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How to do Ekasana
Ekasana (also called Ekashana/Shvetambar) or Ekabhukta (Digambar) means: one meal, in one sitting, during daylight, with restraint and devotion.
Simple step-by-step 1) Purity and intention
- Wake before sunrise, bathe, do Navkar Mantra and brief pratikraman/alochana.
- Take pachchakkhan (vow): “Today I will do Ekasana—one meal, one sitting, during daylight, with care and non‑violence.”
- Keep the place and utensils clean; avoid cooking or handling food after sunset of the previous night.
2) Time window
- Take the single meal after sunrise and well before sunset. Do not eat again that day.
3) One sitting discipline
- Sit on a fixed asan/patla. Do not shift place or move the patla once you start.
- Eat mindfully, without distractions, in silence if possible.
- Finish fully; once you get up, Ekasana is over.
4) Food discipline (maryada)
- Fresh, simple, ahimsak food. Avoid leftovers and unnecessary variety.
- No tasting while cooking; no nibbling before or after the meal.
- Keep quantity moderate; aim for detachment, not indulgence.
5) Water rule
- Prefer boiled, well‑filtered water.
- Stricter Ekasana: water only with the meal; none before/after.
- In any case, avoid water after sunset.
6) After the meal
- Rinse, do short prayers of gratitude (Navkar, stavans).
- No more eating that day. Maintain humility and restraint in speech, body, and mind.
Differences in tradition
- Shvetambar (Ekasana): one meal in one sitting by day; many households allow minimal boiled water in daytime, but the stricter form takes water only with the meal and never after sunset.
- Digambar (Ekabhukta): generally stricter; ideal is food and necessary water only once, at one sitting, by day; avoid water at night.
Helpful notes
- The essence is samyam (self‑control), ahimsa (carefulness), and bhakti (devotion), not merely “skipping meals.”
- If health requires, take guidance from your guru/elders and adjust with honesty; never hide or boast about tapas.
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