Everything about Santhara, Jain Ritual of Voluntary Fasting to Death

A three -year -old girl suffering from an incurable disease Santhara – A Jain ritual of Voluntary Fasting to Death – by a spiritual leader in Indore.

Viyana Jain, daughter of IT Professionals Piyush and Varsha Jain, was diagnosed in the brain tumor last December. After the operation and treatment had failed, the family of spiritual leadership turned. On March 21st, the child received the child during a visit to Jain Monk Rajesh Muni Maharaj Santhara Verblews with the consent of their parents. Minutes later she died.

what is Santhara?

Santharaalso known as as SallekhanaIs a Jain -religious practice in which an individual voluntarily ends his life through fasting, says a Sundara, head of the Department of Archeology and Museums in Karnataka. The practice gradually includes that contains food and water, and is carried out by Jain as a means of cleaning the soul and for liberation.

The vow cannot be stored as desired.

After researching a Sundara, the Jain script clearly clearly say Santhara Should only be observed if death is close or if a person cannot follow religious duties due to old age, incurable illness or extreme conditions such as famine.

For example, if someone worsened to someone obviously causes living things to be unknowingly harmed – violates the principle of Ahimsa – You can choose Santhara.

The practice of Santhara

An important Jint text from the 4th century AD, Ratnakaranda Shravakachara From Samantabhadra there is a clear explanation of the Santhara Vow and how it should be followed.

The text states that this vow should be led out of the body to liberate the soul, but only in extreme situations – such as a natural disaster, an age or an illness that cannot be healed.

Anyone who puts the vow has to control their feelings, give up all of their possessions and dissolve mentally from the relatives. You should forgive everyone, ask for forgiveness and be sorry for your misconduct. Then you should concentrate on prayers with a peaceful mind and slowly stop eating and drinking until the death.

Is Santhara Legal?

While Santhara is an accepted and revered practice in Jainism, it was confronted with legal challenges in India. In 2015 the Supreme Court of Rajasthan decided that Santhara should be considered illegal and at the same time equated with suicide in accordance with § 306 of the IPC (Indian Pralic Code). The court's argument was that the voluntary decision to end his life was a form of self -harm and could not be justified as a religious practice.

However, the verdict was started with protests by the Jain community. A month later, the Supreme Court remained the order that allowed Santhara to continue in the protection of religious freedom.