Why Fasting Kills a Jain Girl and the Whole Religion
Does Jainism as a religion face the threat of being irrelevant in modern times?
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Does Jainism as a religion contradict its own teachings when it comes to self beliefs? A religion that found its roots in the teachings of Lord Mahavira, is older than Buddhism, but has a declining followership in India
Jainism is tough to follow and hard to integrate in life.
The death of a 13 year-old-girl who died after 68 days of fasting during holy month of Chaumasa, shows the wrong beliefs, jain followers have long revered. It is not a matter of simple faith. What it hints upon is the rigidity that has stopped a religion to grow and spread amongst masses. In Jainism the practice of questioning is halted, which ails the rise of an ancient and scientific religion.
A school going girl is permitted to serve a fast, that is still too harsh for an adult. This sounds nothing else but inhuman. The details of the story add faces, to the family’s wish and the desired outcomes of the fast.
Jainism supports the practice of strict fasting, eating meagre diets, travelling by foot, shunning clothes and desires, even taking a vow to death ie Santhara.
The rituals are mostly formed by the writings of Aagam, the sacred book of Jain religion. Ironically, Lord Mahavira was of a scientific mind and most of the times his teachings contradict the relevant practices of Jain community today.
Fasting is a practice in every religion. Hindus fast in Navratra for nine days and Muslims fast for four weeks in Ramzan. Christians have the season of lent and Bahai’s fast for a month. Religion describes this as a practice of self control and many take this as a need for humanity. But in Jainism, fasting is a rule, it is a way of showing obedience and devotion to God. The ultimate aim is to practise non-violence and desirelessness.
Jains mostly fast during Paryushana Parv. If one fasts for eight days of Paryushana, its called Atthai, and if one fasts for 10 days its called Dhash Lakshan. Followers can even take up a fast that is one month long known as Maskhamana.
In the non fasting days, Jain followers have strict dietary restrictions. The one who eats tasteless food without salt and pepper and survives only on lentils is know as Ayambil. The one who eats once a day, is called Ekassana. The goals of all these food detachments is to control desire and greed in the material world and attain Moksha, a fascination for Jains. The extreme of all this is self starvation that ultimately allows a person to leave his body and die in the process. This voluntary death is called Santhara. Courts have always had a harsh view on the practice.
The importance of Jainism and its followers is mostly judged by the financial worth of its followers and huge donations for the social causes. Within the community, there is concern about diminishing intellectual class and Jain representation amongst bureaucrats and policy makers.
The saints of Jain religion travel by foot and stay at open spaces. They have nothing to hide and nothing to save. But the rigid beliefs can sometimes ‘motivate’ followers to go to any extreme in the name of religion and faith.
A few weeks ago, a prominent Jain saint passed away in Mumbai. His last rights costed around 11 crore rupees. Spending lavishly for religious functions and penalising oneself for being full of desires, is a contradiction. The cultural history of Jainism is of immense worth, if only the followers of Jain religion can raise a voice against the ills and fallacies of their religion.
Being relevant is crucial to a religion. Sadly, Jainism lacks it today.
(The writer is a former TV journalist and member, International Association of Religion. He can be reached at @MeBhavya. This is a personal blog and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
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