I’ll answer in three parts:

1. What is Navkarsi?

• Navkarsi = not eating or drinking anything until 48 minutes after sunrise.
• After that time, you:

1. Sit in one place, 2. Fold your hands, 3. Recite Navkar Mantra at least 3 times with devotion, 4. Then take your first food or water of the day.

It is considered a small daily tapas (austerity).

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2. Importance of Navkarsi & which punya we get

By doing Navkarsi even for one day, it is said that:

• One does karma-nirjarā equal to suffering of 100 years of hell life.

(This is a traditional Jain description to show its great merit.)

Navkarsi gives mainly these punya (meritorious karmas):

1. Punya of samyam (self-control)

- Controlling hunger–thirst for some time. - Training the mind to obey dharma, not the tongue.

1. Punya of shraddhā and bhakti

- Starting the day with Navkar Mantra and right bhāv (inner feeling). - Respecting sunrise as a ‘fresh start’ for spiritual life.

1. Punya of ahimsā-bhāv

- Not eating in darkness (before sunrise) avoids more unseen himsā. - Eating at proper time, peacefully and with awareness reduces careless violence.

1. Punya of niyam (good daily discipline)

- Regular niyam itself brings auspicious karmas and a stable mind.

Remember:

• Punya also binds karma, but it brings sukh (happiness), good birth, good surroundings, and supports progress on the path.
• Higher view of Jain dharma: both punya and pāp are bondage, but punya is like a golden chain, pāp like an iron chain. Still, Navkarsi is very helpful for laypeople to move towards purity.

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3. Why does nirjarā happen through Navkarsi?

In Jain philosophy:

• Asrava = inflow of new karmas
• Bandha = bondage of karmas to soul
• Samvar = stopping new karmas
• Nirjarā = shedding old karmas

Navkarsi supports nirjarā in this way:

1. Tapas (austerity) weakens karmas

- Controlling hunger–thirst, sitting calmly, doing mantra with focus = external and internal tapas. - Tapas is a main cause of sakam nirjarā (active shedding of karmas).

1. Reduction of kaṣāyas (anger, pride, deceit, greed)

- You bear small difficulty (waiting to eat) without irritation. - Lesser kaṣāya = karmic bond becomes weaker; old karmas “loosen” and fall off faster.

1. Purity of bhāv (inner state)

- If you do Navkarsi with: - shānti (peace), - kṛtajñatā (gratitude), - bhakti (devotion), then vibrations of the soul are purer. - Pure vibrations = attached karmic particles cannot stick strongly and begin to detach.

1. Less new asrava during that time

- Morning time is kept pure: no eating, less worldly activity, more dharma. - When new inflow (asrava) is less and tapas is more, net karmic stock goes down → this is nirjarā.

In short:

• Navkarsi = niyam + tapas + bhakti.
• Niyam and bhakti create punya.
• Tapas and pure bhāv create nirjarā (old karmas fall off faster).

If you wish to make your Navkarsi more powerful spiritually, do it with:

• Awareness of Nav Tattva (jiva, ajiva, punya, pāp, āsrava, bandha, samvar, nirjarā, moksha),
• Forgiveness bhāv (kṣamā),
• Humility and gratitude to the Tirthankars.

This way, the same small practice gives very deep inner benefit.