Answer

In Jain practice, Pachkhan / Pachchakkhan means taking a vow of restraint for a specific time and food discipline.

Here are the common meanings:

• Navkarsi Pachkhan: Vow not to eat or drink until about 48 minutes after sunrise, and only after doing Navkar Mantra remembrance.
• Porshi Pachkhan: Vow not to eat or drink for one prahar, usually about 3 hours after sunrise.
• Ekasan Pachkhan: Vow to eat only once in the day, seated in one place, without getting up during the meal.
• Ayambil Pachkhan: Vow to eat only one simple, tasteless meal in the day, without spices, oil, ghee, milk, curd, sweets, fruits, vegetables, etc., according to tradition.
• Upwas Pachkhan: Vow to observe a full fast for the day, usually giving up all food; water rules may vary by tradition and individual vow.

Explanation

The actual Pachkhan sutra wording can vary slightly by Jain tradition, sect, language, and local practice. Therefore, it should be taken from a learned Jain sadhu-sadhviji, guru bhagwant, or your family’s accepted tradition.

A simple English understanding of the vows is:

• Navkarsi: “I renounce eating and drinking until Navkarsi time.”
• Porshi: “I renounce eating and drinking until Porshi time.”
• Ekasan: “I take the vow to eat only once, in one sitting.”
• Ayambil: “I take the vow to do Ayambil with the prescribed simple food discipline.”
• Upwas: “I take the vow of fasting according to the rule I have accepted.”

Spiritual Understanding

These Pachkhans are not just food restrictions. They are practices of:

• Self-control
• Reducing attachment to taste
• Discipline of body and mind
• Awareness of the soul
• Progress toward inner purity

Takeaway

The essence of these Pachkhans is sanyam — self-restraint. For the exact traditional wording, it is best to follow the Pachkhan as taught in your Jain sampraday and by your guru.