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ii) Prayashchit - expiation or confession and repentance of sins;
iii) Dhyana - concentration of mind and not to let the mind go astray.
iv) Vaiyavrtyaya - rendering service to other saints, who have been rendered helpless due to sickness or old age.
v) Vyutsarga - giving up attachment to the body; and,
vi) Vinya - reverence or modest behavior - to practice four types of humility in conduct.
These external and internal penances form the code of conduct for the rigorous life of self-denial the ascetics have to lead.
Again, penance is of two kinds;
1.
Tamasa-tapasaya (kutap) - dark penance.
The dark penance involves the ghastly and terrible practices, as to sleep on the pointed iron nails, to walk on the burning fire, to get oneself suspended from a tree, to get oneself buried in the ground.
2. Satvika-tapasya (sutap) - real or true penance.
The true penance involves the genuine or natural ways of practicing penance. This real or true penance gives prominence to the practice of 'Dhayana' (meditation) and 'Upavasa' (fasting). Dark penance is the cause of migration of soul in the universe. True penance results in the liberation of the soul. Penance is practiced for eternal bliss. It has been said:
"Karmkshyarth tapayat iti tap"
Sarv sid.
The penance performed to annihilate the karmic matter is the real penance. Without annihilation of the karmas, the final goal i.e., liberation cannot be attained. Therefore, penance is a must for a living being aspiring for salvation. It has been stated in 'Rajvartika'- 'karmdahnatapa': that which results in the burning or annihilation of the karmas is called penance. Acharya Padam Nandi in the holy book 'Panchvinshati' has stated the same thing as follows:
"Karmmlbilyahetobordhdrisha tapayatai tapa proktam"
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