Anasan:
It means fasting for a day, for some days or throughout
one's life and renouncing food and water etc., completely. The austerity
called upavas takes its place among those that constitute the beginning of
Anasan. Anasan or Fasting completely is in custom in respect of one's last
days or the last moments of one's life to render death auspicious.
Unodari:
Eating less than what one desires to eat at the time of
eating food and drinking less water than one desires to drink: eating and
drinking less (water) than the extent of one's hunger and thirst. This
austerity is called Unodari. Un means empty; Udar means the stomach. We
should keep the stomach empty to some extent. It is believed that when one
is healthy, one needs food that can supply 2500 calories of heat to the
body. This is considered enough. The Jain religion prescribes 32 handfuls
of food per day.
Vritti Sankshep (Reducing desires)
One must manage to live with the minimum of
necessaries. One must minimize one's desires and necessities. One must
exercise control over them. While eating food one must renounce some
dishes. One must leave some dishes in the plate without eating them; and
must keep them aside.
Rasa Tyag
This is a very important and psychologically
significant arrangement. It means renouncing those kinds of food and drink
that provoke the passions and encourage the instinctive excitements and
provocations. Of the six types of food (Rasas) one must renounce one or
more kinds. One should not consume ghee some times; one should renounce
oil, jaggery and milk some times. This can be done in two ways. One way is
to renounce the vigai (variety) in its original form. If one renounces
milk, he must not consume any of its forms or he must renounce all dishes
made out of milk and all Its forms. The second way is to renounce the raw
vigai and in that case, one should not consume only its raw form. He
cannot drink milk for instance, if he has renounced its raw form, but he
may consume any of Its modified forms. The same principle applies to the
other varieties also. Just as the effect of heavy and rich food; and that
of food containing sugar, falls on health; so also it falls on the
activities of the mind and on conduct. The Jain Dharma prohibits the
consuming of food that provokes passions and instincts because their
effect is very deep on the mind. It is an indisputable fact that our food
and drinks excercise an impact on our minds. If people cannot give them up
completely, they can at least limit the consumption of such things. It is
for this reason that such austerities as Ayambil-Neevi have been
prescribed,
Kaya Klesh
The body should be strengthened so that it may
withstand ailments and disorders. One should keep up the health of the
mind even when one is physically ill.
Samlinata
One should check the mental propensities and physical
potentialities from getting into inauspicious actions; and must turn them
towards auspicious ways. Sitting in solitude, on a special seat firmly and
peacefully one must become immersed in meditation and recitation of holy
hymns. This is Samlinata.
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