Can we eat paneer in paryushan?

Short answer: Only if your Paryushan niyam allows it.

• What Paryushan emphasizes: very simple food, minimum himsa, no stale/fermented items, and eating only in daylight.

• When paneer is NOT allowed:

- If you are doing upvaas, ekasana with strict niyam, or ayambil (ayambil forbids milk, ghee, curd, paneer, oil, sugar, spices). - If you have taken pachchakkhan (vow) to avoid milk products during Paryushan. - If the paneer is old/stored, or eaten after sunset.

• When some Shravaks do allow it:

- Shwetambar practice: If not under the above niyams, many sanghs permit fresh paneer made the same day from freshly boiled milk, cooked simply (no onion/garlic/greens), and eaten before sunset. - Digambar practice: During Das Lakshan the ideal is even simpler food; on austerity days milk products (including paneer) are generally avoided. On non-austerity meals, many still avoid rich items like paneer to keep aparigraha and saiyam.

Essence: Paneer is a milk product. It is avoided on all austerity-niyam days (especially ayambil) and wherever your pachchakkhan forbids milk items. If your local sangh/acharya has not restricted milk products and you are not observing ayambil or similar, plain fresh paneer taken before sunset is accepted by some Shravaks, though the more austere choice is to avoid it.