Answer

In Jain practice, during Tivihar, one gives up three types of food-related intake after a fixed time:

• Food
• Drinks other than water
• Some forms of edible intake

But boiled and properly cooled water may be taken until the permitted time, which is commonly understood as up to midnight, depending on the vow, tradition, and guidance of one’s Guru.

Explanation

The reason water is allowed in Tivihar is that Tivihar is not the same as Chauvihar.

• Chauvihar means giving up all four types of intake, including water.
• Tivihar means giving up three types, but water is still permitted for a limited period.

So in Tivihar, the person has taken a vow to avoid food and most consumables, but has not fully renounced water in the same way as Chauvihar.

Water is usually allowed only if it is:

• Boiled
• Filtered properly
• Used within the accepted time limit
• Taken with awareness and restraint

Spiritual Understanding

The purpose of Tivihar is to practice self-control, reduction of attachment, and care for living beings. By avoiding food and other drinks, one reduces bodily indulgence. Water is allowed only as a limited support for the body, not for taste or pleasure.

Midnight is followed in many communities as a practical boundary for water intake during Tivihar. However, exact practice can vary according to Jain tradition, local custom, and the instruction of one’s Guru.

Takeaway

Water can be consumed in Tivihar because Tivihar does not include complete renunciation of water. That complete restriction is called Chauvihar. In Tivihar, boiled water is allowed only within the accepted time limit and with restraint.