Flavours of Devotion: Expertise beyond Qualifications (Love-in-action Blog Series)

I begin today's post with a poem from Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, titled "Without You, Where Would I Be?" It is from Gurudev's commentaries on the Ashtavakra Gita (1). A few years ago, I wrote a poem borrowing the same title; that poem I will share towards the end of this blogpost series. For now, here is the original:

Without you where will I be?

A fish without water

Sky without the stars or the Sun

A tree without sap

A microphone without sound

A word that doesn't sound

Without you where will I be?

A body without life

Mud without moisture

Air that doesn't blow

Fire that doesn't light

Without you where will I be?

A body without life

A fish without water

Without you where will I be?

For a Bhakti Yogi, one who is on the path of unconditional love, her love for the Master is the source of everything. It is the most powerful force on this planet. It is the force that protects, transforms, uplifts, and even bestows all the knowledge there is to acquire. 

There is a beautiful story from the life of Trotakacharya - one of the four disciples of Shankaracharya (2). Trotakacharya was considered a rather dull disciple of Shankaracharya – he was always coming late to class and seemed to be asleep or lost in every class. Yet, Shankaracharya always waited for him to reach before starting. One day, Trotakacharya was unusually late, and the disciples begged Shankaracharya to start without him – “he will anyway not learn anything,” they said. Shankaracharya did not heed – he waited. Some time passed, and then suddenly, the disciples saw that Trotakacharya was coming from far away, singing. 

As he drew closer, the other disciples noticed that he was not just repeating, but singing, all the knowledge that Shankaracharya had given to them, in the form of the most beautiful poetry. They realized then that it is not our abilities that bring us knowledge, but our devotion to the Master. 

During a particularly dark phase in my life, I experienced a deeply broken heart when my husband left me for my best friend, and my long-time teacher and mentor falsely accused me and refused to extend my work contract. I was unemployed, lacked confidence, and above all, wondered what the purpose of my life was. At the bottom of the pit of dejection, I got offered a job and a role that I felt was well above my knowledge, capacity, and skills. I repeatedly asked the Universe why this role was brought to me - "I am not qualified for this." 

While I was still deciding what to do, Sri Sri gave a fresh new commentary on the Bhakti Sutras. During one of the sessions, Gurudev said: “Don’t show the Master your qualifications. The Master will qualify you for anything.” This sentence triggered a long-lost memory and made me jump up with realization! I accepted the job, and needless to say, together with a highly supportive team, I was able to pioneer a whole new field of research. I remembered that when we are devoted to the Divine, all knowledge is made available to us at the right time!   

References and Suggested Reading

(1) Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (2022) ASHTAVAKRA GITA: THE MOST UNIQUE CONVERSATION EVER, 2nd Edition, Sri Sri Publications Trust, India. 

(2) Shankaracharya is one of the most important Masters of the Vedic tradition. He is considered to have revived the knowledge of the four Vedas and reestablished Sanatan Dharma in India. 

Suggested Reading: The 11 Manifestations of Divine Love - Wisdom by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Today's Expert Recipe: Kerala Style Black Chickpea Curry (Gluten-free, Vegan, Fiber Rich) 

Preparation + Cooking Time: 30-45 mins
Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients for Dry Spice Mix
4 Tbs Fennel Seeds (Saunf) 
4 Tbs Whole Black Pepper
2 Tbs Whole Cardamom 
1 Whole cinnamon stick
1 Tbs whole coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cloves (3-4 cloves are enough)
1 handful of dried curry leaves

Pre-make the spice mix by individually dry roasting each spice (on a well heated frying pan, keeping the heat at medium, roast each spice while gently stirring occasionally, till you can smell the aroma released by the spice. Let cool. Put all spices into a dry grinder and grind to a fine powder. Pour into an air-tight container. There is enough there to use several times - you only need 1-2 teaspoons of this spice mix each time you make the Kerala Chickpea Curry. 

Ingredients for Kerala Chickpeas Curry 
2 Cups cooked black chickpeas (Kala Chana) 
250 ml coconut milk
2 Tbs Coconul Oil (or other cooking oil)

Note for cooking black chickpeas: Always soak the black chickpeas overnight or even for 24 hours, drain the water and place in fresh water before cooking. Best/fastest to cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker. After the full pressure is built, I cook the chickpeas for 8-10 mins, keep the flame on low. In a traditional pressure cooker, you may need 5-6 whistles at least.  

Wet Spice Mix
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 Onion - finely chopped (optional)
1 tsp grated ginger
10 fresh curry leaves (if available)
1-2 green chillies - chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Hing powder)
2 tomatoes - chopped into small cubes
Salt to taste

Method:
In a deep frying pan, heat the coconut oil. Add the cumin seeds and reduce the heat to low when the cumin seeds start sizzling. Add the chopped onions, raise the heat to medium and saute till the onions are translucent. Add the grated ginger and saute for 1 minute. Add the curry leaves and green chillies, saute for 30 seconds. Add the turmeric powder and Asafoetida powder, stir well till well combined. Add one heaped teaspoon of the pre-made dry spice mix (if you like it very spicy, you can add 2 tea spoons). Stir gently on low-medium heat till you smell the aroma of the spices. Add the tomatoes and cook till they are easily mashed. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Add to a high-speed wet spice blender and blend to a smooth paste. Pour the spice mix back into the deep frying pan, add the coconut milk and cooked chickpeas. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, and let simmer on low heat for at least 5-6 minutes.

Serve with freshly cooked Basmati or Sona Masuri rice and poppadums. Also goes really well with Kerala Puttu. 

PS: I was never formally taught how to make this dish - I only ate it with great relish when served by my relatives with Puttu. One fine morning I woke up and made the dish from my memory of its incredible, unique taste!