A question for those who call themselves Sanatani here: Do true Sanatanis eat non-vegetarian food? If yes, then why do they avoid onions in food prepared for 'bhandara' inside temples?
@Bhaijaan
In Hinduism, Onions & Garlic is not offered inside temple or to God as it is not considered Satvik. It is related to Samundra Manthana which is a major episode in Hinduism that is elaborated in the Vishnu Purana.
The prohibition of onion and garlic in the Vedas and Puranas can be understood on multiple levels. To grasp this, one must first understand the three modes of material nature:
Sattva, Rajas, and
Tamas.
Sattva (GOODNESS), Rajas (PASSION), and Tamas (IGNORANCE) are the closest English translations of these three Sanskrit terms.
Onions and garlic possess excellent medicinal properties and have always been valued for their health benefits. Many Ayurvedic medicines incorporate onions, garlic, or both in their formulations. However, when consumed as food, they exhibit their
Rajasic (stimulating) and
Tamasic (dulling) qualities.
To draw a modern parallel, consider the concept of "drug abuse." Certain drugs have legitimate medicinal uses, such as in pain killers, but when taken recreationally, they can be harmful and even life-threatening. Similarly, according to the Vedas, those engaged in intellectual and spiritual pursuits—such as priests, rishis, munis, sadhus, sages, and spiritual teachers—are advised to avoid onion and garlic.
A crude analogy would be airline operations where passengers may be served alcohol, but if the pilots request it, their demand would be outright denied, as consuming alcohol would impair their ability to perform their critical duties. Likewise, this prohibition was intended specifically for a class of high-level intellectuals and should not be misinterpreted as a universal law.