1. Why food is taken ?
1. To remove the anguish of hunger.
2. For discharging one's duties.
3. So that we may live alive.
4. For serving others.
5. For observing abstinence.
6. For observing ten right virtues (Dasa Dharma). (Moolachar, 479)
2. When the meal should be taken ?
Meal should be taken only in the day.
3. Why the meal should not be taken in the night?
Ultra-violet and Infra-red rays remain in the rays of the Sun and because of these rays micro organisms do not germinate in the day. As soon as the Sun sets ,micro organisms begin to germinate. If the meal is taken at night, micro organisms are killed due to which our religion of non-violence is destroyed. Small insects reach in our stomach alongwith the meal which cause many diseases.
4. Whether meal can be taken in the night by switching on the light/litting the light ?
No, Insects are not seen all around in the electric light in the day because insects are germinate in very small quantity in the day and they hide themselves here and there in the light of the Sun. If the light is switched on in the night more insects germinate. Therefore, meal should not be taken at night even in the electric light or in any other light. Meal should be taken only in the day light, i.e. in the light of the Sun.
5. What is the opinion of modern science about prohibition of taking meal at night ?
In the opinion of modern science the meal is digested well in the light of the Sun, therefore, it should be taken only during the day. The meal is not rightly (appropriately) digested if it is taken immediately before going to bed, therefore, meal should be taken 3 or 4 hours before going to bed. In experiments on mice, a team at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California found that eating while we stay up to browse the internet or watch a late film is likely to be contributing to rising obesity levels. Satchidanand Panda, an associate professor who had the study found that at certain times of day the liver, intestines and muscles are at peak efficiency while at other times they are sleeping.
In the study they allowed a group of mice to eat only during an eight hour period in the day while a second group could graze on what they wanted all day and night. They found that though the two groups were taking the same amount of calories, those who ate at set time in the day did not become obese. The mice that ate all day and night had 70% more fatty deposits than the other groups. (quoted from Times of India dated 21/05/2012)
6. Whether Ayurved supports night-eating or not ?
No, fasts are prescribed in Ayurvedic therapy and taking meal after fast is recommended only in the day and the 'Vaidyas'advise to take the medicine thrice in the day in the morning, in noon and in the evening, not at night.
7. Whether Natureopathy supports night-eating or not?
Drinkable substances (liquids) are given at night in natureopathy, not food stuff prepared with grains.
8. Whether night-eating is prohibited in other religions other than the Jain religion ?
1. It has been said in the 'Shanti Parva' of 'Mahabharat -
चत्वारि नरक द्वारं प्रथमं रात्रि भोजनम्।
परस्त्री गमनं चैव सन्धानानन्तकायिकम्॥
"Night-eating and adultery,
Eating pickle, tubers and general herbs,
Four doors are of hell,
Tells'Mahabharat' in 'Shantiparva'."
Meaning - There are four doors (entry places) for going to hell the first of which is nighteating, the second is adultery, third is eating stale pickle and the fourth is to eat general plants (roots and tubers) produced under the earth).
2. It has been said in 'Markendaya Purana' -
अस्तंगते दिवानाथे आपो रुधिर मुच्यते।
अन्नं मांस समं प्रोक्तं मार्कण्डेय महिर्षणा॥
Meaning - "Food stuff made of grains if eaten after sun-set is equal to eating meat and the water like the blood".
3. Further it has also been said in 'Markendaya Purana'
मृते स्वजन मात्रेऽपि सूतकं जायते किल।
अस्तंगते दिवानाथे भोजनं कथं क्रियते॥
Meaning - "State of ritual impurity occurs due to death of any relative, in this condition no body takes food until the funeral rite is completed. When the Sun deity is set then also ritual impurity is imputed then why to take food, i.e. will not take and should not be taken".
4. It has been said in 'Rishishwar Bharat' -
मद्यमाँसाशनं रात्रौ भोजनं कंद भक्षणम्।
ये कुर्वन्ति वृथा तेषां, तीर्थयात्रा जपस्तपः॥
वृथा एकादशी प्रोक्ता वृथा जागरणं हरेः। |
वृथा च पुष्करी यात्रा वृथा चान्द्रायणं तपः॥
Meaning - "One who consumes wine and eats meat, eats at night and eats roots and tubers his penance, 'Eikadashi' vow, wakefulness in night, 'Pushkar' pilgrimage, 'Chandrayan Vrata', etc. are meaningless.
9. Whether there is renunciation of all kind of food or of only food stuff made of grains in the renunciation of night-eating?
Renunciation of night-eating means renunciation of all the four kinds of foods ,i.e. edible food, drinkables, licking and worthy of tasting.
Edibles - bread, thick bread-cake backed in cinders, sweet balls ,etc.
Drinkables - milk, water, sweet-drink, cold drinks ,etc.
Licking - Thickened and sweetened milk, sucking mango, ice-cream ,etc.
Worth Tasting - clove, cardamom, fennel, etc.
10. What is the fruit of renouncing all the four kinds of food stuff at night?
Who renounces all the four kinds of food at night he gets the fruit of fasts of six months in a year!.
11. What quantity of food should be taken ?
All Doctors and Vaidya say that feeling very much hunger one should take some less food than the actual hunger. Acharya Shri 'Vattker Swami' has told in 'Moolachar' treatise that half stomach should be filled with food, one third with water and one fourth should be kept empty. Similarly, Guruver Acharaya Shri Vidyasagar Ji has told in 'Mook Mati' -
आधा भोजन कीजिए, दुगुणा पानी पीव।।
तिगुणा श्रम चउगुणी हँसी, वर्ष सवा सौ जीव॥
"Take half food and twice the water,
Labour thrice, multiply four for laughter,
Keeps a man alive for hundred years and quarter,
who doesn't forget the formula, whether rich or pauper."
12. What are the advantages of not taking meal at night?
There are many advantages of not taking meal at night:
- Living beings are not killed by not eating at night, so we are saved from sin.
- You are saved from suffering many diseases due to which you also save money because suffering means incurring expenditure on doctors, medicines ,etc. which is saved by not eating at night.
- Peace remains in the home. If you eat at night then women shall have to cook at night, have to clean the utensils. Being busy too late in the night they begin to feel sleepy, therefore, it is but natural to get angry. Now where the anger will be discharged ? If will be displayed on you or on children or on house-hold goods. Therefore, if you wish to maintain peace in the home, take food only in the day.
13. What are the disadvantages of taking the meal at night?
Many kinds of small living beings go into the stomach causing many kinds of diseases, for example -
- Due to fly going into the stomach vomiting starts.
- Any small parts of the spider's body if reaches in the stomach, causes leprosy.
- If a louse reaches into the stomach, it causes dropsy.
- If hair goes, voice is choked.
- If scorpion goes the palate is chocked.
14. What birth-place the night-eaters used to get according to Jainism ?
उलूक - काक - माजरि, - गृध - शम्वर - सूकरा:।
अहि - वृश्चिक - गोधाश्च, जायन्ते निशिभोजनात्॥
Night-eaters get body-form of owl,
Of crow, cat, wolf and foul,
Vulture pig, scorpion and serpent,
Become crocodile and left only to repent
Night-eaters get the body-form of owl, crow, cat, wolf, vulture, pig, snake, scorpion croco dile etc.
15. What are the transgressions /infractions (faults) of renunciation of night-eating?
Following are the transgressions of the night-eating renunciation -
- Eating food in the day but prepared (cooked) in darkness.
- Eating food in the day prepared at night.
- After renouncing night-eating, if the meal is not made available in the evening then to think why he renounced night-eating ?
- Not renouncing eating of all the four kinds of food in the night.
- Eating substances grinded, crushed or filtered at night.
- Taking meal in the first or last 'Ghari'(24 minutes) of the day.
