Avoid onion garlic in Pitrupaksha? The Spiritual Reason There are Excluded from Shradh Food

Namaste, 

First, let us firmly establish the context. Pitrupaksha, the fortnight leading up to Mahalaya Amavasya, is a period of heightened spiritual sensitivity. Our primary purpose during these fifteen days is Pitṛyajña – the sacred duty towards our ancestors. Through rites like Shradh and Tarpan, we aim to:

• Express profound gratitude (kṛtajñatā) for the gift of life and lineage.
• Provide subtle nourishment (tṛpti) to satisfy our departed forefathers in their realms.
• Aid their peaceful journey (sadgati) towards higher states or ultimate liberation (moksha).
• Fulfill our sacred debt (Pitṛ Ṛṇa) and receive their invaluable blessings (āśīrvāda).

Such a sacred undertaking, bridging the gap between the physical and subtle realms, demands the utmost Śauca (Purity) – purity in thought, word, deed, environment, and crucially, in the offerings we make and the food we ourselves consume. This principle of purity is the bedrock upon which the avoidance of onion and garlic rests- Avoid onion garlic in Pitrupaksha

Scriptural Sanctions: Puranic Prohibitions

Our revered Puranas, which elucidate the principles of Dharma for different ages and contexts, provide clear guidance on foods suitable and unsuitable for sacred occasions. When discussing Shradh, vratas (vows), or general rules for maintaining purity (especially for Brahmins or those engaged in spiritual discipline), onion and garlic frequently appear on the list of prohibited items (varjya).

• The Skanda Purana: This extensive Purana is quite explicit. In sections detailing Shradh procedures, it lists items to be avoided, including “Lasuna (garlic), Grnjana (often interpreted as carrot, but sometimes red garlic/turnip), Palandu (onion), Pindamulaka (radish). Elsewhere, it groups “Onion, shit-thriving pigs, Selu (a type of plant), garlic, carrot…” among things a wise person avoids to prevent falling into hell. It also mentions avoiding garlic during the sacred Karttika vrata (vow observed during the month of Kartika). The message is consistent: these items are linked with impurity or inauspiciousness in sacred contexts.
• The Siva Purana: When outlining the conduct for devotees of Lord Shiva or householders undertaking specific rites, this Purana advises avoiding “garlic, onion, asafoetida, intoxicating beverages and all kinds of meat. This places onion and garlic in the same category as other substances known to hinder spiritual purity and practice.
• The Agni Purana: This text connects the consumption of these items directly with impurity requiring expiation (prāyaścitta). It states that a Brahmachari (celibate student) who consumes “honey or garlic or onion etc.” during an Ama Shradh (a type of Shradh) needs to perform penance to become purified. It further declares that eating “garlic and onion” makes one sinful, necessitating the rigorous Candrayana penance for atonement.
• The Garuda Purana: Echoing the Agni Purana, the Garuda Purana states, “By eating garlic and onion one becomes sinful and as atonement one should perform Candrayana. It also offers a fascinating description of these items (along with the Udumbara fruit) as being “essenceless (nisāra) in all times”. This implies they lack positive spiritual energy or sattva, making them unfit for sacred offerings aimed at nourishing beings in subtle realms.

These consistent scriptural references across different Puranas clearly establish that avoiding onion and garlic during Shradh is not a mere regional custom but a guideline rooted in ancient textual authority.

Delving Deeper: The Guna Connection – Why They Hinder Purity

But why are they prohibited? What is their inherent nature that makes them unsuitable? The answer lies significantly in the Ayurvedic and Yogic concept of the three Guṇas, the fundamental qualities that pervade all creation:

1. Sattva: Represents purity, harmony, light, knowledge, peace, clarity, and compassion. Sattvic foods (like fresh fruits, vegetables approved for Shradh, milk, ghee, most grains) promote calmness, mental clarity, and spiritual inclination.
2. Rajas: Represents passion, activity, dynamism, desire, ambition, restlessness, and agitation. Rajasic foods (like onions, garlic, spicy foods, coffee, excessively salty or sour items) stimulate the senses, energize the body, but can also lead to mental agitation, desire, and distraction.
3. Tamas: Represents inertia, darkness, ignorance, delusion, heaviness, lethargy, and decay. Tamasic foods (like meat, alcohol, stale food, processed food, mushrooms, and also, according to many classifications, onion and garlic, especially when old or improperly cooked) dull the mind, promote laziness, cloud judgment, and strengthen lower instincts.

Onion and garlic are predominantly classified as Rajasic and Tamasic.

• Rajasic Effect: They strongly stimulate the senses and can increase passion, agitation, and aggression. This state is disruptive to the calm, focused, and devotional mindset (bhāva) required for Shradh. It makes it difficult to concentrate on the mantras, connect sincerely with the ancestors, or maintain a state of peaceful reverence.
• Tamasic Effect: They can also induce heaviness, dullness, and cloud the intellect, hindering spiritual perception and receptivity. Some traditions associate them with lower energies or passions that are counterproductive to spiritual elevation.

During Pitrupaksha, the goal is to cultivate a Sattvic environment, both internally and externally. We aim for purity, peace, and clarity to effectively bridge the realms. Offering or consuming foods that are strongly Rajasic or Tamasic introduces disruptive energies, polluting the subtle atmosphere and hindering the very purpose of the rites. It’s like trying to tune into a subtle, divine frequency while being bombarded by loud, jarring static.

Further Reasons for Avoidance

Beyond the Guna principle and direct scriptural prohibition, other related reasons contribute to the avoidance of onion and garlic:

1. Association with Sin and Atonement: As the Agni and Garuda Puranas state, their consumption is explicitly linked to acquiring sin (pāpa) and necessitates purification rites (prāyaścitta). Offering items associated with sin to the revered Pitṛs is unthinkable and disrespectful.
2. “Essenceless” for Spiritual Nourishment: The description “essenceless” (nisāra) suggests they lack the positive, subtle, life-enhancing energy (prāṇa or ojas) that truly nourishes beings on a spiritual level. Shradh offerings should ideally be rich in sattva and positive spiritual vibrations.
3. Not Suitable for Devas or Pitṛs: Traditional offerings to Devas and Pitṛs favour foods considered pure and pleasing – items suitable for sages (muni-anna), milk products, honey, specific grains, fruits. Onion and garlic, with their strong smell and stimulating/dulling effects, do not fit this category.
4. Potential Negative Consequences: The Skanda Purana links avoidance of prohibited items (including onion/garlic) with preventing a fall into hell. This implies that consuming or offering these items during sacred times can attract negative karmic repercussions, harming both the performer and potentially hindering the progress of the Pitṛs.
5. Impact on Subtle Body & Consciousness: From a subtle energy perspective, these foods are believed to negatively impact the energy channels (nadis) and chakras, making meditation and subtle communication difficult.

Conclusion: Choosing Purity for Sacred Connection

Therefore, the reason we avoid onion garlic during Pitrupaksha and in Shradh food is deeply spiritual and multifaceted. It is firmly rooted in the Puranic injunctions emphasizing:

• Śauca (Purity): Maintaining the utmost purity of offerings and self.
• Guṇa Theory: Avoiding Rajasic and Tamasic foods that disrupt the necessary Sattvic state of mind and energy.
• Avoiding Sin: Steering clear of items explicitly linked to sin and requiring atonement.
• Suitability for Offering: Providing nourishment that is spiritually potent (“essence-ful”) and pleasing to the subtle nature of the Pitṛs.
• Preventing Negative Karma: Adhering to Dharma to avoid adverse consequences for oneself and the ancestors.

This dietary discipline is not merely about restriction; it is a conscious, loving choice. By setting aside these pungent, stimulating bulbs during this sacred fortnight, we choose to cultivate an inner and outer environment of peace, clarity, and purity. We honour the sanctity of the occasion, show profound respect for our ancestors, and create the clearest possible channel for our prayers and offerings to reach them, bringing them solace and inviting their most cherished blessings into our lives. It is an act of self-discipline that refines our own consciousness while serving our beloved Pitṛs.

May this understanding deepen your reverence for our traditions and guide your observances during the holy period of Pitrupaksha.

|| हरि ॐ तत् सत् ||