Not Eating Onion & Garlic

Dont eat Onion & Garlic according to the Upanishads:

Onion and garlic are considered to be non-vegetarian. How is it so? Among all vegetables, onion, and garlic made such a mistake that they were stripped of their vegetarian status and started being considered non-vegetarian. To get the answer for this we have to go back to the ancient scriptures of Ayurveda. The Upanishads say the entire universe is a combination of three qualities: namely – Sattva, Rajas & Tamas. “Sattva” means purity and goodness. “”Rajas” means passion and impulse. “Tama” means ignorance and inactivity. According to Ayurveda, food is also divided into these three categories; i.e. sattvik, rajasik, and tamasik. Sattvik basically refers to food in the mode of goodness: vegetarian foods like rice, wheat, leaves, sugar, ghee, fruit, nuts, etc. Rajasika basically refers to those foods that are very strong smelling, salty, or bitter in taste. Tamasika means stale or cold food, half-boiled, fish, meat, egg like all non-vegetarian food and alcohol, etc.

Onion & Garlic according to Ayurveda:

According to the ancient Ayurveda scriptures, due to the characteristics of onions and garlic, such as their pungent smell, they fall under the rajasik food category. Rajasik food arouses rajas guna, which increases anger, jealousy, pride, seeking publicity, self-centredness, and desire for worldly pleasures in the human mind. Such food should not be consumed. If one wants spiritual development of the mind, rajasik food is strictly forbidden for them. According to the famous Ayurveda scholar Dr. Robert E. Svoboda, “Eating onion and garlic makes worldly thoughts stronger.” Since giving up worldly thoughts is first necessary for the liberation of the soul, onions, and garlic are systematically prohibited in the scriptures. There are many other reasons behind the inclusion of onion and garlic as non-vegetarian and the prohibition as food. As both onions and garlic belong to the Allium family, they are very rich in phenolic phytochemicals, which act as androgenic, i.e. sexually stimulating substances in the human body. According to Ayurveda, these two, i.e. onions and garlic, are used to increase sexual power and remove infertility. By eating them, the central nervous system is directly stimulated. Now since these desires fall within the tamasik instincts of the human mind, a spiritually inclined person should refrain from eating onion and garlic.

Onion & Garlic considered Non-Veg?

Onion & Garlic according to ‘Manusamhita’:

In the ‘Manu Samhita,’ Manu advised the entire human race not to eat onion and garlic as food. One of the arguments which he gives in support of his statement is that since onions and garlic grow in soil, which is impure, pious people should refrain from consuming them. According to Manu, if a pious person eats any of these six foods like mushroom, pork, garlic, chicken, onion, and onion leaf, he has to perform ‘Krikshara’ or ‘Chandrayana’ which means fasting for one night. This is the atonement for consuming onion and garlic.

History of Onion-Garlic:

There are several accounts of the origin of onion and garlic in the scriptures. One of them is given below: according to Ayurveda, when Lord Vishnu appeared as Mohini Avatara to distribute Amrita (Nectar) exclusively amongst the demigods, Swarabhanu (Rahu-Ketu in disguise) came and sat in the rows of demigods. Somehow Mohini gave the Amrita to the asura. Chandra and Surya immediately informed Mohini Murti of Swarbhanu’s identity, but by that time the asura had already tasted the nectar. The Lord immediately cut off Swarabhanu’s head. By then, the drops of nectar did not reach his stomach through his throat. It fell on the ground from his mouth. From these drops of nectar, onion, and garlic originated and grew. Since onion and garlic are the remnants of the demons, and are contaminated with demoniac qualities, saintly people do not eat them. But onion and garlic do have some medicinal qualities too, because these two plants are born from nectar. They can be useful in curing various diseases. But just to cure disease; not for sense gratification. If one eats onions and garlic, his body might be strong as the asuras but his brain will be as weak as them, i.e. his intellect will be corrupted.

Why food containing onion and garlic is not acceptable in Vaishnavism?

Not only traditional Hinduism but also Vaishnavas have given their opinion against onion and garlic as food. All ideas, stories, and rules against onions and garlic are propagated in Vaishnava tradition. One such belief is the following:

History of the creation of Onions & Garlic:

A sage was performing the Gomedha Yajna (sacrificial offering of a cow). In order to perform this sacrifice, the body of the cow must be cut into many pieces and then later reconstructed by the power of chanting mantras while performing the fire sacrifice. At that time his wife was pregnant. As a result of being pregnant, the woman got attracted to the idea of eating beef. Unable to handle the strong desire, she hid a piece of meat from the pile of beef. She kept the meat aside to eat it later. When the sage finished his yajna and started chanting mantras to produce a new calf from that pile of meat a calf was born, but a piece of flesh was missing from the calf’s body. The sage started meditation and saw the reason why the flesh was missing. His wife then realized that her husband would catch her. She did not keep the piece of meat with her. Immediately she threw it away into the field. Now under the influence of the mantras by the sage, life force was transmitted in that flesh. Onions are born from the flesh and garlic from the bones of that cow. As these two vegetables are derived from the animal body, the Vaishnavas consider onion and garlic as non-vegetarian.

Onion & Garlic are also considered non-vegetarian in Jainism:

Onion and garlic are considered non-vegetarian in Jainism. As Jains advocate non-violence, they try to avoid harming or causing suffering to animals as much as possible in their daily life.

This principle of non-violence applies similarly to plants. Not eating root vegetables is a strict discipline followed by Jains. Root vegetables are potato, onion, garlic, carrot, etc. According to Jainism, all these root plants are ‘Anantakaya.’ It means one body, but an infinite, eternal life force. Like any root plant, the onion may appear to be a single root from the outside, but when peeled, it has many layers. This tiny plant gets hurt when it is picked up from the ground or uprooted. Because the eye (bulb) inside it, which is the smallest and root part of the onion, grows over time. So the complete extirpation of these root plants causes the death of the life, in a sense the entire plant, so they should be completely avoided.

Onion & Garlic in Islam:

However, onions and garlic are not so strictly prohibited in Islam. It only says that a Muslim should not go to the mosque after eating onion and garlic until he is sure that his stench has been removed, because its pungent smell is disturbing to others.

Conclusion:

There may be many interpretations, but the main point is that all religions speak about self-improvement or progress toward spiritual consciousness. Onion and garlic excite the human mind and are therefore a strong hindrance on the spiritual path and should not be taken as food by those who want to make advancement.