“Gochri” (more correctly “Gochari” – गोचरी) is a Jain term for the way Jain sadhus and sadhvis (monks and nuns) take food.

In very simple words:

• Jain monks and nuns do not cook food, do not store food, and do not get food specially prepared for them.
• They go house to house and take a very small amount of pure vegetarian food from each house.
• By taking only a little from many houses, they:

- avoid causing extra cooking (which involves more himsa/violence), - avoid attachment to any one family or special tasty food, - stay content with whatever is given.

Why is it called “Gochari”? The word comes from the example of a cow (go). Just as a cow moves around and gently grazes a little grass here and a little there without uprooting everything, a Jain sadhu takes a little food from here and there, without burdening anyone.

Both Śvetāmbara and Digambara traditions follow the principle of Gochari for ascetics – the exact rules and method can differ, but the main idea is same:

• food only as alms,
• taken with great care, non‑violence, and non‑attachment.