Hindus have sent greetings to Jain communities worldwide for the upcoming Mahavir Jayanti, which falls on April 16, 2011. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a release in Nevada (USA) today, expressed warmest greetings on behalf of Hindu community on auspicious day of Mahavir Jayanti, wishing that it brought joy, happiness, blessings and cheer to all.
Rajan Zed, who is the President of Universal Society of Hinduism, stressed that all religions should work together for a just and peaceful world. Dialogue would bring us mutual enrichment, he added.
Mahavir Jayanti, celebrating the birth of Lord Mahavir, 24th tirthankar who established central tenets of Jainism, is the major religious day for Jains. It includes prayers, temples decoration, abhishek, processions, offerings to poor, lectures, meditations, temple visits, etc.
Jainism, an ancient religion which emphasizes non-violence and which derives its name from jinas (spiritual victors), aims at liberating the soul by freeing it from accumulated karma. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.