In short
During Paryushan, Jains avoid root vegetables, green leafy vegetables, and fermented or stale food, and eat only between sunrise and sunset. Each rule follows from ahimsa — reducing harm to the smallest organisms in soil, on leaves, and unseen after dark.
Every dietary rule of Paryushan follows from one principle: reduce harm. None of them is arbitrary, and each answers a specific way in which eating destroys life that cannot be seen.
What is set aside
No root vegetables
Potato, onion, garlic, carrot, radish, ginger, beetroot and anything grown underground. Uprooting destroys the entire plant along with the many organisms living in the soil around it. In Jain classification these are anantkay — bodies said to host countless lives.
No green leafy vegetables
Spinach, methi, coriander and other leaves are set aside during these days. The monsoon is when small organisms multiply on foliage, and they cannot reliably be seen or removed.
No fermented or stale food
Curd, buttermilk, idli and dosa batter, and anything kept overnight. Fermentation is the multiplication of organisms, and stored food develops them unseen.
Daylight only
All food and boiled water is taken between sunrise and sunset. After dark, insects cannot be seen and are easily consumed unnoticed. The practice also rests the body overnight.
What is eaten
Grains and lentils
Plain rice, boiled moong dal, simple toor dal, plain wheat rotis. Cooked simply, without elaborate seasoning.
Simple dry sabzis
Raw banana, pumpkin, bottle gourd and similar — prepared with dry spices, without onion, garlic or ginger.
While fasting
Boiled water only, taken in daylight. Some vows permit warm water with dry fruits, plain khichdi without tadka, or specified fasting grains — according to the vow taken and the guidance received.
The daily routine
Morning
- Rise early, before or with sunrise.
- Navkar Mantra and morning pratikraman.
- Darshan and puja at the temple, or samayik at home.
- Attend the day's pravachan.
- Take the first meal in daylight, according to your vow.
Afternoon
- Swadhyay — read scripture, or the day's virtue.
- Samayik: forty-eight minutes of equanimity.
- Seva at the temple, upashray or in the community.
- Rest quietly; avoid entertainment and idle talk.
Evening
- Complete all food and water before sunset.
- Aarti, bhakti and devotional singing.
- Evening pratikraman with the sangh.
- Review the day honestly against the day's virtue.
- Sleep early, with the Navkar Mantra.
Practice varies between traditions, regions and families. Fasting should always be within your own capacity. Consult your guru or an elder, and a doctor if you have any medical condition — diabetes, pregnancy and medication in particular need advice before a long fast.