| Sadhvishree Pramodji with Mrs. Kanchan Devi Chhajer To attain liberation from the continuous circle of birth and death, causing pain and suffering, fasting also is accepted as an adequate means in Jainism to step out of the worldly routine, laying more stress on the spiritual reality of our being. When lay people are seeking guidance how to realise this dimension in themselves, they are encouraged by the saints to purify their souls. Doing fast with the approval of sadhvis/samanis or munis/samans or is no mere individual decision. It provides the social support of the community together with the fulfilment of the individual spiritual aim and the astonishment how far one is able to go. This is the same in the western culture when the period of fasting is integrated in the timetable of religous rites. | Fasting plays an important role in Jainism, because it has a purifying effect on the soul. The soul is deliberated from old karmic bondages, and new karma particles are hindered to cling to and cover the soul. In India, fasting takes place during the cold period, mainly at the end of it. In the occidental countries the period of fasting is between carneval and Easter, Easter marking the start of the warmer seasons. |
| Mrs. Kanchan Devi Chhajerin honoured by Mrs. Prem Bai Jain in presence of Munishree Sumermalji "Ladnun" | Mrs. Kanchan Devi Chhajer from Jalgaon [Maharashtra, India] felt inspired and blessed by two saints for her two periods of fasting. In 2003, when Munishree Sumermalji "Ladnun" spent his Chaturmas there, Mrs. Kanchan Devi Chhajer had completed a 41-days fast in his presence. She felt so energetic afterwards that she even completed a 61-days fast in 2004 when Sadhvishree Pramodji spent her Chaturmas there. |
