US President Joe Biden extends Paryushan and Das Lakshan wishes to Jain community

Washington, Sep 20: US President Joe Biden has greeted the Jain community on the concluding day of Paryushan and Das Lakshan festival. Over 150,000 Jains live in the United States, which is the community's largest population outside India.

"Jill and I send our best wishes to Jains in the US and around the world who've concluded the festivals of Paryushan and Das Lakshan," Biden said in a Facebook post. "In this time for self-reflection and forgiveness, may we all find peace and reconciliation in our lives. Michhami Dukkadam and Uttam Kshama!" he said.

Paryushana is an annual eight to ten-day period of fasting and meditation for Jain worshippers. Das Lakshan, meanwhile, is a 10-day festival that occurs directly after Paryushana. The Jain community in the US welcomed the message from the US president.

South Asian Community Leader Ajay Bhutoria in a statement thanked Biden for greeting the Jain community on the occasion of their festival. "Today, for the first time in American history, a sitting US President acknowledged the Jain festivals of Paryushan and Das Lakshan and issued a brief and meaningful message on their conclusion," said Vaibhav Jain who was senior advisor on the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) outreach team in the Biden Campaign. Acharya Lokesh Muni in a statement also welcomed the greetings sent by the US President. PTI LKJ SCY SCY