What Did Srila Prabhupada Say About Onion and Garlic?
11. What Did Srila Prabhupada Say About Onion and Garlic?
The Historic Context
When His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada arrived in New York City in 1965 to establish the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), he encountered Westerners whose daily meals were saturated with meat, onions, and garlic.
Srila Prabhupada did not compromise the eternal standards of the parampara to make things easy. He lovingly taught his disciples how to cook world-class gourmet feasts using pure, sattvik ingredients.
Key Quotes and Letters from Srila Prabhupada
1. Letter to Himavati Dasi (November 17, 1969): "Regarding your questions: onion and garlic are not accepted by Krishna. Therefore, we do not eat them. Onion and garlic are in the lower modes of nature, passion and ignorance. A devotee wants to rise to the platform of pure goodness, above even material goodness. So naturally, we avoid these things."
2. Room Conversation in Vrindavan (September 1976): "Devotee: 'Srila Prabhupada, some people say garlic is good for health.' Srila Prabhupada: 'Yes, for the materialist who wants to cure his physical disease, it may have some medicinal value. But for a devotee, our primary aim is spiritual consciousness. We do not want to cure the body at the cost of disturbing our consciousness. For a devotee, Krishna's pleasure is first.'"
3. Purport to Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Chapter 6, Text 236: Srila Prabhupada explains that a Vaishnava should never eat like a gross materialist. One should simply accept remnants of food offered to the Lord. Because Krishna never accepts meat, fish, eggs, onions, or garlic, a devotee never touches them under any circumstances.
The Hallmarks of Srila Prabhupada's Standard
- Unflinching Devotion: We do not negotiate with the senses; we offer our senses to the service of the Lord.
- Abundant Prasadam: Srila Prabhupada opened Govinda's restaurants worldwide, proving to millions that sattvik cuisine without onion and garlic is vastly superior in taste, presentation, and satisfaction.