Flavours of Devotion: A Love-in-Action Blog Series

A few years ago, I completed the 300-hour Sri Sri Yoga Teacher Training Course. One of the prerequisites to graduating was writing a short thesis on any theme of Yoga. I decided to write on Bhakti Yoga. 

Bhakti, loosely translated as devotion or unconditional love, is an experience that every sentient being in this Universe has experienced. It is surprising, therefore, that Bhakti Yoga is perhaps one of the least known and most misunderstood paths of Yoga, at least in the Western world. In the Eastern hemisphere, however, we are raised in a way that is culturally more familiar with the feeling of Bhakti. It is perhaps for this reason that we not only experience Bhakti Yoga, but also recognize that experience as such. I say this because if you are reading this post, whether you were born and raised in the Eastern or Western hemisphere, you have experienced Bhakti in your life. However, you may not have recognized that you are experiencing Bhakti. 

In this new blogpost series, I share with you my experiences with Bhakti Yoga, or how I have seen it manifest in my life. Perhaps in these outpourings, you might get a glimpse of how seeped you yourself have been, knowingly or unknowingly, in devotion or unconditional love. 

To give you an idea of how common an emotion devotion truly is, think of your mom :) Every mother is devoted to her child - she loves her child unconditionally - through sleepless nights, through the loud relentless crying of a baby, to the tantrums and heartbreaks of teenage, a mother unwaveringly guides, protects, and loves the child. Devotion, Bhakti, manifests as the willingness to repeatedly sacrifice ones own comfort for the sake of someone else's growth and wellbeing. 

Or think of your favorite teacher :) Every teacher is devoted to bringing the light of knowledge to her/his students' life. The painstaking effort in carefully commenting on each essay, in correcting every written word, in taking time to speak to the parents; the devotion of a teacher manifests as her commitment to win the fight over ignorence by instilling interest in the acquisition of knowledge in her students. The Bhakti of a teacher is seen in her pride in seeing her students grow to new heights, in their accomplishments and successes; she doesnt care for her own glory or fame. 

Or think of the soldier fighfing for the freedom of her/his land or to protect it from invaders. The valour, the fearlessness of a warrior is evidence of her Bhakti towards her nation. In Hindi we call them Deshbhakt (a devotee of the Nation) 

If you have spent sleepless nights, without complaint or regret, taking care of any person or task you embrace as your responsibility, you have experienced or lived at least a small quantity of Bhakti - devotion, unconditional love. And this devotion brings a radience, a totality, a sense of deep contentment and joy. 

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, for one who is seeped in love, liberation has no relevance. As I look at my life, I cant help realize the depth and truth in this statement.  

The intersting thing is that while we might all reject the stereotypical Bhakta or devotee clad in a loin cloth or Dhoti, singing songs of devotion to an unseen God, the fact is that we are all devotees in one way or another. In fact, we also like and have the greatest respect for people who live devotion - in one flavour or another. Think about it - who is your favorite person in the world and why? Who is your favorite student or teacher - what quality about them do you love and admire most? Who is your favorite employee? You will see that in each of your answers, at least one common aspect is that these people are devoted - to you, to their work, or to some meaningful cause. 

Devotion or unconditional love is a pre-requisite for and manifests in our lives as commitment, courage, valour, fearlessness, willingness to work hard, and even brilliance!  

When devotion grows or expands to cover larger and larger segments of our life and existence, we start experiencing the pinnacle of unconditional love - Bhakti Yoga. 

Through this blog series, I hope we can be inspired to grow from an experience of devotion to small or limited things, to an experience of unconditional love for the supreme, towards living Bhakti Yoga. 

Today's Simply Love Recipe: Pasta with Almond-Zucchini Sauce (Optional gluten-free and Vegan Versions possible)

Ingredients
1 medium-sized zucchini - chopped into cubes
1.5 Tablespoon Almond butter
1 heaped teaspoon vegetable broth powder (don't dilute in water)
2/3 cup water 
1 +1 Tablespoon Olive Oil or Coconut Oil (I prefer the Coconut Oil) 
1/2 teaspoon spice mix of your choice (I like to use a Chinese or Thai spice mix or Maggie masala)
250 grams pasta of your choice (I like to use gluten-free pasta)
1 tablespoon raisins (optional)
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese (optional; skip if you want a vegan version)

Preparation time: 10-15 mins
Serves: 2 

Method
Put your pasta to boil following the instructions on the pasta package.
In the meantime, make the Almond-Zucchini sauce: In a high-speed blender, beat up the Zucchini, almond butter, vegetable broth powder and water - if you like your sauce to be less thick, you can add some more water; increase the almond butter and vegetable broth amount accordingly. 
In a frying pan, heat 1 tbs of the olive/coconut oil and add the spice mix of your choice. Pour in the Almond-Zucchini sauce and let it cook on medium heat for 4-5 mins. Add the raisins and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water, and add to it 1 tbs of the olive/coconut oil. Distribute the cooked pasta equally on to two plates. Pour the Almond-Zucchini sauce on top (do not mix). Add the crumbled feta on top as garnish (optional). Serve immediately. 

Rising in love

In your light, I learn how to love.
In your beauty, how to make poems.

You dance inside my heart
where no one sees you,

but sometimes I do,
and that sight becomes this art.
                                        - Rumi

Recently, my good friend Priya texted me and asked why I was not blogging anymore. I honestly told her that no "experience" that truly touched my heart and soul, had happened recently. So I was simply not inspired to write. She said something interesting - "What is it that makes you feel you aren't having (such experiences)? What's stopping you from having them? I feel its always that we are going through a phase where we are not receptive to it." 

It got me thinking - yes, indeed - I have been going through this "phase" where my head has been dominating my heart. Rather than truly feeling with the flow, I have been "pushing" and "working hard" to make something "meaningful" out of my life. Being overly careful of not wasting my time in "trivial" "meaningless" pursuits and applying myself to "important" things - what a dreary, dead effort. I became acutely aware of the heavy stone on my heart.

With this awareness, the gramophone in my mind started to shift... I started acknowledging and looking deeply into what it is that I am feeling - right now, this moment. What is it that I am resisting? What am I intellectualizing and refusing to embrace? What am I running away from?

The last five years have been tough ones - going through life as a single mom, struggling through phases of low pay, unemployment, bad health, complete insomnia on one hand, to complete opposite phases of success, euphoria, abundance, and professional accomplishments. Even my personal life seemed, for a while, to be coming back on track. But through all this, I was holding something back - I was resisting something with all my might - but totally unaware of it.  I was resisting love - resisting both the giving and recieving of love from people around me. 

Having experienced multiple "breakups" in both my personal and professional relationships in the past five years, I was perhaps sub-consciously proteting myself from experiencing a broken heart yet again. Justified? Perhaps. Bringing my dear ones and me happiness - certainly not. My mind was in a huge cloud and the intense stress that comes from not trusting anyone to actually be there to "help" was leading to extreme pain in my back, shoulders and neck. I visited several doctors - they couldnt identify the underlying cause.

The love that was in abundance around me - in the words, actions and even in the genuine prayers of people - was, for me, invisible because I was too busy "protecting" myself - the fear of losing love after experiencing it again was too scary for me - had it not been because of lost love, a severely broken heart, that I had almost lost my mind a few years ago? I didn't want to be in that situation ever again! 

The Universe supports us when we need to get unstuck from any event or experience. Our own consciousness supports us. I remember a few weeks ago, being in the European center of the Art of Living to teach a trauma relief workshop for Ukranian refugee kids. As it happens, when ever I have helped others overcome their trauma, I have noticed some of my own traumas resurfacing and leaving me. During the two nights that I was there, I had vivid dreams of my school days. They were strange dreams - of vague conversations with boys I was in love with or had a crush on as a teenager.  In my dreams, I remembered how I never permitted myself to believe that someone I liked/loved might like/love me too - yet, towards the end of my school years, I realized that several "popular" boys who I thought were way out of my league, liked me - but I seemed too distant and disinterested! In fact, the boy I had a secret crush on for more than 4 years, liked me the whole time too! He just never came forward because I seemed so "cold". At that time, I wondered why I was dreaming and re-living/remembering these crazy school days' details. 

As I remembered these dreams after my friend Priya's nudge, I felt that they had come to me beause back then, just like now, I was resisting love - I was too afraid of rejection, of getting hurt. Whether it be human "love" felt as an emotion, or universal love, experienced as our very existence, I was resisting it, running away from it - all the time afraid of experiencing the pain of "losing" the love if I were to let myself expreience it again. 

Indeed, in recent years, I have met the most loving of people - men and women, willing and wanting to be with my daughter and me, share a few moments of belonging, of caring - but within a few months, I felt the need to push them away. We would all surely lead better lives without being tied down by each other?!

I have often heard Sri Sri, founder of the SKY breath meditation and world renowned humanitarian, say: "Dont fall in love, rise in love." It was always a little baffling for me - what does this mean really? 

I looked back at all the times I'd felt I was in love with someone, and wondered - did my heart always break beause I "fell" in love rather than "rising" in it? How does one "rise" in love?

Almost as a timely answer to my question, the Universe brought me to person who I felt an instant and  strong "spark" with - I even felt it reciprocated, but noticed how I immediately pushed away the feelings in me and the interest from his end - it cannot be and should not be! I have more important things to do! Anyway, this is probably just going to lead to more pain in the long run. But the feeling of love kept flooding my heart - the more I pushed it away, the more fuzzy my mind became, the more restless and unhappy I became. But this thought kept coming back "dont fall in love, rise in love." 

I started listening to bollywood love songs - after sooo very long! They are so innocent and real - equally well suited to expressing both personal and divine love. They filled me up, once again, with a longing for my Master. I started observing these intense feelings and my resistence, my fears. As I watched them, I slowly felt the resistence dropping away - the pain intensified and longing filled me up - tears of love and gratitude flowed freely after what seemed like an eternity. I let myself feel the intense pain of longing - longing to become one with the whole Universe. I felt the reawakening of devotion, of intense and pure love - unattached to people, situations, and (material) desires. Unbounded love unrestricted by boundaries of relationships and personalities. I felt freedom! A beautiful, soft, sweet freedom, laced with the pain of longing. Every particle in my being seemed charged and alive! Was this what Sri Sri meant by rising in love? 

"Keep your eyes fixed only on me, oh foolish one!" said He,

"for I am the beauty in the beautiful,

the charm in the charming,

the intelligence in the brilliant ones,

the perfection in everything.

Don't move your sight an inch away from me!"

Said I in response: "Where are you my beloved?

I long to be one with you…

to be freed from this non-real duality.

My eyes search only for you – as I walk into my office,

as I walk through the aisles of the grocery store,

as I smile back at the stranger on the tram,

as I enter the stillness of ‘home’,

in meditation and in music,

in love and in laughter,

in arguments and in fights –

you are what my eyes long to see,

my being wants to be,

only you... "

 

 

The first meeting...

• 

(Image from here)
In the great Indian epic, Mahabharata, Arjuna, the warrior Prince, had four wives. His first wife, Draupadi, was also married to Arjuna's four brothers and was the only wife who lived in the Royal Palace of Hastinapur (and later, in the Royal Palace of Indraprasth). The only wife, that is, until Subhadra came along.

Arjuna had won a next to impossible challenge to win Draupadi's hand in marriage: shooting an arrow into a revolving fish-statue's eye while looking only at its reflection in a bowl of water. For this reason, despite being married to all 5 Pandava brothers, it was Arjuna who Draupadi was most attached to (and perhaps most possessive of). 

Subhadra was Lord Krishna's younger (and favorite) sister, and was in love with Arjuna. When Arjuna visited Krishna in his Palace, he met Subhadra and also immediately fell in love with her. He asked for her hand in marriage. Subhadra's family agreed, but Krishna warned Arjuna that he needs to beware of Draupadi's wrath while taking Subhadra with him to the Royal Palace. Krishna also said: "the journey is not yours Arjuna, the journey is Subhadra's."

As predicted by Krishna, when Arjuna reached the royal palace and Draupadi, the welcome was not warm. Draupadi ordered him out her chambers in rage. Arjuna was perplexed. He did not know what to do. Subhadra, in all her innocence, kept pestering Arjuna - "I want to meet my 'elder sister' (Draupadi) - when will you take me to her?" Arjuna was afraid - he did not want Draupadi to insult Subhadra. Nor could he keep them apart for ever. 

Because of stressful political circumstances, Krishna had been raised in hiding in a small village named Gokul, by cow heards, milkmen and milkmaids (Gopis and Gopas). Krishna is, therefore, often depicted as standing next to a cow, playing a flute, wearing ordinary clothes of a milkman, with a peacock's feather as his crown. Remembering Draupadi's devotion to Krishna, Krishna's history and his parting words ("the journey is not yours, it is Subhadra's"), Arjuna asked Subhadra to dress up as a simple milkmaid and go on her own to Draupadi's chamber to seek a meeting with her. 

When Subhadra arrived at Draupadi's chamber, she did not enter immediately. Instead she sent a message via Draupadi's hand maiden saying: "Subhadra, younger sister of Krishna, prays for permission to meet Queen Draupadi". On hearing these words of introduction, Draupadi scolded the handmaiden - why didnt you introduce her as "Queen Subhadra?" The handmaiden said that she was instructed to give this specific introduction. Draupadi then asked the handmaiden to let Subhadra in. 

Subhadra entered in the attire of a simple milkmaid and touched Draupadi's feet for her blessings: "I, Subhadra, younger sister of Krishna, seek your blessings, and a place at your feet, oh Queen and elder sister (didi) Draupadi." Draupadi's angry heart melted immediately at this innocent expression of love and respect. She said, "Your place is not at my feet, my dear sister, it is in my arms. I warmly welcome you into our palace and into my heart." 

This story moved me as a child. It depected how unconditional love, innocence and humility can win over the hardest heart and break the hardest ego-shells. Today, this story came to me as a long lost old friend came to visit. 

It has now been almost four years since my divorce. My old friend had come, together with her own daughter, to pick my daughter up; my daughter was going to spend the week with her dad's family. When she arrived and called from the car, I asked my daughter to invite them up for a cup of tea and a slice of banana bread before driving of (my old friend's daughter loves banana bread!). I was half expecting an excuse of "its too late, we need to leave immediately." But she accepted, parked the car and rang our doorbell. 

I didn't know how awkward or uncomfortably silent our "first meeting" at my home after the divorce would be. My daugher opened the door and stood in between us. As we looked at each other, frozen momentarily in our spots, my old friends said: "I was scared. I am still scared. But Meera invited me to come up..." 

I could not help smiling: "Oh! Just come on in!" I said.  

She ran in and we hugged - she in tears and me, the apparently "braver" one, not showing any emotion (as usual), but with a huge lump in my throat. As we hugged, she said: "I am so sorry!" I said, "its over, its OK" The response was: "Thank you! You are so big!" 

At this moment, the words that came out of me were "You too are big!" It needed so much (more) courage to accept my invitation and then admit to being afraid. It was her innocent act, and her honest words, expressing a sincere and undisguised human emotion, that had broken the thin sheet of ice (ego) that was still left over my heart. 

In life, big and small events leave a mark or wound in us - but no matter how deep or painful the wound is, it only takes one moment of unconditional love, a sincere and spontaneous expression, to heal it. It is not a question of forgiving. It is about realizing that, at the end of the day, we are all human and we all feel the same emotions. Some are just better actors than others, and need a little time, a nudge, a sincere human touch, to drop the act of "bravery" and reconnect with our hearts. 

We only need to keep our windows open. When its time for the sun to come out from behind the clouds, it will fill our homes with light, and with love, once again.  

 

Today's simple heartfelt recipe: Easy Rasam (Indian spiced tomato soup)

Rasam is a traditional recipe from south India. It consists primarily of tomatoes, with just a dash of lentils. It is perfect for the winter months, keeping our hearts and tummies warm, helping in the digestion process. Here is a very simple recipe to make authentic Rasam from scratch at home :) 

 Rasam Powder: Ingredients 

Rasam Powder is a key ingredient of Rasam and any authentic south Indian housewife or cook will refuse to share her secret Rasam powder recipe with you (or wont disclose the secret ingredient) :D Since it takes some time to prepare, I suggest making a small jar full in one go. 

60 grams Indian cumin seeds 

25 grams pepper corns (less if you dont want it spicy)

20 grams brown fenugreek seeds (Methi seeds) 

4-5 dried red chillies (optional - avoid if you prefer non spicy Rasam, but at least 1-2 are recommended for the winter time) 

Method (Rasam Powder): 

Fenugreek seeds are a tricky spice. They turn bitter really fast if over roasted. So start with fenugreek (and red chillies). Heat a frying pan to medium heat and then add the fenugreek seeds (and red chillies). Keep stirring with a wooden spatula/spoon till the fenugreek seeds are just one shade more brown (like a deep golden). Now add the cumin seeds and peppercorns and keep dry roasting on medium heat, while stirring lightly with a wooden spatula, till the spices release their aroma (you will smell it for sure!). Now, remove from heat and transfer immediately to a dry bowl. Let cool for 15-20 minutes (till spices are at room temperature). Put all the spices into a dry grinder and grind all spices to a fine powder. Transfer to a clean, dry, jar that can be closed tightly. You can store this powder for 6-8 months (or longer, if your jar is air tight), without it losing much flavor and aroma. 

Rasam: Ingredients (for 3-4 people)

1/4 cup yellow lentils (e.g. Mung), soaked overnight and well cooked (easy to mash with fingers)

6 medium sized tomatoes - cut into large cubes 

1 inch piece of ginger (skin removed)

1 cup water + 1 cup water

1 tbs coconut oil (or, if you prefer, ghee/clarified butter. Normal cooking oil is also OK)

1 tsp black mustard seeds 

1 tsp coriander powder 

1/4 tsp Hing (asafoetida) powder 

1 tsp turmeric (Kurkuma) powder

1/2 green chillie (optional) - thinly slices 

10-12 fresh or dry curry leaves 

1 tbs chopped fresh corinader

Salt to taste

 

Method: Easy Rasam

Puree the tomatoes and ginger together with 1 cup water in a high speed blender, till totally smooth. Put aside.

Heat a frying pan till it is at medium heat. Add the oil/ghee. Once the oil is warm, add the black mustard seeds and wait till they start spluttering (they will change their colour to grey and let out a wonderful aroma). Reduce the heat/flame to low and add the coriander powder, Hing, and Turmeric powder. Stir for 10-12 seconds. Add the green chillies and curry leaves and stor again for 15-20 seconds. To this mix, add the pureed tomato ginger mix. Increase the heat/flame to medium-high and cook with the lid on (covered) for 7-10 minutes. Add the lentils, salt and one more cup of water. Let cook on high heat with the lid on for another 5-6 minutes. Add the fresh chopped coriander as a garnish just before serving. 

Serve hot with white rice or millets.

When a heart breaks, it becomes divine…

Several years ago, I read the book “God loves fun” by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. It was, at that time, an unusual read for a young restless law student like me. Nevertheless, one line from it touched my heart deeply while leaving my intellect completely confused… “When a bud breaks, it becomes a flower. When a heart breaks, it becomes divine.” How can a broken heart become divine?

The last two years have been a series of unbelievable and incredibly painful experiences for me – a broken personal relationship with a wonderful and caring person that had lasted over 7 years, a bitterly broken professional relationship with a person who has been my most trusted mentor for over 9 years, friendships turned into distrust before they could even mature, shocked numbness at being groundlessly blamed by those I thought to be my closest friends and family, newer relationships seeped in deep gratitude and respect, but with uncertain futures, incredible fears that my daughter would be taken away from me… the list is endless, but all leading to one thing – a severely and repeatedly broken heart.

With this broken heart, first came an unending river of tears, then a barrage of bitterness, a phase of utter delusion, followed by a completely shattered confidence and a feeling of endless dejection and worthlessness. Indeed, I can understand now, the intensity of feelings that could be responsible for driving people to suicide. I lost faith and confidence, not only in myself, but also in society as a whole.

If there was one thing that kept me going forward through this whole time was my daily yoga and meditation practice and the support and comfort I drew from the knowledge and wisdom given by truly enlightened souls like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Indeed, I recognized and experienced at a new level, the true value of this ancient but ever fresh knowledge and practices. And so, I persevered.

After several years, I took quality time out for my daughter and myself. We travelled far and wide, to Singapore, Bali, India, USA – to many spiritual sojourns, meditation and yoga workshops, temples and churches, talks on ancient wisdom (especially the Vignan Bhairav series – “Unveiling Infinity”). After each trip, those who had a small idea of what I was going through told me that I look lesser and lesser stunned and more and more happy. Indeed, I also felt that way, slowly but surely. Yet, every now and then, the old memories would come up with incredible strength and take over my entire consciousness. But the nature of the pain had shifted – from being a victim, I felt like the aggressor. I felt deep and intense pain that I too had unknowingly hurt many people, including those I loved most. And so, I persevered.

I dug deeper into my soul and my being, spent more quality time in meditation and contemplated on what it was that drove me and what was the purpose of my life. A brand new set of heartfelt feelings started to emerge – a prayer that everyone on this Earth be happy. That those I felt had wronged me, not feel guilty or hurt – that they too find peace and happiness within themselves. These feelings were so intense sometimes, that I could hardly contain their energy within me. With a fully broken heart, for the first time in my life, an incredible softness was dawning in my being. A true vulnerability that I sometimes fought hard to resist. I was not sure if I was fully open to everything that life wanted to bring to me – especially the pain and the heartbreak. But somehow, I had the energy and the will to persevere. To see what lay at the other end of the tunnel that life had brought me to.

Thanks to some wonderful friends, I got into new hobbies – blockchain and astrology – strange combination, yes! With these new hobbies, I gained a lot of new wisdom and knowledge… and also lost a lot of money!  These together also brought me to newer levels of understanding of human and spiritual existence: every human being and indeed every event was here to help us grow. Everyone is simply playing a role that even they themselves don’t know they are playing, and in the process, bringing to me, at every step, an opportunity to choose love and compassion over anger and frustration. To use every opportunity to be patient, while also having the willingness to put 100% and more to what I believe in.

What I struggled with most, however, was my shattered confidence in myself. From being the bundle of (over)confidence, enthusiasm, energy and dynamism that I prided myself to be, I became an overly cautious person that I couldn’t recognize or come to terms with. I was thinking 10+ times before taking any action, was constantly afraid of hurting others and myself, unsure and afraid that an “insensitive” or “untimely” action would unfold another tsunami of grief, misery, fear and uncertainty. But a thin ray of light was starting to emerge in the dark tunnel – a new interest in life, a new set of research ideas, a new found interest in contributing to the world and to bringing the most marginalized segments of global society into the mainstream and helping the poorest in the world recognize their true strength and potential. In my lowest time, my commitment to my spiritual practices served me with the strength and love to forge forward with my biggest dreams. In this time, I conceived several research projects, one of which was so large (much larger perhaps, even than my own life), that I felt it had to be the purpose I was born to serve in this lifetime.

I faced several rounds of rejection, disinterest and ridicule. After most of the time available to write a funding application to get the research and innovation action rolling was over, finally, one by one, partner after partner, expert after expert, support after support, that was necessary to conduct the mammoth research project I had conceived of, starting joining the vision. I was amazed and humbled by the strength of commitment that this incredible consortium showed towards compiling the research plan and grant application. In a record 4 weeks, with some partners joining just one week before the application deadline, we compiled an application for funding for what is most certainly the world’s most complex and demanding funding agency.

After several nights of little to no sleep, no food, one-pointed attention to this one goal, with an aching and shaking body, and a truly helpless mind, as I pressed the “send” button on the application website, I felt a few moments of complete and total stillness. The exhaustion lead to several more rounds of uncontrollable tears – of pain, of anxiety, but also, of gratitude. My faith in people and society was returning. Peace, and a willingness to face the uncertainty that is an inevitable part of life, replaced the unnatural blanket of “confidence” that I usually wrapped around myself.

My broken heart had given me a glimpse of infinity, a glimpse of being connected to the ONE and to all. It had given me a glimpse of me.

Today's heartfelt recipe: Summer Rolls

These are my daughter's favorite - she can eat them day in and day out, every day!

Ingredients:

Large sized summer roll rice papers - these are a little different from the rice paper available for fried spring rolls(available in any Asian store and in several Indian stores

Ingredients

Cook lightly:
1 Tbs coconut oil or regular cooking oil
3 medium sized carrots - chopped into long thin slices (not too long!)
250 grams of firm Tofu - cut into cubes
2 spring onions - cut into rounds.

Beat up in a blender:
1/3 cup coconut milk (optional)
1 handful of Peanuts
1/2 inch ginger - grated
2 Tbs soya sauce
2 tbs sweet chillie sauce

Seperately serve in individual bowls:
2 large handfuls of sprouts (any of your liking or mixed)
1 buschel of fresh coriander leaves - washed and thick stems removed
1 buschel of fresh mint leaves - washed and thick stems removed
1 cucumber - cut into very thin long slices
150 grams of rice noodles - well cooked

Dipping sauce
Sweet chillie sauce
OR
Beat up in a high speed blender- 1/2 cup of coconut milk, 1 handful of peanuts, 4 tbs of sweet chillie sauce, salt to taste and 1/2 inch fresh ginger. Cook on low heat for 2 minutes. Serve in a separate bowl.

Summer roll rice papers - 10

Method

Heat the coconut oil in a non stick pan and addthe tofu - fry till light brown, add the spring onions, saute for 2 minutes, add the carrots and fry for 2-3 minutes. Beat up the coconut milk, peanuts, ginger, soy sauce and sweet chillie sauce in the high speed blender. Pour the mix into the fried carrot, spring onion and tofu mix - cook for 4-5 minutes. Set aside.

Serve out all the other ingredients in separate bowls.

Take a large bowl and fill it with warm water. Take a rice paper and dip it into the warm water - all of the rice paper must soak in the water for 5-7 seconds. Take the wet rice paper and place it on a plate. Put in the cooked carrot-tofu mix, add a little bit of all other ingredients (a few pieces of cucumber, a few leaves of coriander and mint, some noodles...) now roll the paper from one end to make a summer roll with all ingredients wrapped in. Serve with the dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Love Bytes: Short Poems

Sri Sri, in his book, "God Loves Fun", says, "When a bud breaks, it becomes a flower. When a heart breaks it becomes divine." I think in the last one and a half years, my heart not only broken, but got shattered to several thousands bits. As I went through the bitter sweet struggles to gather the pieces, I felt that my heart opened up like - the pain, the longing, the bliss, the beauty, the fear, the anger, the acceptance, the quest to find meaning, for something higher - all intensified like never before. I was missing from my blog as there were, for once in my life, no words left inside me. As I slowly emerge from the darkness within me, and move towards that gentle glimpse of light, the words return. Not in the form of long stories, but in the form of short ones. And in the form of some form of poetry. After much hesitation, I decided to share these here on my blog as well. Togehter with the segment titled "Bytes of Insight" (which I started last week), through this new segment titled "Love Bytes" I hope to write more frequently again. Please do bless this space with your comments, likes and shares. Love and Peace.

The Light of Longing

"Keep your eyes fixed only on me, oh foolish one!" said He, "for I am the beauty in the beautiful, the charm in the charming, the intelligence in the brilliant ones, the perfection in everything. Don't move your eyes (sight) an inch away from me!" Said I in response: "Where are you my beloved? I long to be one with you… to be freed from this non-real duality. My eyes search only for you – as I walk into my office, as I walk through the aisles of the grocery store, as I enter the stillness of my home, as I smile back at the stranger on the tram, in meditation and in music, in love and in laughter, in arguments and in fights – you are what I long for, only you... "

Bytes of Insight

Today, I am starting a new segment in my blog: Bytes of Insight. Many a times, life brings a new realization (an "A-ho"moment) - perhaps it is knowledge (finally) turning into actual wisdom! I usually post these insignts only on Facebook. But will now also post them here for those who are not on my Facebook feed. Do leave me a note and let me know how you like these. And do also add your own insights/knowledge in the comments.

ANGER FACTS (A Retake)

Vishwamitra was an accomplished saint and was close to enlightenment so very many times - his one hurdle, repeatedly, was his own short temper. He would meditate and gain merit, and in one instance of boiling rage, shout and curse and come crashing down to square one. After noticing this repeatedly, he finally let go of his anger and after intense tapasya, attained enlightenment. His rage may have done the world (or some people) a great deal of good, but harmed him considerably many times. I guess it was, at the end of the day, all as per the divine plan. As Gurudev says, we are all souls working to help each other grow towards our higher purpose and our higher selves. It is strange that over the last few years, I have experienced the worse of my own bad temper (before that, I always thought myself to be rather mild!). What ever impact it may or may not have had on others, it certainly took a terrible toll on my health and on my relationships. As I spend another (happily) sleepless night in introspection, I feel grateful (again) for all the experiences life has brought to me to make me let go of this temper that had unknowingly taken root in me. Some bursts still occur - but the frequency, intensity and length of time for which they last have decreased so considerably! I can take no credit for this - I only watch in wonder and amazement - the rise and fall of the Gunas. Thank you Gurudev for this wonderful knowledge of the Gunas during your recent commentaries on Chapter 14 of the Bhagvad Gita. I feel like listening to you over and over again!

Bytes of Insight: Quick Cure for Cold and Sore Throat

200 grams of fresh turmeric (Kurkuma)
75 grams of fresh ginger (Ingwer)

Juice the turmeric and ginger (do not add any water). Add 1 large tablespoon of raw honey.

Drink two tablespoons twice a day for 2 days (morning-evening).

For best results, drink this as soon as you feel the earliest sign of cold/sore throat.

Remembering Ramanujam - the Man Who Knew Infinity

I have always been fascinated by the life and work of the great Indian Mathematician - Srinivasa Ramanujan. For my European friends who might not be familiar with his work, I recommend the wikipedia page and the movie "The Man Who Knew Infinity" - which provides a pretty accurate, and, in part, moving account of his life in India and then in UK, Cambridge.

What stands out in the life of Ramanujam is not (only) the fact that he, before the age of 32, had already compiled more than 3900 mathematical results, most of which have now been proved true, but the fact that these results were not a result of hard work or long hours of rational thinking. They were, in the words of Ramanujam, "the word of God." When his mentor in Cambridge, G.H Hardy, asked Ramanujam how he reaches these results, Ramanujam said simply - "they come to me." In reality, the results and theorems were revealed to him as flashes during states of deep meditative prayer. Ramanujam had no mind for proofs - his mentor, G.H Hardy, as well as other peers at Cambridge, had no mind for "flashes" - they wanted and needed proof.

I first heard of Ramanujam when I was about 10 or 12 years old - my parents took us to watch a play about his life. It was a particularly bad play - but a scene from it that remains with me even today, is the scene of Ramanujam seated in front of the statue of the Devi, first begging her to reveal the secrets of the Universe to him and then falling into a deep state of meditation. From the midst of this meditative, deeply blissful state, Ramanujam sprang up and scribbled notes on the floor right in front of the statue. The scene left a deep impression on me. Later, I also saw a TV series on his life - from which, I only remember the scene of his death - during which time also, he was "downloading" information directly from the vast consciousness, that in Hindu traditions is known as Devi (mother goddess) or Divinity.

It is often difficult for one who has experienced even a small taste of these "flashes" to engage constructively with those who are pre-occupied with proofs and logic. It is like a struggle between the left and right side of the brain. A strained interaction between the head and the heart. Undoubtedly, to survive in the world we need both - Ramanujams and Hardys.

As an acedemic in the Western world, I have come to understand, and even get a tiny glimpse of Ramanujam's struggle with the Western academia a little bit better. I have often struggled to explain to my academic "seniors" why I am 100% certain that a certain course of research will lead to fantastic results if pursued. I have been fortunate - I have met my own GH Hardy's who have permitted me to play my own tune, while also teaching me the rigours of Western logic and systems of proof. What I have struggled with even more, however, is trying to explain to them why and how meditation can help them more than it helps me. They have a fantastically trained logical mind. If coupled with meditation, they would surpass any Ramanujam and any Hardy of the present or past. But my longing to have these brilliant minds experience a moment of the "flashes", going beyond the "logical", is in actuality, not merely a longing to bring meditation into their lives. It is a longing to bring the great traditions of the world closer together in harmony, in mutual respect, in sincerety - so that each can be enriched by the other. It is a longing to unite the head and the heart. A longing for oneness.