Maun Agiyaras 2026 – The Jain Day of Silence & Fasting
मौन अगियारस
When is Maun Agiyaras in 2026?
Maun Agiyaras falls on Sunday, 20 December 2026. It is the Jain day of silence and fasting kept on the eleventh tithi (Agiyaras) of the bright fortnight of Margashirsha. Devotees stay completely silent through the day and give the time to prayer, meditation and scripture.
Maun Agiyaras, also written Maun Ekadashi, is the Jain day of silence. It is observed on Agiyaras – the eleventh day of the bright fortnight of Margashirsha, which lands in late November or December. On this single tithi devotees keep complete maun, speaking no words from morning to evening, and pair the silence with a full fast. The rest of the day goes to prayer, meditation, pratikraman and reading. The day carries unusual weight because 150 kalyanaks, the great life-events of the Tirthankars, are said to fall on it.
Maun Agiyaras 2026-2028: Dates & Calendar
In 2026 Maun Agiyaras is on 20 December. Because it is fixed to a lunar tithi – Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi – the English calendar date shifts by a couple of weeks each year.
| Year | Date | Day | Tithi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 December | Sunday | Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi |
| 2027 | 9 December | Thursday | Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi |
| 2028 | 27 November | Monday | Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi |
Many families keep Maun Agiyaras as a niyam for a set number of years – often eleven – completing the vow with a special udyapan (concluding ceremony) in the final year.
Why Maun Agiyaras Is Observed
Maun Agiyaras is observed to still the tongue and the mind at once, cutting off the endless stream of idle speech that Jain thought treats as a steady source of karma. The day is held especially sacred because a remarkable cluster of Tirthankar kalyanaks is said to fall on this one tithi.
In Jain practice, speech is never neutral. Careless words – gossip, argument, boasting, half-truths – all draw in karma and disturb the soul’s natural clarity. Keeping maun for a whole day is a direct, honest way to see how much of daily talk is simply noise, and how quiet the mind becomes when the mouth is closed.
150 kalyanaks on one tithi
Tradition holds that 150 kalyanaks – the auspicious life-events of the Tirthankars, their births, renunciations and moments of enlightenment across past, present and future time-cycles – fall on Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi. That density of sacred events is what makes the day exceptional for silent worship and remembrance.
Silence as inner cleaning
Maun is not merely not-speaking. It is a deliberate turn inward, freeing the hours usually spent talking for meditation, japa and self-examination. Practitioners describe a calm that settles once the reflex to reply, explain or comment is set aside for a full day.
Fasting with the vow
The silence is kept alongside a fast, so both speech and appetite are held in check together. Restraining the body and the tongue on the same day is meant to sharpen awareness and make the meditation and scripture-reading of the day far more absorbing.
How Maun Agiyaras Is Kept, Step by Step
The vrat is simple in shape but demanding to hold well – the whole day is arranged around unbroken silence and a fast.
- Begin at dawn. After bathing, the observer formally takes the resolve (sankalp) to keep maun and fast for the full day, usually before a Tirthankar image or in the home shrine.
- Keep complete silence. No speaking from morning until the vow ends in the evening. Many carry a small slate or paper for unavoidable messages, and quietly step back from conversation, phone calls and casual company.
- Fast through the day. Devotees keep an upvas (fast); some take only boiled water, while others follow a lighter ekasana or restrained diet depending on their capacity and tradition.
- Do pratikraman. The reflective practice of pratikraman – reviewing the day’s conduct and seeking to undo faults – is central, done silently or by reading.
- Read and meditate. The freed hours go to scripture, stavans, samayik (a fixed period of equanimity) and quiet meditation on the Tirthankars whose kalyanaks the day honours.
- Visit the derasar. Where possible, observers spend part of the day at the temple for darshan and puja, still keeping their silence.
- Conclude in the evening. The maun and the fast are ended at the appointed time, often with a short prayer of gratitude before breaking silence and taking food.
Maun Agiyaras Do's and Don'ts
A few practical points help the vow hold cleanly for the whole day.
Do
- Take a clear sankalp in the morning and fix the hour you will break silence.
- Plan the day beforehand so you avoid situations that force you to speak.
- Use the quiet time for pratikraman, samayik, japa and reading.
- Keep a slate or notepad for anything genuinely unavoidable.
- Drink boiled water if your fast allows, and rest when needed.
Avoid
- Do not slip into idle talk, gossip or argument – that undoes the point of maun.
- Do not fill the silence with television, loud music or endless scrolling.
- Do not fast beyond your physical capacity; the elderly and unwell should follow a gentler form.
- Do not treat silence as sulking – the mood should stay calm and open.
- Do not break the vow early over small provocations; let disturbances pass quietly.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Maun Agiyaras in 2026?
Maun Agiyaras is on Sunday, 20 December 2026. It falls on Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi, the eleventh day of the bright fortnight of Margashirsha in the Hindu lunisolar calendar.
When is Maun Agiyaras in 2027 and 2028?
Maun Agiyaras will fall on 9 December 2027 (Thursday) and on 27 November 2028 (Monday). The English date moves each year because the observance is fixed to the lunar tithi of Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi rather than a fixed calendar day.
What does Maun Agiyaras mean?
Maun Agiyaras means the silent (maun) eleventh day (agiyaras) of the fortnight. It is a Jain observance of complete silence and fasting kept for the whole day, spent in prayer, meditation and scripture instead of speech.
Why is Maun Agiyaras so sacred?
Maun Agiyaras is held especially sacred because 150 kalyanaks – the auspicious births, renunciations and enlightenments of the Tirthankars of the past, present and future – are said to fall on this single tithi. Silent worship on such a day is considered highly meritorious.
Is Maun Agiyaras only for Jains?
Maun Agiyaras is primarily a Jain observance and holds deep meaning in Jain practice. The same tithi, Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi, is also observed by many Hindus as Mokshada Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti, so the day is significant across communities.
How is the fast on Maun Agiyaras kept?
On Maun Agiyaras devotees keep an upvas (fast) alongside their silence. Practice varies – some take only boiled water, others follow a lighter ekasana or restrained diet – and it should always be matched to a person’s health and capacity.
Can Maun Agiyaras be kept as a vow for several years?
Yes. Many families keep Maun Agiyaras as a niyam (vow) for a set number of years, commonly eleven, repeating the silence and fast each year and completing the vow with a special udyapan or concluding ceremony in the final year.
What should you do during the silence?
During Maun Agiyaras the hours normally spent talking are given to pratikraman, samayik, meditation, japa and reading scripture, often with a temple visit for darshan. The aim is to turn the mind inward and away from idle speech and the karma it draws in.
May this Maun Agiyaras bring you a day of true quiet and a calmer, clearer mind. Micchami Dukkadam.