Recommended article to read before this:
- 12 Types of Tap in Jainism: https://medium.com/@jayshah_84248/12-types-of-tap-in-jainism-109a32f2591b
Austerity (Tap) means restraint, which is done willingly by giving away some of the bodily comforts to discipline our minds from patience and pleasures. Tap helps us in destroying(Nirjara) Karma. There are six types of Bahyantar tap. The Bahyantar taps are mainly related to controlling usage of food. The main focus of this tap is to control food, because food we eat affects the thoughts and it is important to purify our thoughts to accumalate Subh Bhaav Karma. But these taps are not limited to usage of food and can be extended to controlling passions like krodh(anger), maan(ego), maya(deceive), lobh(greed). Bahyantar tap helps in Abhyantar tap (Internal Auterties). This tap can be extended to controlling possession of materialistic things like money, mobile phone. The six types are:
1] Anshan
It means fasting for some time, a day, or for some days or throughout one’s life and renouncing food and water completely. It has following types:
- Itwarik
a] Sarva:
Any upvaas done without four types of Aahar is called Sarva.
Four types are Asnam Paanam Khaimam Saimam.
Asnam means to not use any kind of food.
Paanam means to not use water for drinking.
Khaimam means to not use dryfruits.
Saimam means to not use mukvaas.
In time of 1st Tirthankar, we will see capability in humans to fast till maximum of 1 year.
In time of 2nd to 23rd Tirthankar, we will see capability in humans to fast till maximum of 8 months.
In and After time of 24th Tirthankar, we will see capability in humans to fast till maximum of 6 months.
b] Desh:
Example for this type of tap is Porsi, Navakarshi, etc - Yaavajiva: Example for this tap is Salekhanna or Santhara. Salekhanna is the religious practice of voluntarily fasting to death by gradually reducing the intake of food and liquids. It is viewed in Jainism as the thinning of human passions and the body, and another means of destroying rebirth-influencing karma by withdrawing all physical and mental activities. Only Punyavan (lucky) person can get opportunity to do Salekhanna.
2] Unodri
It means to eat little less than what is required.
Unodari is of two types:
- Dravya(Pudgal/Matter) Unodari: It means keeping less things than required.
Eat and drink water less than what one desires.
For example, if you required 2 bowl of vegetable to full your stomach and satsfy you hunger, then in unodri tap you only eat 1 bowl of vegetable.
The significance of this tap when did with food is that when you are full stomach you are lazy and higher chances of inauspocious thoughts coming in your mind.
But if you eat little less then what is required to fill your full stomach then you have energy and less chances of inauspocious thoughts coming in your mind - Bhaav Unodari: It means to limit our desires to some extent and also controlling our kashayas .i.e anger, pride, greed and deceit.
For example, if you get angry 20–30 times in a day, then you do Bhaav unodri that you will get angry only 10 times and after 10 time no matter what you won’t get angry
3] Vriti Sanksepa
Vriti ka sanksepa i.e. Putting limitations on desires.
This tap is carried out in four ways :
- Dravya — to have pre-determination of having a certain item is called Dravya abhigraha. For example:
If there are 5 food items on the dinner table then you will only use 2 food items out of the 5 food items.
Another example is to decide to always wear pair of clothes which is on top of cloths stack in closet - Kshetra — to take food at a specific location is called kshetra abhigraha. For example: To restrict your presence in a certain distance. To restrict doing business to certain places. To always use food at specific locations
- Kaal — To fix a specific time is called kal abhigraha. Do not use certain types of food like Lilotri during the four month time of monsoon.
- Bhaav — To get the food only from a particular individual or certain type of person is called Bhaav Abhigraha. Another example will be to not be angry more than 5 times a day.
4] Ras Tyaag
It means renouncing those kinds of food and drink that we like the most for a certain amount of time. This helps develop mental thoughts of not having liking or having less liking thoughts of eating particular food of a particular taste.
This tap is not limited to food items. You can renounce any material, emotion that you like the most.
For example, if you like using mobile-phones then you can renounce using mobile-phones for a day.
5] Kaaya-Kalesh
Kaya means body and Klesha means forbearance. Body is an instrument that is needed in good condition for undertaking spiritual sadhana and therefore, it is important to develop its endurance. By developing physical endurance power(Shehan Shakti), jiva is enabled to tolerate bodily inconveniences with equanimity. There are several ways one can practise the austerity of Kayaklesh:
- Location : This involves practising sadhana while standing.
- Yogic Posture : This involves practising various yogic postures like padmasan, vajrasan, virasan etc.
- Shayan : means lying down, this involves practicing Kayotsarga(Kausagg), relaxation by experiencing that body and soul are separate.
- Atapna : This requires standing steadily while facing the sun and bearing the heat of the sun.
- Aparvaran : This needs tolerating cold, especially in the winter season, without any or with few clothes on.
- Sharir-Parityag : This involves putting on bad makeup on the body.
6] Sanlinta/Pratisanlinta
This tap is to restrain/compress actions that bring pleasant and unpleasant temptations, restrain/compress actions from doing Paap Karya, restrain/compress actions from doing Asubh Karya.
Pratisanlinta is of four types:
- Indirya Sanlinta : means to control our senses
- Kashay Sanlinta : means to control our kashays, i.e Anger, pride, deceit and greed.
- Yog Sanlinta : Means to use our body, mind and speech for the upliftment of the soul.
- Vivatachar Sanlinta : Such places should be avoided that obstruct our spiritual progress.