Answer

In Jain practice, tyaag of vigai means taking a vow to give up certain rich or stimulating food items, while Ayambil food is a specific austere type of meal taken during the Ayambil tapa.

They are related, but they are not the same.

Explanation

Vigai generally refers to foods that increase taste-attachment and bodily indulgence. Traditionally, common vigai items include:

• Milk
• Curd
• Ghee
• Oil
• Jaggery or sweet items
• Fried, rich, or highly tasty preparations

Tyaag of vigai means a person gives up these items for a chosen period or as part of spiritual discipline.

Ayambil food is stricter than simply avoiding vigai. In Ayambil:

• Food is taken only once in the day.
• Food is simple and non-rich.
• No milk, curd, ghee, oil, sweets, fried foods, green vegetables, fruits, or spices are generally taken.
• The food is prepared plainly, usually boiled or cooked simply.
• The focus is not taste, but restraint and equanimity.

So, a person doing Ayambil is also avoiding vigai, but a person doing only tyaag of vigai is not necessarily doing Ayambil.

Spiritual Understanding

The purpose of both practices is to reduce attachment to taste, comfort, and bodily pleasure.

• Tyaag of vigai trains the mind to let go of specific indulgent items.
• Ayambil trains the mind more deeply by limiting both taste and quantity, and by making food very plain.

Ayambil is therefore a stronger form of food restraint and tapasya.

Takeaway

Tyaag of vigai means giving up rich taste-producing items. Ayambil food is a stricter austere meal that avoids vigai and also removes most taste, variety, and indulgence.