Answer

In Digambar Jain tradition, during Paryushan Parv / Das Lakshan Parv, food discipline is practiced to support self-control, non-violence, purity, and spiritual focus.

Commonly followed food rules include:

• Eating only vegetarian Jain food
• Avoiding root vegetables
• Avoiding green leafy vegetables in many families
• Avoiding food prepared after sunset
• Eating before sunset
• Reducing taste, variety, and indulgence
• Practicing fasting or limited eating according to one’s capacity
• Avoiding stale, fermented, or highly processed foods

Food Items Commonly Taken

Depending on family tradition and level of observance, suitable food items may include:

• Grains: wheat roti, rice, plain khichdi
• Pulses: moong dal, arhar dal, chana dal, urad dal, if allowed by family practice
• Vegetables: bottle gourd, ridge gourd, pumpkin, cucumber, raw banana, capsicum, peas, beans, etc., depending on local tradition
• Dairy: milk, curd, ghee, paneer, if accepted in the household tradition
• Fruits: banana, apple, papaya, pomegranate, grapes, chikoo, etc.
• Dry fruits: almonds, cashews, raisins, dates, figs, if suitable for the person
• Simple foods: plain dal-rice, roti-sabzi, boiled food, light khichdi

Food Items Usually Avoided

• Root vegetables: potato, onion, garlic, carrot, radish, beetroot, sweet potato, yam, ginger, turmeric root
• Onion and garlic
• Non-vegetarian food: meat, fish, eggs
• Honey
• Alcohol and intoxicants
• Food after sunset
• Stale food
• Fermented foods such as idli, dosa batter, bread, bakery items, vinegar-based foods, depending on tradition
• Excessively spicy, fried, rich, or indulgent foods

Common Eating Rules

• Eat before sunset: Many Digambar Jains avoid eating after sunset.
• Eat freshly prepared food: Food is usually prepared and consumed the same day.
• Practice restraint: The purpose is not just changing ingredients, but reducing attachment to taste.
• Observe fasting if possible: Some do complete fasts, one meal a day, or limited food.
• Boiled water: Many observe drinking filtered and boiled water within a limited time period.
• Avoid unnecessary harm: Foods involving more violence to living beings are avoided.

Types of Tapasya During Paryushan

Common observances may include:

• Upvas: complete fast
• Ekasan: eating one sitting in the day
• Beasan: eating two sittings in the day
• Ayambil: very simple, tasteless food, usually without spices, sweets, fried items, milk/curd/ghee, and rich foods
• Ratri-bhojan tyag: giving up food at night
• Ras tyag: giving up certain tastes or favorite items

Spiritual Understanding

In Digambar Jain Dharma, Paryushan is mainly connected with Das Lakshan Dharma:

• Uttam Kshama — supreme forgiveness
• Uttam Mardav — humility
• Uttam Arjav — straightforwardness
• Uttam Shauch — purity
• Uttam Satya — truthfulness
• Uttam Sanyam — self-restraint
• Uttam Tap — austerity
• Uttam Tyag — renunciation
• Uttam Akinchan — non-possessiveness
• Uttam Brahmacharya — celibacy/chastity

Food discipline supports these virtues by reducing attachment, passions, laziness, and indulgence.

Takeaway

During Digambar Jain Paryushan / Das Lakshan Parv, the ideal is to eat simple, fresh, non-violent, sattvic Jain food before sunset, avoid root vegetables and indulgent foods, and practice fasting or restraint according to one’s strength and family tradition.