Acharya Mahaprajna
To keep the body going, food is necessary. Many people think Jain philosophy gives more importance to penance. It lays greater emphasis on fasting. This is also a single dimensional view. To keep the body going food is very necessary.
The Jain Acharyas have very beautifully described this. For the monk it was said that if he has to do penance, let him do it on an empty stomach.
Why do they have to eat?
If without food life cannot go on let them eat some dried thing.
Why should they have milk and butter?
Acharya replied saying, “Without grease in the food, life does not go on. Even if life goes on, the mind, the intellect and the memory do not work. Strength does not add on. Those who do not want to live the life of a learned man do not need to eat food with a certain amount of fat."
Bhagvan Mahavir used to perform a lot of penance. In those days of penance, his body had dried up. Life had become monotonous. Writers say that after Bhagvan Mahavir started eating well, there was radiance in his body.
