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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
§ 71. ] Nirayivaliyao.
53 penance such as one day's fasts, two days fasts, eight days' fasts * and so on.
* Chauttha, Chhattha, Atthama (Sk. Chaturtha, Sasta, Astama )-these terms require some explanation. In anciont days one day's fast, as practised by the Jains, consisted in cutting of one meal (generally the evening meal ) of the day previous to the day on which the actual fast was to be observed, and one zueal (geneTally the morning inoal) of the day next to it i.o. of the day on which the fast was to be broken. Adding to these two the cutting of the iwo more neals of the day on which the fast was actually observed, we get in all four inoals that were cut off. Thos, a person observing one day's fast abstained froin eating four meals as explained above, and from this it came to be known as
Chauttha' i.e. a fast in which four meals wure cut off Similarly, a man observing a two days' fast cut off four ineuls of the actual two days of the obserpance of the fast and one noal (generally the evening meal ) of the day previous to it, and ono meal (generally the morning incal) of the next day after it on which the fast wis broken. Thus in all six meals were cut off and hence the fast came to be known as Chhattha." The same rolo is to be applied to the remaining fasts such as Attham, Dasanna, Davă lasama (Sk. Dvãdas'a ) and 80 on, which terms denote the number of meals that were cut off in each of the respective fasts including one meal (generally the opening meal) of the day previous and one moal (generally the morning moal ) of the day after. An easy and interesting rule to find out as to for how many days a partioalar fast is to be
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