Uttam Sanyam (Supreme Self-Restraint)

It is the sixth day of Paryushan Parv or Dash Lakshan Dharm.

Sanyam means Self-Restraints;

i) Restraining from injury to life - Jains go to great lengths, compared to other world religions, to protect life. This encompasses all living beings, from one-sensed onwards. The purpose of not eating root vegetables is that they contain countless one-sensed being termed "nigod". During Paryushan the Jain also do not eat green vegetables to reduce harm to the lower sensed beings.

ii) Self restraint from desires or passions - These lead to pain and are therefore to be avoided. Emotions, e.g. likes, dislikes or anger leads to misery and need to be eradicated. They are not part of the true nature of the soul and only arise when the soul is in a state of false belief. The only method to free oneself from these is to contemplate on the true nature of the soul and in the process commence the journey to liberation.

Uttam Satya (Supreme Truth)

It is the Fifth day of Paryushan Parv or Dash Lakshan Dharm.

Satya means Truth; If talking is not required, then do not talk. If it is required then only use the minimum of words, and all must be absolutely true. Talking disturbs the stillness of the mind. Consider the person who lies and lives in fear of being exposed. To support one lie he has to utter a hundred more. He becomes caught up in a tangled web of lies and is seen as untrustworthy and unreliable. Lying leads to an influx of paap karma.

Satya comes from the word sat, which means existence. Existence is a quality of the soul. Recognizing the soul's true nature as it really exists and taking shelter in the soul is practicing Satya Dharma.

Uttam Shauch (Supreme Contentment)

It is the Fourth day of Paryushan Parv or Dash Lakshan Dharm.

Shauch means Contentment; Be content with the material gains that you have accomplished thus far. Contrary to popular belief, striving for greater material wealth and pleasure will not lead to happiness. Desire for more is a sign that we do not have all that we want. Reducing this desire and being content with what we have leads to satisfaction. Accumulating material objects merely fuels the fire of desire.

Contentment or happiness, derived from material objects, is only perceived to be so by a soul in a state of false belief. The fact is that material objects do not have a quality of happiness and therefore happiness cannot be obtained from them! The perception of "enjoying" material object is indeed only that -a perception! This perception rewards the soul with only misery and nothing else. Real happiness comes from within, as it is the soul that possesses the quality of happiness.

Uttam Arjav (Supreme Straightforwardness)

It is the third day of Paryushan Parv or Dash Lakshan Dharm.

Arjav means Straightforwardness, The action of a deceitful person is to think one thing, speak something else and do something entirely different. There is no harmony in his thought, speech and actions. Such a person loses credibility very quickly and lives in constant anxiety and fear of his deception being exposed. Being straight-forward or honest oil the wheel of life. You will be seen to be reliable and trustworthy. Deceitful actions leads to the influx of paap karmas.

Delusion about one's identity is the root cause of unhappiness. Be straightforward to yourself and recognize your true nature. Only by practicing Arjav Dharma one will taste the true happiness that comes from within.