the kalash (vessel), and maintaining silence and order.
Applying Vilepan (Sandalwood Paste): The proper use of hands, ingredients, and the correct placement of the paste on the deity.
Sandalwood Pooja (Chandan Pooja): The correct procedure for applying sandalwood paste to different parts of the deity, the number of times to apply it, and the correct sequence of worship.
Flower Worship (Pushpa Pooja): The use of fresh, fragrant, and whole flowers, arranged aesthetically without obstructing the view of others.
Worship of Deities/Guardians (Dev-Devi Pooja): The specific rituals for worshipping guardian deities, including the use of sandalwood and akshat.
Incense Worship (Dhoop Pooja): The correct way to hold and present incense, reciting verses, and performing it outside the sanctum.
Lamp Worship (Deepak Pooja): The proper way to rotate the lamp in a clockwise direction, reciting verses, and maintaining the correct distance from the deity.
Fan Waving (Pankha Dhalvani): The spiritual intention behind fanning the deity and the correct use of the fan.
Rice Worship (Akshat Pooja): The use of clean, unbroken rice, creating auspicious symbols, and reciting verses.
Offering Food (Naivedya Pooja) and Fruit (Phal Pooja): Offering homemade, pure food and suitable fruits, and placing them appropriately after worship.
Khama-sama Offering: The detailed steps for making respectful salutations, including purification of the ground and the correct recitation of mantras.
Chaitya Vandan (Praise of the Temple/Deity): The proper sequence of recitations, postures, and the emphasis on mental devotion and understanding the meaning of the verses.
Kaushagga (Meditation): The correct posture and mental focus required for this form of meditation.
Leaving the Temple: Exiting with respect, facing the deity, and the proper way to ring the bell and make donations.
Applying Namana Jal (Holy Water from Worship): The reverent manner of applying the consecrated water to the eyes, head, and heart, with the correct intentions.
Sitting on the Platform (Otla): Sitting respectfully without obstructing others or showing disrespect to the temple.
Eight Types of Worship (Ashtaprakari Pooja): Detailed verses (duha) and mantras for jal (water), chandana (sandalwood), pushpa (flower), dhoopa (incense), deepak (lamp), akshat (rice), naivedya (food offering), and phal (fruit) worship.
Aarti: Verses for performing the aarti (waving of lamps).
Guru Vandana: The respectful way to offer salutations and seek blessings from Jain monks and nuns.

Overall Message: The book emphasizes that true worship is a combination of outward ritualistic correctness (vidhi) and inward devotion (bhakti). By following these guidelines, devotees can avoid ashatana, derive greater spiritual benefit from their temple visits, and deepen their connection with the Tirthankaras and the Jain principles. It highlights the importance of knowledge, mindfulness, and respect in all aspects of religious practice.