Pitru Paksha: Do not eat onions and garlic during Pitru Paksha, it will cause severe harm..

Pitru Paksha is starting from Sunday, September 7, and on this day, there is also the last lunar eclipse of the year 2025. In the scriptures and religious texts, special rules of diet have been mentioned during Pitru Paksha. It is considered best to consume sattvic food during these days. Hinduism classifies food into three categories: Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic. Sattvic food is considered pure, peaceful, and conducive to mental control. Rajasic food increases enthusiasm and desire, while Tamasic food promotes laziness, anger, and negative tendencies. This is the reason why Sattvic food is preferred during worship, fasting, religious rituals, and Pitru Paksha.

Stay away from onions and garlic for 16 days.
Pitru Paksha is also called Shradh Paksha or Mahalaya Paksha. This period is about 16 days from Bhadrapada Purnima to Ashwin Amavasya. Its special importance has been mentioned in the scriptures. By performing tarpan, pinddaan, and shraddha in Pitru Paksha, the ancestors are satisfied and give blessings, and the satisfied ancestors increase the health, age, and prosperity of their descendants. But during these 16 days, it is said to avoid onions and garlic.

Why are onions and garlic avoided during Pitru Paksha, fasting, and worship?

Onion and garlic should not be consumed even by mistake during Pitru Paksha, because they break the sanctity of Shraddh and hinder the blessings of ancestors. Pure, sattvik, and sacred food is necessary in the Shraddh performed for the satisfaction of ancestors. Onion and garlic defile the food dedicated to ancestors. Onion and garlic are considered Tamasik (ignorance, laziness, lust) and Rajasik (anger, intemperance, ferocity) foods in the scriptures. By consuming them, ancestors and gods are not happy, and the fruits of Shraddh remain incomplete.

Both body and mind remain distracted.

Despite being vegetarian, onion and garlic are considered taboo during Pitru Paksha. Onion and garlic may be healthy in everyday life, but Hindu scriptures describe them as Tamasic and sometimes even Rajasic. These foods are believed to pull the body's energy downward. Increase restlessness and lust in the mind and disturb concentration during meditation. Since the purpose of Pitru Paksha, fasting and worship, is to purify the mind and obtain the blessings of ancestors, eating Tamasic food can make the mind wander towards worldly desires, thereby destroying the very purpose of spiritual practice.

Mythological origin of the onion and garlic

According to mythology, during the Samudra Manthan, when Lord Vishnu was distributing nectar in the form of Mohini, a demon sitting among the gods drank some nectar by deceit. When Sun God and Moon complained, Lord Vishnu beheaded the demon with his Sudarshan Chakra, and this led to the creation of Rahu and Ketu. It is said that onions and garlic originated from the drops of blood that fell from the body of a demon, which is why these foods are considered tamasic and impure and are therefore forbidden in religious rituals.

Ayurvedic Viewpoint and Practice of Saints

Ayurveda also considers onion and garlic to be pungent, hot, and stimulating. It is believed that these stimulate the senses and increase anger, laziness, and lust. Therefore, yogis, saints, and sadhus avoid these and prefer sattvic diet to not let their sadhana get hampered.

Purpose of Pitru Paksha and Sattvic Food

According to the scriptures, the shraddha performed during Pitru Paksha helps the ancestors attain peace and salvation in the afterlife. This also makes the life of the descendants auspicious. Pitru Paksha is also called the period of gratitude. During this time, the souls of the ancestors come to earth with the expectation of tarpan from their descendants. Satisfied ancestors increase the health, longevity, and prosperity of their descendants. One should never consume onion and garlic during Pitru Paksha, as it disrupts the sanctity of Shraddha and hinders the blessings of ancestors. In the scriptures, it is advised to eat satvik food like fruits, milk, curd, vegetables and grains during Pitru Paksha. Such food keeps the body light and the mind stable, which helps in spiritual development.

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