This is an English translation of the original Hindi. Translation may have changed the meaning a little; the Hindi original is the authoritative version.

Dear all,
Om Namah.
Salutations to Dev, Shastra and Guru.

Today, the first day of the dark half of Ashwin, is kept in the Jain tradition as Kshamavani. Before writing about it at length, let me set out a short introduction. We will talk about substance and principle another time; here what matters is that this being, the soul, falls under the sway of the four passions and commits the five kinds of wrongdoing, and, over worldly things, feels attraction toward one and, when things go the other way, aversion toward another. What matters here is whether a passion runs strong or weak. The passions last as a line drawn on water, on sand, on wood, or on stone. This means that if anger toward someone stays in the mind longer than six months, karma is bound for a lifetime in hell. Ill will toward anyone should therefore be cleared from the mind as quickly as possible. That is what this day of Kshamavani is for: to take whatever contrary feeling toward any living being is written on the mind, remove it, and forgive them; and along with that, to ask their forgiveness from the heart for whatever harm we have done to them, deliberately or unknowingly. It is also necessary to understand that this day of Kshamavani is quite different from Uttam Kshama. There is a very beautiful verse for it, and through that verse, with my head bowed and my hands folded, I ask forgiveness of all of you, and of every living being in every state of existence in this world, from those with one sense to those with five.

The Spirit of Kshamavani

Kshamavani Parva is an occasion in the Jain tradition on which the soul recognises the faults within it, gives them up, and asks forgiveness of every living being. It is not only a religious observance, but a practice of going down into the depths of the soul.

On this day we pause the movement of our lives and enter that silence in which the soul speaks with itself. This is no exchange of words, but a call of feeling, a call that says: “I know that I have caused pain without meaning to. I accept it, and I ask forgiveness.”

The day reminds us that forgiveness is not merely social conduct, but a means of the soul’s purification. It is the moment when we recognise the anger, ill will, pride and bitterness within us and lay them down at the feet of compassion, evenness and humility.

Kshamavani is wide in scope. It is not only between people, but toward every living being. We ask forgiveness of animals, birds, insects, creatures of water, air and land. This is a widening of fellow feeling, in which we take our own existence to be joined with that of all living beings.

The dignity of this day lies in how it lightens us from within. It teaches us that asking forgiveness is not weakness, but a sign of inner strength. It teaches us that giving forgiveness does not free others alone: it frees us from bondage as well.

In the pages that follow we will look at the different sides of Kshamavani in turn: asking forgiveness of all beings, the dissolving of pride, purity of speech, the mending of relationships, responsibility toward the environment, self-examination, the scriptural background, the stories, and at last the practice of bringing forgiveness into life.

Asking Forgiveness of All Beings: Fellow Feeling Made Wide

The most distinctive thing about Kshamavani is that its forgiveness does not stop with human beings. The day carries us toward an awareness in which every living being is an inseparable part of our own existence. This forgiveness is not merely social but universal, offered to all that lives.

We accept that the pace of our lives, our needs, and our unthinking habits have caused pain, knowingly or not, to countless living beings. We have:

• ploughed fields, and crushed the beings living in the soil,
• built houses, and destroyed the nests of birds,
• used water, and disturbed the homes of water creatures,
• polluted the air, and upset the balance of the smallest beings.

For all of this we ask forgiveness. This forgiveness is no formality, but a call of the soul, which says:

“O living beings, if any act, word or thought of mine has caused you pain, I ask your forgiveness from the heart.”

This feeling leads us toward compassion for life. Compassion for life is not pity but a sense of equality. When we see an animal in pain, we see our own reflection in it. When we hear a bird’s call, we feel in it the same rhythm of life that is within us.

Kshamavani reminds us that non-violence is not only a vow but a way of seeing. That way of seeing makes us sensitive to every living being. We do not merely ask forgiveness; we also resolve to cause no pain in future.

The breadth of the day lies in just this: it frees us from a human-centred view, and settles us in an awareness in which every being matters and every life is precious.

Dissolving Pride and Anger: Refining the Self in the Fire of Forgiveness

The purpose of Kshamavani is not only to ask forgiveness, but to awaken the inner process in which we recognise the faults within us and give them up. The strongest of these faults are pride and anger. Both stain the soul, poison relationships, and unsettle life.

Pride: the covering over the soul

Pride is the covering that hides the soul’s natural ease. It gives us the tendency to think ourselves better than others, and it stands in the way of asking or giving forgiveness. Kshamavani teaches us that:

• asking forgiveness takes humility,
• and giving forgiveness takes inner strength.

Only when we give up pride do we become worthy, in the true sense, of forgiveness.

Anger: the disturbance of awareness

Anger is a fire that burns the one who holds it first, and others afterwards. It lasts a moment, but its effects last long. The day of Kshamavani gives us the chance to:

• recognise the source of our anger,
• accept it,
• and then give it up into the fire of forgiveness.

This giving up is no outward process, but a practice within the soul.

Forgiveness: the answer to both

Only when pride and anger are given up is forgiveness born. Forgiveness is not sentiment, but the soul’s maturity. This day teaches us that:

• giving forgiveness is courage,
• and asking forgiveness is self-knowledge.

It lightens us from within, and brings relationships back to life.

Purity of Speech, Mind and Body: The Threefold Austerity in Kshamavani

Kshamavani is not only an occasion for outward forgiveness; it is a day for reviewing and purifying the soul’s threefold activity: mind, speech and body. It is the moment when we begin to look at our conduct at every level of life, and accept that:

if I have caused anyone pain by mind, by speech or by body, or have had someone else do such a thing, or have approved of a harmful act done by another, then for all of it I ask forgiveness from the heart.

This admission is not words alone, but a call of the soul. It is the moment when we recognise our faults, accept them, and then offer them up into the fire of forgiveness.

Purity of mind

The thoughts that rise in the mind, whether of anger, envy, ill will or indifference, can sometimes cause pain to others without any act at all. Kshamavani teaches us that:

• the purity of the mind is the soul’s peace.
• Without pure thoughts, forgiveness is incomplete.

Restraint in speech

Speech is how we join ourselves to the world. A bitter word, a barb, a slight: each of these can wound others deeply. On this day we review our speech and resolve that:

• our speech be gentle, true and compassionate.
• We cause no one pain by our words.

Restraint of the body

Acts done with the body, whether of violence, neglect or insensitivity, have gross effects. We accept that:

• if any being has been hurt by what we did, we ask forgiveness.
• If we had others do such a thing, or approved of it, we are responsible as well.

The three brought together

Kshamavani teaches us that forgiveness is not merely an act but an austerity. That austerity is complete when:

• the mind is clear,
• speech is gentle,
• and the body is restrained.

This day purifies us from within and carries us along the path where the soul may be freed from the bondage of karma.

Threefold Action and Responsibility: Asking Forgiveness for Every Effect

Kshamavani is not only an occasion for self-purification; it is a day of accepting responsibility. It is the moment when we accept equally the effects of the three kinds of action in our lives: mind, speech and body. This forgiveness is not for our own purification alone, but an acceptance of responsibility toward all those beings whom our thoughts, words or deeds have touched.

Mind, speech and body all carry weight

• Thoughts that rise in the mind can wound others on a subtle level.
• Words that leave the mouth, bitter or dismissive, can injure another’s self-respect.
• Acts done with the body, whether of violence, neglect or insensitivity, cause plain and visible pain.

The effects of all three run equally deep. Kshamavani teaches us that:

• not only the act, but prompting it and approving of it, carry responsibility.
• Asking forgiveness is not for ourselves alone, but for all those our actions have touched.

Forgiveness: the soul’s humble admission

This day teaches us to bow from within. We accept that:

• we are not perfect,
• we have made mistakes,
• and we are responsible for them.

This admission is the first step of forgiveness.

Forgiveness asked of all together

We ask forgiveness:

• of those beings we saw and hurt,
• and of those we never saw, but whom our actions touched.

Asking in this way carries us toward a wider awareness, in which we feel our own existence joined with that of all living beings.

Kshamavani: Mending Relationships, a Bridge to Social Harmony

Forgiveness is not only the soul’s purification; it is a way of mending relationships. When we ask someone’s forgiveness, we do not merely admit our mistake: we also tell that person that our bond with them is valuable, and that we want to join it again with respect.

Forgiveness: the art of mending what is broken

When a relationship breaks through pride, ignorance or insensitivity, forgiveness is the attempt to mend that break with humility, acceptance and affection. It is not an exchange of words, but the offering of a heart.

Restoring social harmony

When every group and every person in a society asks forgiveness of one another, then:

• division by class, by opinion, and bitterness of speech give way to living together,
• competition gives way to cooperation,
• and pride gives way to humility.

Kshamavani reminds us together that we are all joined to one another. We are all at fault somewhere. And in all of us there is the possibility of change.

Forgiveness: strength of the soul, peace of society

Asking forgiveness is not weakness; it shows inner strength. Giving forgiveness is not only pity; it is an expression of understanding and compassion. When we ask and give forgiveness, we melt the hardness within us, and sow the seed of peace and harmony in society.

Kshamavani: A Means of the Soul’s Rising

Forgiveness is not only a bridge to social harmony; it is also the way of the soul’s inner purification and rising. When we ask forgiveness, we speak not only with others but with ourselves, recognising the hardness, the craving and the attachment within, and resolving to give them up.

Forgiveness: the refining of the soul

Asking forgiveness is like holding a mirror to the soul, in which we see our faults clearly. That seeing is itself what refines the soul, and makes it light, clean and noble.

“क्षमा वीरस्य भूषणम्”, forgiveness is the ornament of the brave: this is not merely a maxim but a spiritual truth. The one who asks forgiveness is freed from pride. The one who gives it is freed from ill will.

The soul’s rising: the five steps of forgiveness

1. Admission: I am at fault.
2. Feeling: my faults have caused others pain.
3. Atonement: I am responsible for those faults.
4. Asking: I ask forgiveness from the heart.
5. Resolve: I will not repeat that fault.

Through these five steps the soul rises from where it stands toward something nobler.

Forgiveness: karma shed, and the soul lit

When we ask forgiveness, we shed our karma. That shedding lights up the soul, as the flame of a lamp becomes clear when darkness lifts.

Kshamavani is not only a festival; it is a practice of the soul. It is the moment when we give up the feeling of enmity within and take up the feeling of friendship.

Kshamavani: Responsibility Toward All Beings and Toward Nature

Kshamavani is not only the mending of human relationships; it is also a declaration of friendship with all beings and of responsibility toward the environment. When we say “micchami dukkadam”, we ask forgiveness not only of our family, our friends or our society, but of all creation, living and non-living.

Forgiveness toward every living being

We accept that in the activities of our lives, in food, clothing, shelter and travel, harm has been done somewhere without our meaning it. We also accept that our actions have affected the smallest beings, the plants, and the resources of nature.

“सव्वे जीवा खमंतु मे”, may all living beings forgive me: this feeling is not words alone, but a sign of the soul’s breadth.

Awareness of the environment, and forgiveness

When we make improper use of water, air, land and plants, we disturb the balance of nature. Kshamavani reminds us that nature too is a living presence, and that we carry responsibility toward it. Forgiveness must be asked of nature as well, because we have consumed its resources, sometimes to excess, and upset its balance.

Establishing universal friendship

When we ask forgiveness of all beings, we move away from a human-centred view toward an evenness that holds all life equal. This way of seeing carries us toward non-violence, sensitivity and living together. The final aim of Kshamavani is the good of all beings, friendship with all life, and peace everywhere.

Kshamavani: Not a Passing Feeling, but a Lifelong Practice

Kshamavani does not give us an occasion to ask forgiveness for one day alone; it moves us to resolve on a change of conduct for life. It reminds us that asking forgiveness is a beginning, giving forgiveness is a practice, and living forgiveness is a dharma.

Bringing forgiveness into conduct

Forgiveness should come not only into speech but into behaviour. That means changing how we see, how we speak, and how we work together. If we have asked forgiveness, we should also make sure that we do not repeat the same fault.

The process of shaping oneself

Kshamavani leads us toward shaping ourselves, recognising the ill will, pride and insensitivity within, and giving them up. That giving up must be not only mental but practical, and continuous. Asking forgiveness is done once; living forgiveness is the practice of every day.

Rebuilding life through forgiveness

When we make forgiveness a part of our lives, our relationships become grounded in values, sensitive, and lasting. We act with more awareness, compassion and responsibility. Kshamavani inspires us not merely to ask forgiveness, but to become worthy of it.

Kshamavani: A Moral Ground for Education, a Seed of Social Change

Kshamavani is not only a religious festival; it is a moral ground for education and a seed of social change. When we give the spirit of forgiveness a place in schools, in what is taught, and in public conversation, we raise a generation that is sensitive, responsible and tolerant.

Forgiveness in education

Forgiveness can be presented not only in a religious setting, but as moral education, as social science, and as a skill for living. Students can be taught that:

• making mistakes is human nature,
• but admitting a mistake and putting it right is human greatness.

When children learn to ask and to give forgiveness, they put compassion and conversation before pride.

A direction for social change

If the message of Kshamavani were taken into public life, then:

• a culture of conversation would grow in politics,
• a sense of living together would grow stronger in society,
• and bridges would be built between ways of thinking.

Forgiveness is not only personal; it is the refining of a shared awareness.

The message of Kshamavani for a new generation

Kshamavani teaches us that understanding the faults of others is as necessary as admitting our own. Tolerance, conversation and harmony are the foundations of lasting progress. If we make forgiveness a part of education, we will raise a generation that is thoughtful, compassionate and socially responsible.

Kshamavani: A Festival of Culture, Art and Feeling

Kshamavani is not only a festival of ideas; it lives through culture and art as well. It is expressed with emotional depth and a sense of beauty in literature, painting, music and folk tradition.

Forgiveness in literature

Poets and writers have called forgiveness the soul of humanity. In plays, stories and songs, forgiveness appears as conflict and as resolution. It shows itself where the characters admit their faults and join their relationships together again.

Painting and folk tradition

In folk paintings, scenes of Kshamavani, such as a person asking forgiveness with folded hands, or a picture of friendship shared, carry a message of tolerance and compassion. In villages the day brings people together, with songs and cultural gatherings. This festival belongs not only to the soul, but to society and its culture.

A closing thought on feeling and beauty

Kshamavani teaches us that beauty lies not in form but in feeling. When we ask forgiveness, we show the softness, humility and affection within us.

The Closing Verse

Meaning: I ask forgiveness of all living beings, and may all living beings forgive me. I have friendship with all beings, and enmity with none.

This verse is not speech alone; it is a resolve for life, in which we end enmity and widen friendship, both within us and outside us.