Article: Āyambil Oḷī

Śrīpāla’s adventures
Image by British Library © CC0 1.0 (Creative Commons Public Domain)

Jain ascetics often give the example of Śrīpāḷ and Mayṇāsundarī when they deliver a sermon on the siddhacakra. They concentrate on Mayṇāsundarī’s performance of the Navpad Oḷī Fast, which leads to the miraculous healing of Śrīpāḷ’s leprosy.

This narration echoes the preoccupation of the festival, which is marital happiness. It does not reproduce the structure of the epic – Śrīpāḷ Rājāno Rās – from which it is drawn, which includes many episodes tracing Śrīpāḷ’s adventures after he is healed.

Woman praying
Image by Chandu Shah © Chandu Shah

A major element of the twice-yearly Āyambil Oḷī festival is the fast, of which there are three types. Fasting is accompanied by a structured series of additional devotional and ascetic practices, including twice-daily confession, extensive temple worship focused on the siddhacakra yantra, recitation of the Navkar-mantra and study of the Śrīpāḷ and Mayṇāsundarī narrative.

Each day the participants gather for the better part of the afternoon to eat their single meal together, to study the story of Śrīpāḷ and Mayṇāsundarī and to perform the evening confession as a group. This sociability contrasts with the ascetic nature of these practices and, in this case, the tasteless food.

Generally, this fast is seen as a married women’s fast. While there are men who perform occasional, single-day āyambil fasts they virtually always do so at the behest of their wives. This almost imitates Śrīpāḷ’s performance of siddhacakra worship after his wife Mayṇāsundarī convinces him.

Equipment for religious rituals
Image by Ravin Mehta © Ravin Mehta

Traditionally, Jains believe that the āyambil fast and the worship of the siddhacakra, especially during the Āyambil Oḷī festival, promote marital happiness and the healing of skin diseases. The protection of general good health for all the family is another traditional benefit. These claims are drawn directly from the Śrīpāḷ and Mayṇāsundarī story.

Jains’ confidence in the effectiveness of the various āyambil fasts in worldly matters may arise from the siddhacakra worship as presented in the tale of Śrīpāḷ and Mayṇāsundarī and the other rituals associated with the fasts. It is vital to recall that the siddhacakra serves as both a powerful mantra and a yantra. In addition, Jains believe that both the siddhacakra and the Navkar-mantra it illustrates have magical powers. A Jain can harness these powers by reciting the mantra and worshipping the siddhacakra. The mantra is said to have the following powers:

• to protect the chanter from harm
• to counteract the negative effects of making contact with inauspiciousness
• to stand in for all other ritual utterances.

Jains often bless themselves with the water used to bathe religious icons or symbols used in daily or special worship, which they believe can prevent and cure skin diseases. However, Jains do not think that the water has gained its sacred powers from the Jinas because honouring them in rites of worship does not include expecting favours to be granted. Instead, Jains consider that this water has got its powers from flowing over the magical siddhacakra.

Thus there are connections between the tantric powers of mantra and yantra, as expressed in a Jain context through the siddhacakra, and the worldly effectiveness of a fast. The magical power of the yantra allows the fast to work on a worldly level while the fast also works on the level of karma reduction at the same time.