Sallekhana
(सल्लेखना)Literal Meaning
The gradual thinning of the body
Etymology & Sanskrit Root
'Sat' (right/true) plus 'lekhana' (thinning); the final, voluntary Jain vow of gradually renouncing food and desires as death approaches.
Spiritual Insight & Context
Sallekhana is explicitly distinguished from suicide — it is undertaken not out of fear, anger, or despair, but only from a state of complete peace and detachment.