Answer

In Jain Dharma, Choumasa or Chaturmas means the sacred four-month rainy-season period when Jain monks and nuns stay in one place and do not travel.

The word Choumasa means four months.

Explanation

Normally, Jain sadhus and sadhvis keep moving from place to place. But during the rainy season, many tiny living beings are born in the soil, water, and vegetation. To avoid harming them while walking and travelling, monks and nuns remain in one location.

During Choumasa, laypeople also focus more on:

• Pratikraman
• Swadhyay
• Tapasya
• Upvas and other austerities
• Listening to pravachans
• Practicing ahimsa more carefully

Spiritual Understanding

Choumasa is a time for increased spiritual discipline. It reminds Jains to reduce carelessness, control desires, purify the soul, and live with greater awareness of ahimsa.

Takeaway

Choumasa is the four-month Jain spiritual season of restraint, study, tapasya, and deeper practice of ahimsa.