The Jaina Doctrine of Karma And The Science Of Genetics: ● Other Austerities

There are some other common external austerities. They are:

(i) Navakārsī

In Navakārsī one has to take food and water fourty eight minutes after sunrise. Even the brushing of teeth and rinsing of mouth is done after sunrise in Navkārasī.

(ii) Porsī

Porsī means taking food and water three hours after sunrise.

(iii) Sādh-porsī

Sādh-porsī means taking food and water four hours and thirty minutes after sun rise.

(iv) Purimuddha

Purimuddha means taking food and water six hours after sun rise.

(v) Avadhdha

Avadhdha means taking food and water eight hours after sun rise.

(vi) Biyasaṇa

It means taking food twice in a day sitting at one place.

(vii) Ekāsaṇa

It means taking food only once in a day.

(viii) Āyaṁbila

It means taking food only once in one a day. The food should not have any taste and spices and should be boiled or cooked. Also one shall not take milk, curd, ghee, oil and green or raw vegetables.

(ix) Upavāsa

In Upavāsa one does not take food for whole day i.e. twenty-four hours starting from sunrise to sunrise the next day.

(a) Tivihāra Upavāsa:

One drinks only boiled water during upavāsa.

(b) Covihāra Upavāsa:

One does not even drink water during upavāsa.

(x) Tivihāra

In Tivihāra after sunset no food or juice is to be taken, but one can take only water until sunrise the next day.

(xi) Covihāra

In it after sunset no food or water is taken until sunrise the next day.

(xii) Telā

It means Upavās for three consecutive days.

(xiii) Atthā

It means Upavās for eight consecutive days.

(xiv) Māsakhamaṇa

It means consecutive Upavāsa for one month.

(xv) Navapada olī

During every year for 9 days starting from the 6/7th day in the bright fortnight until the full moon day in Āświna and Caitra months, one does Āyambila. This is repeated for the next four and half years. These Āyambilas can also be restricted to only one kind of food grain per day.

(xvi) Other austerities are

Varṣītapa, varadhamāna and Visasthānakatapa etc. In Ekāsana, Biyāsana, Āyambila or Upavāsa one takes only boiled water and that too only between sunrise and sunset. It is better if one can do Covihāra or Tivihāra day before starting these austerities. If any of the austerities allow food, one shall not take raw vegetables, underground roots and raw grains while performing such austerities.