When
I was first learning about Vedic cooking, or more specifically Bhakti Yoga, I
was perplexed by the avoidance of onions, garlic and mushrooms as they
are clearly vegetables (or fungi in the latter case) and seemed like they
should be part of a vegetarian diet to me. Throughout my "cooking career" up that point I would use a whole
onion and several cloves of garlic almost everyday in whatever I cooked. I
couldn't imagine cooking without them. I absolutely love the Vedic food I have eaten and prepared and felt clear spiritual benefits from it, but, because I also absolutely loved garlic and onion so much I spent quite a bit of time
researching and discussing this matter.
For a wonderful and
comprehensive explanation on garlic and onion avoidance, see this blog
post by well known Bhakti chef Kurma Das here. Below, I will summarize the main reasons given by Vaishnava sources that I have read for why to avoid garlic, onions and mushrooms.
Summary of Reasons for No Garlic, Onion, or Mushroom on a Vedic Diet
Summary of Reasons for No Garlic, Onion, or Mushroom on a Vedic Diet
- Onion and Garlic are not offerable to Krishna (God)
- Onion and Garlic are in the mode of passion
- Mushrooms are in the mode of ignorance, Prabhupada did not allow them, and they are also considered unclean
- Onion and garlic increase blood circulation and garlic is known to be an aphrodisiac and therefore is not recommended to people who are trying to remain celibate or are practicing forms of bhakti yoga
So What Did I Do?
Upon learning these reasons I was at first I baffled and even, dare I say, a little offended. How could it be that some of MY favorite foods are considered "unclean" or "in the mode of passion" and not "goodness"?
(Pictured: Organic garlic from my CSA at Fairview Gardens in Goleta, CA)
I swoon over beautiful, fresh produce of all varieties so initially this was all very hard for me to grasp. I could understand the bit about mushrooms being "unclean," after all, they typically grow in dark, damp places on something rotting. Not to mention all the dangerous and mind altering varieties of our beloved fungus group...it really made sense to avoid from a cleanliness and spiritual perspective. However, I love the thrill of collecting wild foods, including Chanterelle mushrooms in my local woods.
(Pictured: Wild Chanterelle mushroom I harvested, growing in poison oak)
I spoke with someone once who had previously worked at a large mushroom growing facility and he told me they used a slurry of soiled horse straw from a stable, water, and various fertilizers to cultivate the common white and brown button mushrooms we see in stores. He commented that the smell of the facility was overpowering. My wild mushrooms are really looking a lot more appetizing at this point! But garlic and onion grow in the soil out in the sun just like other vegetables, so what's the deal there?
Well folks, like many aspects of spirituality and religion you have to feel it for yourself to truly understand it.
By reading and practicing many of the philosophies presented in the Bhagavad-gita I was reaching new levels of inner peace and joy I had never experienced before and I strongly desired to advance more. I decided to abstain from garlic, onions and mushrooms to see what happened. Several months passed and "something" was certainly different. But what? I couldn't put my finger on it exactly. I did notice that it was easier than I thought to give them up and I did vaguely feel that my food seemed more simple and pure, but I still didn't quite get it.
It wasn't until I decided to start cooking WITH onions and garlic again that I really got it.
HOLY COW are they powerful! I cut some garlic and then an onion on my wooden cutting board and, of course, my eyes were watering and stinging within seconds. Then, I sauteed them in a frying pan, as per my usual, and the whole house just filled up with the powerful odor. I ate my food and cleaned up for evening (was it delicious, you bet!). Even after washing and scrubbing my cutting board, I could still smell the onion on it. My fingers even still smelled of garlic, even after lots of soap. Every time my hands were near my face, I could instantly smell the garlic and it was distracting. I was also afraid to touch things, like my wooden tulsi japa beads I used for chanting, for fear the smell would rub off on them. My mouth had a powerful taste and even after brushing my teeth I woke up with the flavor still in my mouth.
The Jala Duta Opinion on the Matter
If you are trying to do yoga, and by that I mean connecting to God through devotional practices, through any means whether it be chanting, cooking, meditation, or even physical yoga, you cannot be distracted. That is why "no intoxication" is recommended. I define intoxication loosely as anything that alters your mental or bodily state outside of your control. For example, alcohol, marijuana, or caffeine (including chocolate). I would even lump refined sugar and carbs into this category because of their affects on our bodily system.
Before I ever even knew who Srila Prabhupada was, I had a powerful experience with the principle of intoxication and performing yoga. Once, I ate a copious quantity of dark chocolate covered almonds before heading to a yoga class. Delicious, I know. But a good idea before yoga? Apparently not. At that time my only goal with yoga was to quiet my inner self, de-stress, and connect, well, with myself. However, once the chocolate kicked in at class I was jittery, my heart raced, and my mind was unable to quiet itself and focus because of the caffeine from the dark chocolate...it was miserable! How I could sit quietly and focus on anything?!
In a similar way, when our house, our hands, and our breath are potent with the scent of garlic and onions, it is hard to focus on meditation and connecting with the Divine Spirit. Do I still eat garlic and onions? The answer is: Yes! For me, the tremendous health benefits of garlic and onion cannot be ignored. However, you can survive and be perfectly healthy without them and still receive close to the same anti-cancer benefit, as can be seen by the research in the link above, which shows that the two most important groups at fighting cancer are alliums (#1) and cruciferous vegetables (#2). So, for those who are very devout and very focused on achieving deeper spiritual connection and clean living, they can be avoided. After giving them up for some time, I fully realize how powerful they are and my perspective and taste buds have changed as a result. I would suggest giving them up for a time and experience the difference for yourself!
If you are trying to do yoga, and by that I mean connecting to God through devotional practices, through any means whether it be chanting, cooking, meditation, or even physical yoga, you cannot be distracted. That is why "no intoxication" is recommended. I define intoxication loosely as anything that alters your mental or bodily state outside of your control. For example, alcohol, marijuana, or caffeine (including chocolate). I would even lump refined sugar and carbs into this category because of their affects on our bodily system.
Before I ever even knew who Srila Prabhupada was, I had a powerful experience with the principle of intoxication and performing yoga. Once, I ate a copious quantity of dark chocolate covered almonds before heading to a yoga class. Delicious, I know. But a good idea before yoga? Apparently not. At that time my only goal with yoga was to quiet my inner self, de-stress, and connect, well, with myself. However, once the chocolate kicked in at class I was jittery, my heart raced, and my mind was unable to quiet itself and focus because of the caffeine from the dark chocolate...it was miserable! How I could sit quietly and focus on anything?!
In a similar way, when our house, our hands, and our breath are potent with the scent of garlic and onions, it is hard to focus on meditation and connecting with the Divine Spirit. Do I still eat garlic and onions? The answer is: Yes! For me, the tremendous health benefits of garlic and onion cannot be ignored. However, you can survive and be perfectly healthy without them and still receive close to the same anti-cancer benefit, as can be seen by the research in the link above, which shows that the two most important groups at fighting cancer are alliums (#1) and cruciferous vegetables (#2). So, for those who are very devout and very focused on achieving deeper spiritual connection and clean living, they can be avoided. After giving them up for some time, I fully realize how powerful they are and my perspective and taste buds have changed as a result. I would suggest giving them up for a time and experience the difference for yourself!
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