Answer

In Jain Dharma, rātribhojan means eating after sunset. It is considered a serious cause of pāpa karma because it increases harm to tiny living beings and strengthens carelessness in conduct.

But Jain Dharma does not say that a person goes to hell only because of one act like rātribhojan. Hellish birth is caused by very intense pāpa karma, especially when actions are done with strong passions like anger, pride, deceit, greed, cruelty, attachment, and carelessness.

Explanation

Rātribhojan is discouraged because:

• At night, tiny living beings are more likely to be harmed.
• Eating in darkness increases negligence and lack of awareness.
• It strengthens attachment to taste and bodily comfort.
• For a Jain seeker, avoiding night-eating supports ahiṁsā and self-discipline.

So, rātribhojan is not treated as a small matter in Jain practice. It is connected with ahiṁsā, which is the foundation of Jain Dharma.

Spiritual Understanding

The deeper point is not fear, but awareness. Jain Dharma teaches us to reduce harm as much as possible. Avoiding food after sunset helps develop:

• compassion for living beings,
• control over desires,
• discipline in daily life,
• greater alertness toward karma.

If someone has been doing rātribhojan, they should not fall into guilt or fear. Instead, they should understand its effect and gradually try to stop it with sincere intention.

Takeaway

Rātribhojan creates pāpa karma and is spiritually harmful, but hellish birth depends on the intensity of accumulated karma and passions. The Jain path is to reduce such actions with awareness, repentance, and discipline.