Answer

An Atthai is a Jain tapasya in which a person fasts for 8 consecutive days.

During Atthai, the person usually gives up solid food completely and observes the fast with spiritual discipline, prayer, repentance, and self-control.

Explanation

The word Atthai refers to eight days. It is considered a significant form of Jain austerity.

Depending on one’s health, guidance, and tradition, the fast may be done with:

• Only boiled water during permitted hours, or
• In stricter forms, without water for certain periods, according to one’s capacity and vows.

Atthai is commonly observed during spiritually important times such as Paryushan, though it can be performed at other times as well.

Spiritual Understanding

The purpose of Atthai is not merely to avoid food. Its deeper meaning is:

• To reduce attachment to the body and taste
• To practice self-control
• To purify karma through tapasya
• To spend more time in samayik, pratikraman, swadhyay, and devotion

Takeaway

Atthai is an 8-day Jain fast undertaken with faith, discipline, and inner purification. It should be done according to one’s capacity and ideally with proper guidance.