Answer

In Jain tradition, Attham is a three-day fast or austerity done with devotion, purity, and self-discipline. When Attham is done for Ajramar Gurudev, it is generally performed as an expression of:

• Guru-bhakti — devotion toward the Guru
• Gratitude — remembering the Guru’s spiritual guidance
• Spiritual purification — reducing attachment to the body and senses
• Seeking inspiration — strengthening one’s own path of samyak darshan, samyak jnan, and samyak charitra

Explanation

In Jain Dharma, a true Guru is highly revered because the Guru shows the path of liberation taught by the Tirthankars. Doing Attham in connection with a revered Gurudev is not meant as worship of a worldly personality, but as a disciplined spiritual practice inspired by the Guru’s virtues.

Through Attham, a devotee tries to:

• control hunger and desires,
• practice restraint,
• remember the Guru’s teachings,
• increase detachment,
• and purify karma through tapasya.

The name “Ajramar” means one who is spiritually remembered as beyond decay and death in the sense of enduring spiritual influence. In Jain understanding, the body is perishable, but the virtues, teachings, and spiritual inspiration of great Gurus remain alive for devotees.

Spiritual Understanding

Attham is not done to please the Guru in a worldly way. It is done to awaken similar virtues within oneself:

• vinay — humility,
• vairagya — detachment,
• tapas — austerity,
• shraddha — faith,
• and samyam — self-control.

In this way, Attham becomes a form of inner worship. The devotee honors the Guru by walking on the path the Guru taught.

Takeaway

Attham for Ajramar Gurudev is done out of devotion, gratitude, and spiritual discipline. Its true purpose is not ritual alone, but purification of the soul and deepening one’s commitment to the Jain path.