Fasting in Jainism

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Fasting is very common among Jains and as a part of festivals. Most Jains fast at special times such as birthdays, anniversaries, during festivals, and on holy days. Paryushan is the most prominent festival, lasting eight days in Svetambara Jain tradition and ten days in Digambar Jain tradition during the monsoon. The monsoon is a time for Jains to observe most of the religious procedures. However, a Jain may fast at any time. Jain saints usually perform fasts every now and then but at times it becomes a compulsion for them when they have committed an error in relation to the preachings of Mahavira. Variations in fasts encourage Jains to do whatever they can to maintain whatever self control is possible for the individual. According to Jain texts, abstaining from the pleasures of the five senses such as sounds and dwelling in the self in deep concentration is fasting (upavāsa).^[1]

Aims for fasting[]

Fasting can be done to purify both the body and the soul but fasts are also done as a penance.^[2]

Proşadhopavāsa[]

The word Proşadha refers to the holy days in the lunar month. It means giving up the four kinds of food. Proşadhopavāsa is fasting on the eighth and fourteenth days of the lunar cycle. According to Jain text, Puruşārthasiddhyupāya:

For the sake of strengthening the performance of daily meditation (sāmāyika) , one must undertake fasting twice each lunar fortnight (Proşadhopavāsa).

— Puruşārthasiddhyupāya (151)^[3]

Free from all routine activities, and giving up attachment to own body etc., one should commence fasting from mid-day prior to the day of fasting (the eighth and the fourteenth day of each lunar fortnight).

— Puruşārthasiddhyupāya (152)^[3]

The person fasting discards bodily adornments such as bath, perfume, garlands, and ornaments, and spends their time in a sacred place such as the abode of a saint or a temple, or somewhere on their own contemplating pure thoughts by listening to scripture.^[4]

Categories of consumables in Jainism[]

In Jainism, the consumables that are usually taken is divided in four categories:

1. Asanam (असणं) refers to food that satisfies entire hunger like wheat, rice, vegetables etc.
2. Paanam (पाणं) refers to water
3. Khaaimam (खाइमं) refers to sweets, dry fruits etc.
4. Saaimam (साइमं) refers to paan or other mouth freshners taken after meals. ^[5]

Types of fasting[]

There are several types of fasts:^[6][7][8]

• Chauvihar Upvas: Any type of food and water is restricted in this fast, starting from previous sunset to 3rd day sunrise. This upvas is considered toughest. Chau refers to four; all four categories of consumables are given up in this fasting.
• Chauvihar: No food or water after sunset until at least Navkarsi next day. Many Jains practise this daily. Many Jains leave food or water before forty-eight minutes of sunset.
• Tivihar Upvas:^[9] To give up only food for the whole day, starting from previous sunset to 3rd day sunrise and so approximately 36 hours. Only boiled water can be consumed in Tivihar Upvas from 48 minutes after sunrise till sunset on the 2nd day only. Tri refers to three; apart from water, the rest three categories of consumables are given up.
• Varshitap Upwas: fasting for 36 hours, on alternate days for 13 lunar months and 13 days continuously. In Varshitap a person eats on alternate days between sunrise and sunset only. A person can not eat on any two consecutive days for the period of fast but can fast on two consecutive days.
• Chatth/Bela: No food for consecutive 2 days, only boiled water, usually sunrise to sunrise. ^[10]
• Attham/Tela: No food for consecutive 3 days, only boiled water. ^[10]
• Aathai: No food for consecutive 8 days, only boiled water.
• Navai: No food for consecutive 9 days, only boiled water.
• Solbhathu: No food for consecutive 16 days, only boiled water.
• Great fasts are fasts for months at a time.^[2]
• Maaskhaman: To give up food and water or only food continuously for a whole month.
• Aayambil: To have just one meal in the entire day (typically, lunch) and boiled water. This meal cannot include the following foodstuffs:
  • Any forms of spices like chilly powder, turmeric powder, dhaniya jeera powder, cumin seeds, sugar and foodstuffs like oil, ghee and honey.
  • Any form of dairy products like milk, curd, cheese, paneer.
  • Any forms of direct or processed dryfruits, fruits or vegetables.
  • Any form of beverages like tea or coffee.
  • You cannot have anything that tastes sweet, sour, or spicy. Only basic food is permitted which includes foodstuffs made from primary grains and pulses like wheat, rice, green gram, chickpea, urad dal etc. You can have food prepared using the flours of these grains and pulses - wheat flour, rice flour, gram flour (besan). The allowed spices include salt, black pepper, asafoetida powder, baking soda. You can have chapatis, rice, idli and dosa if made without oil, ghee, butter or any of the ingredients listed above. This fast is considered to be tougher than staying hungry (upvas) because you need to accept (almost) tasteless food to complete this fast.
  • In a nutshell, one can have chapati for bread, and other allowed items are only water boiled, without any additive.
• Oliji/Oli: 9 consecutive days of tapasya (strict meditation) along with aayambil upavāsa.
• Navapad oli: A special oli upavāsa where in the aayambil meal only one grain is allowed (1st day rice, 2nd day wheat, 3rd day moong, 4th day chana, 5th day urad, and the rest of the days rice).^[8][11]
• Ekasana: Having only one meal per day.
• Biyasana: Having two meals a day.
• Digambar Upvas: One may drink water only once a day, before sunset.
• Shwetambar Upvas: One may drink boiled and cooled water after Porsi ritual ^[12], provided this is done before sunset.
• Ratri-bhojan-tyag: Literally means to give up (tyag) nighttime (ratri) eating (bhojan). In this practice one does not eat any food after sunset to immediate sunrise.
• Vruti Sankshep: Limiting the number of items eaten.
• Rasa Parityag: Giving up favourite foods.
• Anodar (Partial fasting): Eating less than you desire and to simply avoid hunger.

Sallekhana[]

Sallekhanā is the last vow prescribed by the Jain ethical code of conduct. The vow of sallekhanā is observed by the Jain ascetics and lay votaries at the end of their life by gradually reducing the intake of food and liquids.^{[13][14] [2]} This practice has been subject to ongoing debate by human rights experts.^[2][15]

Jain fasting in popular medical fasting and dieting[]

Many old Jain fasting are proven to be beneficial for health by latest medical research, and many people know these fasting by different names.

See also[]

• List of diets

Notes[]

References[]

• (1992) [First edition 1960], Reality (English Translation of Srimat Pujyapadacharya's Sarvarthasiddhi) (Second ed.), , This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• (2012), Acharya Amritchandra's Purushartha Siddhyupaya: Realization of the Pure Self, With Hindi and English Translation, , ISBN 978-81-903639-4-5, This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• Tukol, Justice T. K. (1976), Sallekhanā is Not Suicide (1st ed.), Ahmedabad: , This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• (2009) [1949], The A to Z of Jainism, 38, Scarecrow Press, ISBN 978-0-8108-6337-8

See also[]

• Jain vegetarianism