How do fasting and meditation help remove karma in Jain teachings?

In Jainism, karma is viewed as a physical substance that attaches to the soul, restricting its innate purity and binding it to the cycle of birth and death. To achieve moksha (liberation), a practitioner must both prevent the influx of new karma and eliminate existing karmic particles.12

The process of eliminating accrued karma is known as nirjara, or "wearing away". Fasting and meditation serve as essential forms of tapas (ascetic practice) that facilitate this destruction.123

• Fasting: As a form of external tapas, fasting—along with restricting diet and controlling taste—helps the practitioner detach from bodily needs and desires. By intentionally undergoing these physical austerities, the individual engages in the calculated cessation of the "passionate" actions that originally attracted karmic matter.13
• Meditation: As a form of internal tapas, meditation assists in the purification of the soul. It allows the practitioner to cultivate the mental discipline necessary to renounce the ego and maintain the equanimity required to stop the accumulation of new karma.132

Together, these practices help the soul shed its karmic burden, moving the individual closer to spiritual perfection.14