Hindus :Religiously & spiritually what are the reasons for not consuming onion & garl
@@Sri Vidya Rajagopalanji:-- Respected Sir, you may be correct in telling all these kind of vegetables not to be consumed or treated as "prohibited" Items.Nowadays MuLLangi,Murungai, etc only are plenty available. Moreoer you have not elaborated,say, not even mentioned on especially "ONION/GARLIC", which is the main in tension of my question.
@@@Sri Vidya Rajagopalanji, Respected Sir, I am very sorry that I've included "Garlic" in my previous additional details, which you have mentioned.
@@ @Sanatan Dharm :-- Can you prove that both Ramakrishna Paramahamsa & Vivekananda are non-veg??? I think it is because of your assumption that they were from Bengal, they MUST HAD BEEN CONSUMED "FISH", which is a non-veg item.
But I disagree with you on this.
@@@Pad Saheb, I am awaiting for your valuable opinions also. I am not closing it.
Tamas, Rajas and Sattva. - these Ayurvedic "vibrations" are characteristics of various foods and affect both the physical and astral bodies. This is the root theory behind various Hindu food customs.
Tamasic (heavy) foods such as meat and fermented foods (including alcohol) promote dullness and inertia.
Rajasic (expanding) foods including onions, garlic, hot spices, stimulants, fish, eggs and salt. are thought excite intellect and passion which interfere with meditation.
Sattvic (ascending) foods including fruits, vegetables and grains are thought to promote transcendence, sublimity and orderliness.
Clearly those on spiritual path should adhere to the static for their spiritual development while the others indulge in the rajas's and the the TamasICCeople - may take these foods.
Knowing fully well that onion and garlic are very good for health and vigour, our yogis forbade them for serious spiritual travellers. The main reason was that onion and garlic incite the sexual harmones and increase sexual urges. Anybody on the path of Yoga, have to struggle harder to control such energies, which can be avoided by not eating such Tamsic/Rajsic eatables.
On a lighter note why government allowed price rise of onions ? same reason ! make onions costlier and poor people can not afford and are less sexually aroused and thus reducing the population of India. Instead of appreciating our government's far-sighted plan, people are unnecessarily criticising the government...LOL
(although I am on yoga path but I do eat onions and garlics perhaps that is the reason i am still stuck up in YA). I personally do not condemn any food and feel if our devotion is strong and pure, we may still have spiritual progress. Paramhansa and Vivekananda were both non-veg but still achieved spiritual heights.
This question was answered by Sir Madhukhar Daftary Jo a few years back
Basically to live, we must have food and to have food, we have to take a life.Now this life can be any life- plant life,animal life and why even human life!!!(we have cannibals).So the talk about taking a life is so mundane,everything has life.
However, it is also important to not to cause pain and suffering to others.So we're stuck with two parities - to take care of ourselves and at the same time not to harm other beings.So the idea is to take a life that has the least form of sufferings.What has the least form of suffering? - Plant life.Also among plant life, you have plants with minimum sense organs.So onion and garlic do not come under this
Edit LOL, Sanathan, That's the same case with me too, I take a lot of spices too!!!
For spiritual and devotional aspects some food items including certain vegetables are to be avoided! Only static vegetables are to be consumed!!
Proper food is to be taken in order to improve the Sattvic qualities in us and curbing the Rajo and Tamasa Gunas which lead us to commit sin after sins in this life.
The three modes of material nature, or controlling principles are starve-guna (goodness), raj-guna (passion), and Tami-guna (ignorance).
B) (i) Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 17, Verses 8-10:
'Foods in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify ones existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such nourishing foods are sweet, juicy, fatty and palatable.
Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, pungent, dry and hot, are liked by people in the modes of passion. Such foods cause pain, distress, and disease.
Food cooked more than three hours before being eaten, which is tasteless, stale, putrid, decomposed and unclean, is food liked by people in the mode of ignorance.'
(ii) Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary:
Foods that are pleasant to eat, that bestow mental tranquillity, that are sustaining and easily digestible, that are nourishing and their essence remains invigorating the body even after digested are the foods which are dear to those endowed with the qualities of sattva guna.
Foods which are extremely acidic, salty, spicy, pungent and bitter such as azadirachta indica or burning such as chillies which burn the mouth, throat and stomach simply bring about distress and misery which leads to sickness and disease. Such foods are dear to those characterised with raja guna.
Foods which are half cooked, insipid, stale, tasteless, polluting, contaminated or leftovers from someone and foods that are forbidden to offer to the Supreme Lord such as meat, fish, fowl, eggs, onions, garlic, mushrooms, wine, alcohol, etc. are the foods of choice for those situated in tama guna.
The obvious conclusion is that those who are spiritually motivated and desire their best self interests should conscientiously avoid all foods characterised by raja guna and tama guna and resort exclusively to foods that are of sattva guna.
C) Ahara Niyamam:
This is a treatise on food to be taken and things to be avoided by Sri Vedanta Desikacharya.
Here are the prohibited items:
Tamil name, Popular and /or Botanical Name:
1. Athi Varieties - Ficus Racemosa
2. Perarku - Bauhinia Racemosa
3. Irali - Ficus Virens
4. Vellai Kathari - White egg plant | white brinjals
5. Aal - Banyan -
6. Arasu - Peepal Ficus Religiosa
7. Naruvili - Cordia Obliqua/M onoria
8. Pungu - Dalbergia
9. Ayil - Chittagong wood - Chickrasia
10. Aarai - Masculia Quadrifoli a
11. Thigaipoondu - A plant that causes confusion in mind
12. Kurinji - A shrub Maruthonr i Terminaw a
13. Tanri - Bellenica
14. Kusumbai - Carthamus Tinctoriu m
15. Velai - Cleone Pentaphytt a
16. Sivappu/Nattu MURUNGAI - Drumstick - Hyperanth era Muringa
There is no intention to force any food habit to anybody. It is like a debate on being a non-vegiterian vs vegiterian. The above food items are not used on vrata or srarta days. Some very few families (like the answerer) and most jains follow this food restrictions for ever!
The origin of this thought is in Ayurveda followed by Hindus in the ancient ages. Jainism evolved out of Hinduism and therefore abides to some of the tenets of Ayurveda.
There are three formats of food according to Ayurveda:
Rajasik: Foods rich in fat and content
Tamasik: Foods rich in spices
Saatvik: Foods simple and wholesome in nature
Onion and garlic have sharp flavors and are considered to have arousing properties. Therefore, they fall under the "damask" category.
The theory is based on the fact that "damask" food tends to excite the negative feelings such a anger, violence, and deceit and therefore should be avoided. Jains follow this to a strict extent. Many Hindus avoid damask food during festivals and poohs(worships).
Dear Mr. Nandi
?Rajasic (expanding) foods including onions, garlic, hot spices, stimulants, fish, eggs and salt. are thought excite intellect and passion which interfere with meditation.?
?For spiritual and devotional aspects some food items including certain vegetables are to be avoided! Only static vegetables are to be consumed!! ?
Proper food is to be taken in order to improve the Sattvic qualities in us and curbing the Rajo and Tamasa Gunas which lead us to commit sin after sins in this life.
These are the main objection to Onion and Garlic irrespective of good health values
Let us see the first objection:
Shiridi Sai Baba Himself was an emancipated soul and had full knowledge of the Supreme Spirit and was capable of giving such experiences to others. However, He not only had no objection to non-veg food; but never insisted that His devotees, used to non-veg food, should give it up. (Ch. 38, Shri Sai Satcharita)
He was also eating Garlic and Onion.
Sages such as Vishwamitra, kings like Janaka, who were famous as Brahma-jnani and having the knowledge of the Supreme Spirit, were also of warrior caste and non-veg food was not taboo for them. Otherwise great seers, like Mohammed Paigamber and Jesus Christ in other religions, where non-veg food is normally consumed, would not have been born at all.
Is Sage Viswamintra got attracted to Ramba due to eating onion/ or garlic? Surely not. He was doing Thapas. Neither Ramba ate Garlic before appearing in front of the Rishi.
How Parasara Rishi got attracted to Matsyagandha because of eating garlic? I doubt so; do not say he got attracted to her fish smell, because the sage is supposed to be pure vegetarian.
These Great Rishis lost their mind not because of taking Garlic or onion but because of losing oneself to senses. This can happen to anyone irrespective of the food they take.
WE have read the story about Agasthya Muni eating two demon brothers and digesting them to save Rishis and other people from these dreaded demons.
Sri Aurobindo used to eat chicken quite regularly for a year, even when he was in his high, higher, highest consciousness. Nothing affected him.
The common view of the majority of Sikh scholars appears to agree on the view that Sikhism does not require its followers to adhere to the long established Hindu and Yogic dictum of eating vegetables and grains only; that is refraining from the consumption of meat, eggs and fish. However the Guru Granth Sahib, the spiritual guide of every Sikh,
makes one thing very clear in regard to a Sikh's diet. A Sikh should consume only healthy foods and drinks that are good for the body, nutrition that causes no harm to the body.
Islam allows the consumption of halal meat, which meets ritual requirements.
The interpretation of Buddha?s teaching was that it was OK to buy and eat meat if the being wasn?t killed directly for you.
Tibetan Buddhist Monks are meat eaters since climatic conditions made successful year-round agriculture impossible.
Equating Garlic and onion with meat and fish defies the definition of vegetarianism itself!!
Hence this notion against Garlic, onion and other root vegetables is untenable
We offer Nuts to Hari and consume also!!!
Scientifically proven, Garlic is rich in amino acid arginine and low in lysine and onion too. But comparably the levels are far lower than the levels of arginine present in all the nuts. 100 gms of garlic has at least a 1000 fold lesser arginine than 100 grams of walnut or almond or cashew. Are you saying that only "Satvik" food can be offerable to Hari? Then why these nuts are taken by devotees and offered to God?
Medicinal Benefits of Garlic and onion
In Ayurveda, medicinal and healing values of garlic are mentioned. Onion and garlic helps boosting up immunity, fighting against coughs and colds, asthma, warding off several diseases, parasites in intestines and many infections. Even modern researches confirm those healing benefits of Allium species.
Several population studies show an association between increased intake of garlic and reduced risk of certain cancers, including cancers of the stomach, colon, esophagus, pancreas, and breast.
We eat Garlic and onion regularly and back home Garlic Rasam is a must after oil bath.
In those days Chinna vengaya sambar and potato/ vengayam curry on a Sunday morning is a treat.. Oh what a taste!!!
By the way what type of shoes and belts those who object to onion and Garlic wear; must be made out of leather. I leave that to you.
The best possible meditation and tapas in Kaliyuga is not to hurt anyone ,mentally or physically
Let us go through the question
Religiously and spiritually what are the reasons for not consuming onion and Garlic in Hinduism and Jainism.
Obviously the question is not from the angle of health or from any other angle
Garlic and onion both have many health benefits but that is not the point the questioner wanted; he wants only spiritual reasons for avoiding garlic and onion.
I am not going to quote references from Scriptures and Puranas as it has been elaborately given by other knowledgeable members.
I am going to support my answer from practical view point only.
About Jains not eating Garlic and onion
Jains do not eat Garlic or onion, that is a part of their religion;
The Jains have very strict dietary rules; Not only they are vegetarian, but they do not eat anything with seeds (this would prevent the plant from renewing its life) or any bulb for the same reason. They also believe that eating Garlic and onion increases the sexual desires.
Jains (a sect of Hindus in India) in their efforts to eat with the least amount of violence won?t eat plants that grow underground, including potatoes, because animals may be harmed in their harvest.
Now coming to some Hindu spiritual aspirants not eating Garlic and onion.
One possible reason is that as onions, ginger, or garlic, give off a strong odor and when a group seven or eight Sadhus/ Rishis meditate in forests or in a caves in a circle and if somebody ate those things, it would produce a strong, pungent odor that would affect other people meditation and their ability to become still inside, so it would seriously interfere with other people practice; That why they considered those foods taboo and made them off limits.
It is not that all Hindus avoid eating Garlic and onion, only those who are in the process of spiritual ascendancy avoid eating Garlic. The goal of all spiritual sadhus, is actually to cleanse oneself of all the internal impurities. Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, and all other impurities should be completely annihilated. Two very important niyamas are a must for this sadhaka to achieve moksha. Observance of celibacy is the first. This can be acquired gradually. Avoidance of onion and garlic, which are rajasic foods, is the second.' A Sadhaka should observe perfect discipline. He must be civil, polite, courteous, gentle, noble and gracious in his behavior
He must have perseverance, adamantine will, asinine patience and leech-like tenacity
in Sadhana. He must be perfectly self-controlled, pure and devoted to
the Guru.
Food plays a prominent place in Yoga-Sadhana. Food plays a prominent place in Yoga-Sadhana. An aspirant should be very careful in the selection of articles of Sattvic nature especially in the beginning of his Sadhana period. Later on when Siddhi is attained, drastic dietetic restrictions can be removed. Purity of food leads to purity of mind.
The discipline of food is very necessary for Yogic Sadhana. If the
tongue is controlled, all the other Indriyas are controlled.
Garlic and onion is a catalyst to reproduce the sex desire in us.
It should be pointed out that Garlic and onion are avoided by spiritual adherents because they stimulate the central nervous system, and can disturb vows of celibacy.
As well as producing offensive breath and body odor, these (alliaceous) plants induce aggravation, agitation, anxiety and aggression which a Spiritual Sadhaka must avoid.
For meditation, one needs to concentrate.
If there is blaring mike sound or strong odor both will disturb the mind, and concentration becomes very difficult.
Food items prepared mixing with Garlic and onion give off profound smell that would impair Deity worship, effectively disturb the sadhaka from performing his rituals.
Many Hindu homes avoid using Garlic and onion on in their food item on Ekadasi/ Dwadasi and other pooja days. Imagine that you are doing a daily prayer and if the neighbor cooks Karuvadu (dry fish) mixed with garlic and onion, the odor coming out from cooking would become unbearable for you to concentrate on your daily prayer.
Temple Prasadams never contain Garlic or onion.
In the temples where there is a crowd, some bad smell may emanate from someone; this will surely disturb meditating on the deity. To nullify the effect of bad odor, we find Scented Dhoops, Samprani, Camphor are lighted.
Reiki practitioners explain that garlic and onions are among the first substances to be expelled from a person?s system ? along with tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceutical medications.
Saint Viswamintra losing to Ramba has a purpose; their union has produced Sakuntala and through her son Bharata, and our country got the name Bh?ratavar?a; and "Bh?rata" today is the official name of the Republic of India
Similarly Parasara Muni?s affair with fish smelling ferry-woman is to give a gift to this world in the form of Vyasa, who later composed the Mahabharata.
The TamasICCastras give instructions for the sacrifice of an animal like a goat or buffalo before the goddess Kali. Because in the flesh, there is no taste, TamasICCeople add garlic and onion to make the flesh little palatable. Otherwise, there is no taste in dead flesh. Only persons in the mode of Tamas (darkness and ignorance) take pleasure in such abominable dead bodies.
Eating onions and garlic adversely affects one?s consciousness. Because the modes of goodness, passion, and ignorance influence every living thing?human, animal, or plant?and we learn from the Vedic literature that onions and garlic are in the lower modes of nature: passion and ignorance. In spiritual life one should cultivate the mode of goodness and avoid the lower modes.
A human being must follow the following four regulative principles:
A) No eating of meat, fish, eggs, onion, garlic etc.
B) No intoxication including tea, coffee etc.
C) No gambling including frivolous sports.
D) No illicit sex (sex outside of marriage or in marriage not meant for the procreation of God conscious children).
If one one does not abstain from these four sinful things, one breaks the four principles of drama, viz., mercy, austerity, truthfulness, cleanliness respectively, and becomes Adham and cannot follow the spiritual life.
As shown by C. Sri Vidya Rajagopalan, onion and garlic comes in the category of tamas and one who eats them becomes tamasic. One has to come at least the rajasic platform and then to Satvika platform. Finally one has to transcend even sattva to be situated in the spiritual platform and being situated in the spiritual platform one certainly does not indulge in tamasic or rajasic food.
I wholeheartedly appreciate his inputs of quoting Keshava Kashmiri and Vedanta Desikacarya.
BG 17.4: Men in the mode of goodness worship the demigods; those in the mode of passion worship the demons; and those in the mode of ignorance worship ghosts and spirits.
BG 17.5-6: Those who undergo severe austerities and penances not recommended in the scriptures, performing them out of pride and egoism, who are impelled by lust and attachment, who are foolish and who torture the material elements of the body as well as the Supersoul dwelling within, are to be known as demons.
BG 17.7: Even the food each person prefers is of three kinds, according to the three modes of material nature. The same is true of sacrifices, austerities and charity. Now hear of the distinctions between them.
BG 17.8: Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one's existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart.
BG 17.9: Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease.
BG 17.10: Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the mode of darkness.
BG 17.11: Of sacrifices, the sacrifice performed according to the directions of scripture, as a matter of duty, by those who desire no reward, is of the nature of goodness.
BG 17.12: But the sacrifice performed for some material benefit, or for the sake of pride, O chief of the Bharatas, you should know to be in the mode of passion.
BG 17.13: Any sacrifice performed without regard for the directions of scripture, without distribution of prasadam [spiritual food], without chanting of Vedic hymns and remunerations to the priests, and without faith is considered to be in the mode of ignorance.
BG 17.14: Austerity of the body consists in worship of the Supreme Lord, the brahmanas, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father and mother, and in cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy and nonviolence.
BG 17.15: Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others, and also in regularly reciting Vedic literature.
BG 17.16: And satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self-control and purification of one's existence are the austerities of the mind.
BG 17.17: This threefold austerity, performed with transcendental faith by men not expecting material benefits but engaged only for the sake of the Supreme, is called austerity in goodness.
BG 17.18: Penance performed out of pride and for the sake of gaining respect, honor and worship is said to be in the mode of passion. It is neither stable nor permanent.
BG 17.19: Penance performed out of foolishness, with self-torture or to destroy or injure others, is said to be in the mode of ignorance.
I don't believe in religiously or spiritually for not eating onion and garlic but practically we should stop consuming onion and garlic till prices comes down.
these food items increase blood flow in the body...........i mean they are ventilators..............
so essentially they increase sex drive.................as it increases blood flow to sex organs.......
now..............................
most religions in the world consider mans sexual indulgence is the greatest hindrance in achieving
spirituality........................so every religion has an inherent way to suppress sex drive of man....................
it may be direct or indirect................for an egg:circumcision among Muslims and Jews.................
Hinduism as lo insists non indulgence in sex during some Ruth period..................
you may ask if it is so there AR also other stimulator's...................ofcourse there are,but onion and garlic
consumpton is of a regular basis and it's effects is more known to ancient religious preachers
I think onion and garlic has high degree of TESTOSTERON ELLEVIATING chemicals in it.
Hence a person eating them can not digest TAMAS in them ESP. spiritual practitioners/Saadhak.
Although they have high degree of diesease resistive properties in them.
i personally use
GARLIC WATER SOAKED OVERNIGHT
because its TESTOSTERON bestover and helps in gastric problems.
GARLIC HAS NATURAL STEROID AND IS ANTI CANCER
Simple and straight answer sir-- some Hindus believe that it makes one more emotional. And they consider emotional as vulnerable prone.
Jains don?t eat root vegetables such as potatoes, onions, roots and tubers, because tiny life forms are injured when the plant is pulled up and because the bulb is seen as a living being, as it is able to sprout.[11] Also, consumption of most root vegetables involves uprooting & killing the entire plant. Whereas consumption of most terrestrial vegetables doesn't kill the plant (it lives on after plucking the vegetables or it was seasonally supposed to wither away anyway).
Hindus :Religiously & spiritually what are the reasons for not consuming onion & garl
