Why menstruating women are impure and not allowed to touch anything?
In Jain Dharma, there is no claim that a woman's soul becomes morally impure during menstruation. The idea is about temporary ritual purity (shuddhi) for certain temple rites, not a statement about her spiritual worth.
Key points:
- The body’s natural cycle is not a sin. What is called ashaucha (ritual impurity) refers to temporary ineligibility for specific ritual acts, especially those involving idols, abhisheka, or temple rites.
- This is about ritual cleanliness for worship, not a condemnation of the person. After the period ends and proper snān-shuddhi is done, normal temple activities can resume.
- Practices differ by tradition and local achar. Digambara and Śvetāmbara communities may have slightly different rules or emphases, but neither tradition teaches that menstruation makes a woman spiritually inferior.
- Everyday devotion remains acceptable: svādhyāya, bhāva-pūjā from outside the sanctum, listening to pravachan, and acts of charity and compassion continue during this time.