It is seen that most Hindus avoid eating onions and garlic during the Navratri days. But why? What wrong have they done?
According to Ayurveda, India’s classic medical science, foods are grouped into three categories – sattvic, rajasic and tamasic – foods in the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance.
Onions and garlic, and the other alliaceous plants are classified as rajasic and tamasic, which means that they increase passion and ignorance. Rajasic and tamasic foods are also not used because they are detrimental to meditation and devotions.
Fruit, the most easily digested of all food groups, forms the staple food of the Navratri festival. Milk, the other staple, is also consumed for its protein content and tissue building support.
What is particularly important about these foods is that they are both ‘sattvic’ i.e. clean and pure. From Ayurvedic perspective this means no toxins, from a Hindu perspective, eating sattvic food help invoke the power of the Devi. The entire purpose of the
The entire purpose of the Navratri festival is to evoke the protection of Devi, who banishes all negative forces in life. This includes toxins that lodge themselves into our mind-body systems.This is the scientific reason behind food.
It is not that Devi won’t bless or protect you if you have onion or garlic but its all about devotion and sacrifice because apparently God loves sacrifices and theres’ no harm in avoiding onion or garlic during Navratri its just nine days after all.
