Answer

For an Upwas, Pachchakkhan is generally taken in the morning after completing daily essentials and deciding to observe the fast sincerely.

Usually, one takes Pachchakkhan for Upwas by resolving not to eat food for the day, according to the tradition followed in one’s Jain sampraday.

Regarding water:

• If your Upwas allows boiled water, then water is taken only during the permitted time period.
• Many people recite or mentally remember Navkar Mantra before drinking water as a devotional practice.
• Counting a fixed number of Navkar Mantras before and after drinking water is not universally required in all Jain traditions.
• If your guru, family tradition, or sangh has instructed a specific rule, you should follow that.

Explanation

In Jain Dharma, Pachchakkhan means taking a conscious vow or renunciation. For Upwas, it is not just “not eating”; it is a spiritual commitment made with awareness, restraint, and purity of intention.

Water rules can differ:

• Chauvihar Upwas: no food and no water after sunset, and depending on the vow, water may be avoided fully.
• Tivihar Upwas: no food, but boiled water may be allowed during the proper daytime period.

Navkar Mantra is always spiritually beneficial. But whether one must count Navkar before and after every water intake depends on the specific practice taught by one’s guru or tradition.

Spiritual Understanding

The purpose of Upwas is to reduce attachment to the body and increase awareness of the soul. Drinking water, if allowed, should also be done with mindfulness, restraint, and gratitude—not casually.

Remembering Navkar Mantra before drinking water helps keep the mind connected to Dharma.

Takeaway

Take Pachchakkhan for Upwas in the morning with proper intention. If water is allowed, drink only according to your tradition’s rules. Counting Navkar before and after water is a good devotional practice, but not a universal requirement unless prescribed by your guru or sangh.