‘The hidden lives ban’: The Jain mystery behind banning potatoes, garlic, and onions
Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Silent Soil
Root vegetables are skipped as uprooting them kills whole organisms. Jain texts call them “ananthkay”—infinite lives in one. It’s a diet rooted in deep compassion for the unseen.
Fungi Forbidden
Jains avoid mushrooms and yeasts, believing them to possess multiple senses. Unlike one-sensed plants, these life forms deserve a wider circle of ethical protection.
Sun-Fueled
Meals follow the sun—first after sunrise, last before sunset. Called choviar, this rhythm aligns with circadian health principles and spiritual balance, according to Jain monks.
Sacred Simplicity
92% of Jains are vegetarian, avoiding all forms of animal products. This isn’t just diet—it’s a spiritual vow, noted in the 2014 Pew Research Center’s religious diet survey.
Grateful Bites
Each meal begins with prayer, asking forgiveness from life harmed in its making. It’s a moment of reflection, transforming eating into an act of humility and grace.
Mindful Making
Food is prepped with seasonal produce and a peaceful mindset. Like Zen monks, Jain cooks treat cooking as meditation—conscious, calm, and full of care.
Threefold Food
All food is seen as Ahara—categorized into sātvika (pure), rājasika (stimulating), and tāmasika (impure). This echoes Ayurvedic classifications and affects both mood and karma.
Fasting Rituals
Fasting isn’t punishment—it’s purification. During Paryushana, Jains go days without food, seeking forgiveness and clarity. It’s the holiest stretch of their calendar.
Invisible Lives
Even microbes matter. Jain ethics extend to the smallest beings, making them possibly the world’s most detailed practitioners of ecological non-violence.