Set of vows for Jain householders that is meant to help them improve spiritual discipline. The Sanskrit term means ‘Vows of Instruction’. There are four vows:

• sāmāyika-vrata – practising equanimity
• poṣadhopavāsa-vrata – fasting regularly and withdrawing from household activities for a set period
• deśāvakā-vrata – limiting one’s movements
• dāna-vrata – giving charity properly, in the form of knowledge, medicine, comfort and food, especially to mendicants.