All About Santhara, Jain Ritual Of Voluntary Fasting To Death

A three-year-old girl with a terminal illness passed away after receiving Santhara – a Jain practice of voluntary fasting until death – from a spiritual leader in Indore.

Viyana Jain, the child of IT professionals Piyush and Varsha Jain, was found to have a brain tumour last December. After surgery and treatment did not succeed, the family sought spiritual guidance. On March 21, while visiting Jain monk Rajesh Muni Maharaj, the child received the Santhara vow with the agreement of her parents. Moments later, she passed away.

Santhara, referred to as Sallekhana, is a Jain spiritual custom where a person willingly decides to terminate their life by fasting, as stated by A Sundara, the head of the Department of Archaeology and Museums in Karnataka. The process entails slowly refraining from food and water, performed by Jains to cleanse the soul and achieve liberation.

A significant Jain scripture from approximately the 4th century AD, Ratnakaranda Shravakachara authored by Samantabhadra, provides a straightforward description of the Santhara vow and its proper observance. The passage indicates that this oath must be made to release the soul from the body, but only in critical circumstances – such as a natural disaster, advanced age, or an incurable disease.

Anyone making the vow must manage their emotions, relinquish all their belongings, and emotionally detach from those they care about. They ought to pardon all, seek forgiveness, and regret their misdeeds. Subsequently, with a calm mindset, they ought to concentrate on prayers and gradually cease eating and drinking, fasting until they pass away.

A Sundara’s study indicates that Jain texts explicitly state that Santhara should be practiced solely when death is imminent or when an individual cannot perform religious obligations due to advanced age, terminal illness, or severe circumstances such as famine.

Although Santhara is a respected and acknowledged practice in Jainism, it has encountered legal issues in India. In 2015, the Rajasthan High Court declared that Santhara is illegal, likening it to suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court concluded that the voluntary choice to take one’s own life constituted self-harm and could not be defended as a religious act.

The decision, however, faced opposition from the Jain community. A month later, the Supreme Court paused the order, permitting Santhara to proceed under the protections of religious freedom.