What is Santhara? Jain ritual in focus after MP girl, 3, dies during ‘death fast'
The centuries-old Jain ritual 'Santhara', which involves fasting until death, gained attention following the death of a three-year-old girl from Madhya Pradesh. The child, Viyana Jain, had been suffering from a brain tumour, and her IT professional parents chose to lead her through this religious practice after consulting with their spiritual leader, Jain monk Rajesh Muni Maharaj.
Viyana passed away on March 21 in Indore.
This week, the Golden Book of World Records recognised Vinaya as the "youngest person in the world to vow the Jain ritual Santhara." The girl's parents, Piyush and Varsha Jain, confirmed they followed the advice of their spiritual leader, according to HT's previous report.
Why is this making news now? The ritual raises questions about its legality and practice. Know more about Santhara, its tradition, and whether it is legally permissible.
Santhara, also known as 'sallekhana or samadhi maran', is described in various Jain texts as the voluntary act of facing death through fasting. According to A Sundara, head of the Department of Archaeology and Museums in Karnataka, the underlying concept of this vow involves complete control over human passions and gradually abstaining from food and drink.
The term sallekhana comes from the words "sat" (truth) and "lekhana" (emaciation), symbolising the act of voluntary physical weakening. It signifies the belief that reducing the body's strength helps eliminate the source of suffering, which is considered a barrier to the soul's liberation.
This ritual is seen as a conscious religious act aimed at emancipating the soul through penance and self-mortification.
This vow is a significant aspect of religious practices for both ordained individuals and laypersons. It is prominent in the Jain Canon and highly recommended.
However, it is not something that can be undertaken at any time by anyone. Jain scriptures provide clear instructions, stating that sallekhana can only be practiced when a person is nearing death, suffering from old age, incurable disease, or during times of famine.
For instance, if a person's deteriorating eyesight leads to repeated violations of the principle of ahimsa, they may choose to end their life through sallekhana.
The Jain scriptures and inscriptions refer to this practice using various terms such as samlehana, samadhi, samadhimaran, and sanyasana, and occasionally the term pandita-marana is used to describe this form of death.
The Ratnakaranda Shravakachara, a significant Jain text written around the 4th century AD by Samantabhadra, clearly explains the Santhara vow and its guidelines.
According to the text, individuals who take the vow must master their emotions, renounce all possessions, and detach mentally from their loved ones. They must also seek forgiveness from others, forgive everyone, and express remorse for their wrongdoings. With a peaceful mindset, they should focus on prayers and gradually cease eating and drinking, fasting until death.
The research by A Sundara also addresses opinions suggesting that the practice of Santhara is equivalent to suicide. However, this is not the case.
Suicide involves the abrupt taking of one's life through forbidden means, driven by momentary anger or frustration, with no ultimate purpose. In contrast, Samadhi-marana, also known as Santhara, is a deliberate and spiritual act, performed only when nearing death. It is characterised by a calm mental state and strict adherence to religious guidelines.
Unlike suicide, which is an escapist act, Santhara is a courageous, determined process aimed at achieving salvation and is a foundational practice in Jain philosophy.
The controversy surrounding Santhara gained legal and religious attention in 2015 when the Rajasthan High Court ruled that the practice was punishable under sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 309 (attempted suicide) of the Indian Penal Code. The court argued that voluntarily ending one's life amounted to self-harm and could not be defended as a religious act. However, the decision sparked protests from the Jain community, and a month later, the Supreme Court put a stay on the order, allowing the practice of Santhara to continue under the protection of religious freedom.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Punjab to hire retired doctors to assess quality of health care in govt facilities
In a move aimed at improving health care delivery in government-run facilities, the Punjab government has decided to hire retired doctors to conduct quality assessments. In the circular issued to all civil surgeons – HT has a copy of it – the state health department has invited applications from retired doctors to conduct National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) assessments under the National Health Mission (NHM). As per the written orders, these retired professionals will be empanelled to carry out assessments of district hospitals, community health centres, primary health centres (PHCs), Urban PHCs (UPHCs), and sub centres. 'Applicants must have a sound understanding of public health systems. Preference will be given to those having previous experience or training in quality improvement initiatives or NQAS assessments,' reads the health department's letter. Currently, 1,962 (51%) out of the total 3,847 sanctioned posts of general medical officers are lying vacant. A similar situation prevails in the specialist cadre, where 990 (47%) of the 2,098 sanctioned posts are vacant. Meanwhile, the Punjab civil medical services association (PCMSA) said the government should give priority to young doctors in recruitment. Dr Akhil Sarin, state president, PCMSA, said, 'Instead of giving jobs to young doctors, the government is hiring retired doctors. This move by the government is not in the right direction. We demand that young doctors should be given priority in every recruitment.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
IMA seeks clarity on emergency scheme for road accident victims in Haryana
Gurgaon: Indian Medical Association (IMA)'s Haryana chapter on Friday sought immediate clarification about the cashless treatment pertaining to road accident victims. In fact, private hospitals, which have been roped in, are flagging a lack of clarity on operational guidelines, payment mechanisms and treatment rates. The development comes against the backdrop of a statewide rollout of Haryana's cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims, which has been facing serious roadblocks. The scheme, aimed at ensuring free emergency care for accident victims during the crucial first seven days or up to Rs 1.5 lakh, was earlier restricted to Ayushman Bharat-empanelled hospitals. However, with limited participation due to extremely low reimbursement rates and infrastructure constraints, directorate general of health services (DGHS), Haryana, issued fresh instructions on June 4 to onboard non-Ayushman hospitals as well. In a letter addressed to DGHS, IMA has sought guidelines on how the new hospitals will be empanelled, which portal will be used to register and track patients and how payments will be made. IMA has requested DGHS to immediately issue a detailed guideline outlining onboarding steps, financial coverage, payment timelines and rate revisions to ensure that hospitals can realistically provide care without suffering financial losses. IMA Haryana president Dr Mahaveer P Jain told TOI, 'There is no clarity on who will pay for these services, how the bills will be submitted or processed, or what rates will be given for ICUs, surgeries or diagnostic tests.' 'Without this, the scheme will collapse before it starts,' Jain said. IMA has also flagged the Ayushman Bharat rates — under which hospitals are expected to provide comprehensive trauma care at around Rs 1,000 per day, including medicines, ICU care and CT/MRI scans — as completely unviable. 'This was the main reason the scheme failed to take off earlier in Haryana,' former IMA president Dr Ajay Mahajan said. 'The state is now asking more hospitals to join, but without fixing the fundamental flaws,' Mahajan said. The recent directive by DGHS to involve other hospitals is seen as an attempt to revive the programme. But without a standard operating procedure (SOP), notification system for hospitals, or clear reimbursement policy, medical professionals say it's set up for another failure. 'Unless the state addresses these gaps swiftly, it's just another policy on paper. Meanwhile, lives that could have been saved continue to be lost,' Dr IMA Haryana secretary Dhirendar K Soni said. A senior official from DGHS (Haryana) said, 'The objective is to ensure no road accident victim is denied emergency care due to lack of financial resources. We are actively working on streamlining the onboarding process for non-Ayushman hospitals and will soon issue clear SOPs, including case registration protocols and payment mechanisms.' Additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Sudhir Rajpal on June 4 chaired a review meeting on the implementation of the scheme aimed at providing free and cashless emergency medical treatment to road accident victims across the state. During the meeting, it was informed that all hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) are by default automatically included under the road accident treatment scheme. However, it was highlighted that a greater number of hospitals need to be brought on board to ensure that accident victims receive timely and quality care at the nearest available health facility. The scheme showed promising results during a pilot project conducted at IIT Chennai, where full govt funding for the first week of post-accident treatment helped significantly reduce fatalities. Inspired by this, the Centre rolled it out in five states — including Haryana — under the condition that only Ayushman-empanelled hospitals would be included. However, this restriction, combined with low package rates, limited the scheme's effectiveness. As traffic accident numbers continue to rise, healthcare professionals warn that any further delay in resolving these issues could prove fatal — not just for victims on the road, but for the credibility of the state's emergency healthcare initiatives. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
12-year-old boy found dead inside bouncing castle in Lucknow's Hussainabad
In a tragic incident, a 12-year-old boy was found dead inside a Mickey Mouse-themed bouncing castle in Hussainabad area under Thakurganj late on Tuesday evening, police said on Wednesday. According to a police statement, the body was discovered in Hussainabad area on Durga Devi Marg under the jurisdiction of Satkhanda police outpost around 8pm on Tuesday. 'Local authorities were alerted by residents, after which a police team promptly reached the site. The child was found lying motionless inside the ride,' Thakurganj SHO Shrikant Rai said. 'The body was discovered when the ride was reopened for use. There were visible scratches and abrasion marks on his abdomen,' the SHO said, adding; 'Prima facie, the injuries appear to have been caused by the machine (air filler) used to inflate the bouncing castle, and the boy may have been trapped inside it.' Preliminary investigations suggest the child died after being caught in the structure of the inflatable ride. There were no immediate signs of foul play, though further inquiry is ongoing, the police statement said. The deceased was identified as Kalmuddin, son of Kallu, a native of Hardoi district. He was currently living with his sister in Thakurganj area and was sold bottled water around the Clock Tower in Hussainabad area, the SHO said, adding the body has been sent for the post-mortem examination and efforts are ongoing to contact the family members of the deceased. 'Further legal procedures are being followed, and the law and order situation at the site remains normal,' police said. Locals raised questions about the safety and maintenance standards of temporary amusement setups, especially those operated without proper regulation in densely populated localities. Sources told HT that the ride is privately owned and has been operating illegally in the area for a long time, with the Hussainabad and Allied Trust and sections of the district administration responsible for managing the Hussainabad zone looking the other way.
