An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide: Mouth Freshener - The Use Of Paan (Betal-Nut)

By now, a paan-loving vegetarian may have eaten the equivalent of many miles of oxen intestines in the form of silver varak on the paan! For them, here is another piece of bad news - the chuna that they apply on paan is not vegetarian. Chuna is made from the shells of living insects. These insects are taken from the ocean, killed, and removed from the shell. Then the shells are softened in water, dried, and ground into white powder. When you put this chuna in your mouth, you are participating in the killing of many insects. This is no different from taking life of a goat or a pig. Every being wants to live; no one likes the pain of death.

But consistent and constant observance of ahimsa in what we eat and wear is not the end of the matter. It is just the beginning. There are many other types of himsa about which we must be concerned.