3-year-old girl suffering from brain tumour dies after Jain 'Santhara' ritual in MP

Indore: A three-year-old girl suffering from brain tumour died after her parents initiated her into the Jain religious practice of fasting unto death as advised by a spiritual leader in Madhya Pradesh's Indore.

The girl, Viyana Jain, who was their only child, breathed her last on March 21, her parents said.

Santhara, also known as Sallekhana, is a Jain ritual of voluntarily fasting unto death. As per this practice, a person gradually reduces his or her intake of food and water until death as a means of achieving spiritual purification and detachment from the world.

According to her parents, the Golden Book of World Records has taken note and issued a certificate in the name of Viyana for being "the youngest person in the world to vow the Jain ritual Santhara".

Her parents, who work as Information Technology (IT) professionals, say that they decided to make their daughter take the Santhara vow after being advised by a Jain muni (monk).

Talking to PTI on Saturday, Piyush Jain, the girl's father, said, "My daughter was diagnosed with brain tumour in January this year. She underwent a surgery, following which her health improved. But in March, her condition deteriorated and she started facing difficulty in consuming food and drinking." On the night of March 21, he took his seriously ill daughter along with his family members to Jain monk Rajesh Muni Maharaj for darshan.

"Maharaj ji saw my daughter's condition and told us that the girl's end is near and she should be given the Santhara vow. This fast holds a lot of significance in Jainism. After thinking about it, we finally agreed to go for it," he said.

Jain said that his daughter died within a few minutes of the monk completing the religious rituals of Santhara.

He also said the Golden Book of World Records registered his daughter's name and issued a certificate of world record in which her name was mentioned as "the youngest person in the world to vow the Jain ritual Santhara".

Her mother Varsha Jain said, "I cannot describe how difficult the decision was to make my daughter take the Santhara vow. My daughter was suffering a lot due to the brain tumour. It was very painful for me to see her in this condition."

Remembering Viyana, her mother turned emotional and said, "I want my daughter to always be happy in her next birth." In the religious terminology of the Jain community, Santhara is also called 'Sallekhana' and 'Samadhi Maran'. Under this ancient practice, a person gives up food, water and worldly things to embrace death when he or she feels that the end has come.

The debate over Santhara in legal and religious circles intensified in 2015 when the Rajasthan High Court declared the practice a punishable offence under sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 309 (attempt to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.

However, the apex court, while hearing petitions filed by various religious bodies of the Jain community, stayed the Rajasthan High Court order.