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The penance performed by a monk endowed with the vision of Right Knowledge (samyakgyanddsss) to wash off the dirt of karmas from the soul, is called true penance. He who on subjugating five senses and four passions aroused by the abundance of semen is called penance. The author of the sacred book 'Dhawal' has also defined penance as followed:
"Tinram ryanranrmavidhbhadthmichhanriroho"
Suppression of desires to attain the three jewels - Right faith, Right knowledge, and Right conduct - is called penance. To discard all desires at heart and become absorbed in the real self in order to conquer the karmas is known as penance. The word penance means to shun the sensual pleasures. Therefore, one who desires to perform penance will have to first overcome the lust for sensual pleasures; only then penance can be called successful. The abstention of ambition for legitimate and illegitimate, right and wrong sensuous pleasures in order to attain the three jewels, viz. Right faith, Right knowledge, and Right conduct is termed penance. In Bhagwati Aradhana penance has been defined as strict observance of the rules of moral conduct:
Chranrami tasmi jo ujamo ya aunjanra ya jo hoi So chaiv jinraihin tavo bhanrido asadam charantas
The holy Lord Jinendra has declared the dedication to the moral code of conduct and the observance of these rules of morality in practical life penance.
To suffer calmly without murmur, the good or bad results of karmas that have become effective and not to commit any type of violence towards any living being is the essence of penance. In the critical appreciation of 'Sarvartha Siddhi' it has been said:
"Aniguhitviryasamargvirodhikayekaleshstapa"
To mortify the body as much as possible according to the rules laid for the path of salvation without letting your spiritual power lie dormant is penance. A wise thinker has said, "The path of the brave is thorny; it involves mortification of the flesh'.
The same thing has been stated in the Rajvartika as below:
"Dehsyaindryanram ch tapam karoti ityanshanadi tap ichauchaytai"
To keep fast and observe austerities by restraining man's tendency of indulging in the pleasures of the body and senses is penance. In Kartikeyanupreksha it has been said:
Ih par loye suhanram nrirvaikho jo karaidi sam bhavo Viviham kaya kalaisham tavdhammo nrimaalo tas
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