Answer

From a Jain karma point of view, a car cleaning job is generally better than working as a kitchen hand where you must clean dishes and utensils containing non-vegetarian food.

This is because work connected with meat involves indirect association with himsa — violence toward living beings.

Explanation

In Jain Dharma, karma is affected not only by directly killing living beings, but also by supporting, assisting, approving, or participating in activities connected with violence.

Cleaning utensils used for non-vegetarian food may not mean you are directly killing animals, but it can still involve:

• Contact with substances produced through himsa
• Indirect support of a non-vegetarian food system
• Possible inner discomfort, disgust, or attachment/aversion, which also affects bhav karma

A car cleaning job may still involve small forms of himsa, such as harm to tiny organisms through water, chemicals, or cleaning activity. But compared to work directly connected with meat, it is usually considered less spiritually harmful.

Spiritual Understanding

Jain Dharma teaches us to choose livelihood with the least possible himsa. For householders, complete avoidance of all harm is very difficult, but one should try to reduce avoidable violence as much as possible.

So if both options are realistically available:

• Prefer the car cleaning job
• Avoid work involving meat, fish, eggs, or alcohol as far as possible
• Choose livelihood that keeps your mind peaceful and your conduct closer to ahimsa

Takeaway

Yes, from a Jain karmic viewpoint, car cleaning is likely the better option, because it is less directly connected with the himsa involved in non-vegetarian food. Choose the work that causes the least harm and keeps your conscience cleaner.