Prohibition and Indian Culture

In Prohibition and Indian Culture, Dalsukh Malvania examines the historical, scriptural and ethical bases for prohibiting intoxicants in India. He traces the idea of temperance from Vedic and Jain scriptures through Dharmaśāstra texts and medieval reforms, arguing that abstention from alcohol and mind-altering drugs is deeply embedded in Indian civilisation. The paper explores how epics such as the Mahabharata and the Rāmāyaṇa warn against intoxication, while Jain and Buddhist teachings explicitly require sobriety. Malvania surveys the role of rulers and social reformers in implementing prohibition, noting that many ancient Indian kingdoms enforced restrictions on wine and meat to promote social order. He analyses the moral psychology of addiction and explains why self-control (dama) and ethical discipline (śīla) are considered prerequisites for spiritual progress. Contemporary arguments for prohibition are also considered: Malvania highlights the economic and public health benefits of curbing alcohol consumption and relates these to Mahatma Gandhi’s advocacy of temperance as part of nation-building. Throughout, the article contrasts Indian cultural attitudes towards intoxication with Western liberal views, emphasising that in India the ideal of non-violence (ahiṃsā) extends to avoiding substances that cloud judgment. He concludes that prohibition should not be dismissed as a colonial or modern imposition; rather, it resonates with indigenous values of self-restraint, social responsibility and compassion.

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