The first meeting...

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(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.

Pasta, Pesto and Permaculture

Today is a speacial day for the Spiritual Cooking blog! We have our very first Guest Post! And that too, from a senior and wonderfully talented Art of Living teacher from the US - Nancie DiSilverio. Here she not only shares with us her fantabulous vegan pesto recipe, but sends us a wonderful post on Permaculture. So read on and enjoy! (Photo: Nancie and others)

Pasta, Pesto and Permaculture
by Nancie DiSilverio

Last week a friend of mine sent out a desperate plea for a homemade pasta dinner. Under regular circumstances that’s an easy, minor task for me as a second generation Italian American (on my father’s side). But my current residence is anything but regular: I am currently residing in the Soudhamini Apartments, in Udayapura, a small village on the edge of tech famous Bangalore City, in South India. The Soudhamini Apts are adjunct living spaces to another famous place in Bangalore: the Art of Living International Center, the main hub of international operations for His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Recognized as one of India’s most powerful and influential citizens, Sri Sri doesn't stop at power and influence- seemingly impossible for one man, his impact is recognized on things as diverse as: cutting edge impacts in the world of yogic technique (his Sudarshan Kriya is lauded by science, saints and practitioners alike as a game changing stress buster); global peace building (he has been cited by both sides as instrumental in brokering the deal between Columbia’s Government and the FARC rebels working to end that decades long civil war); childhood and continuing education (up to the college level with theSri Sri College of Ayurvedic Science and Research, and Sri Sri University in Orissa), and organic agricultural research and policy development (the Center has more than 17 active organic research farms, and this blog’s host has just produced a doctoral thesis in Law as pertains to seed varieties rooted in his philosophy). I guess not surprisingly, he’s also a master of inspiring others and an amazing team leader!!

BUT back to dinner. The first challenge to a great pasta dinner here on the edges of rural India, is finding the necessary ingredients. A trip to the grocery store can be an hours long affair, with multiple stops, especially to find the core ingredients like pasta and basil. Luckily, I had picked up a few bags of pasta, olive oil and some tomatoes the day before. But I really wanted either some zucchini or some basil to complete the sauce. Come on, I thought, with 17 farms around here, basil cant be too hard to find. And so my search began.

My first stop was the hydroponic gardens where a good size kitchen’s worth of basil was found growing in PV piping, with the assist of an engineered water system, without any soil at all. But there was no one around to authorize my harvest, and I didn't want to just help my self, in case it was already promised elsewhere. Next, I went on a wildcraft hunt, and right out behind the large meditation hall, known as Yagyashala, there was, as I had been advised by a friend, some beautiful basil growing wild, but it was the Thai variety of basil, and not the sweet basil I was looking for, so my search continued.

I swung by another set of gardens outside the Center’s Vishala Cafe, an awesome place that is a regular haven for the Internationals and locals alike, serving not only both North and South Indian staples (dosa, idli, parathas, rice, dahl, subzi,) but great pastas and pizzas complete with two of their own homemade brick pizza ovens, and a bakery with some of the best healthy desserts anywhere in the world. The pastry chef, PD, is an artist, constantly exploring new ways to make our sweet teeth less hard on our sensitive, meditating, yoga practicing bodies. A hero among humans! But still no sweet basil in their beds either: tomatoes, papayas, pumpkins, lemons, but no basil!

But those beds reminded me of my old friend Swami Brahmatej. Besides being a thoroughly charming and knowledgable guide on the path of yoga, not just yoga asanas or postures, but the art of bringing the mind to rest in peace in the present moment, he is also a “gentlemen farmer”, and oversees much of the agricultural enterprise around the International Center. He would know where to find the elusive sweet basil!

“Oh, we’ll get the basil from the Permaculture Center (PCC),” he said brightly, when I had explained my mission, “You know where Permaculture is?” It quickly became apparent that I didn't have a prayer of finding it, so Swamiji’s cook, Nandish, summoned Binay, the head of the Permaculture Center, who arrived in a few minutes to take me out to there.

If you’re like me, you may already have heard of permaculture, and even seen or worked in permaculture spaces, without knowing too much about it. Basically it is the ultimate Green philosophy for creating spaces to live. It consists of three things: an ethical approach, an understanding of Nature and how it works, and a design approach, all of which are combined to create sustainable, agriculturally productive, non-polluting and healthy places, be it a garden, a development or a whole city. The word permaculture comes from “permanent agriculture”-ie sustainable, and “permanent culture” as in lasting civilization. The purpose of permaculture is to inspire us to live more lightly on the Planet and more harmoniously with Nature. (This is lifted lightly, or heavily actually, from www.permaculture.org.uk where you can learn more about permaculture, and its roots and shoots.)

Of course, at Sri Sri’s Center permaculture would find a home. From ending the use of plastic shopping bags long before it was popular, to river restorations, to tree planting and training rural farmers in organic methodology, Sri Sri has long championed environmental consciousness. “Nature nurtures us,” he has said, “and its important that we take care of it. A healthy future for our coming generations depends on how we care for our environment in the present.” He also encourages us all to eat a balanced, healthy diet because “our food influences our mind. A properly balanced diet has a positive impact on our emotions, and thereby on our consciousness.”

Again back to dinner, and the basil hunt…

Nestled in the back of everything, on a couple acres of a sand and rock hillock, the PCC is a wonder of a farm! Here you’ll find not only plenty of basil for making a fresh vegan pesto (recipe below), but the sweetest cherry tomatoes, half a dozen varieties of India gourds, many suspended from handmade bamboo lattice works, to maximize growth and space. These included loki, and pumpkin, and even a bottle gourd plant climbing a small mango tree. Sadly, it was already past mango season, but the passion fruits, (Swamiji lovingly referred to them as “The fruit of my passion”) were perfect: sweet, sour, juicy and runny, with seeds adding the perfect crunch. Bindhi, otherwise known to English speaking audiences as Ocra or Ladyfinger, was at the end of its harvest too but it was a novelty to see how they grow, one by one shooting off their long tall stalks. And of course, it’s all organic.

But the most amazing thing about this bounty, is the soil, or rather the lack of it, in which these foods are all grown. As mentioned above, the PC Center lies is on a rocky, sandy hillside, so the natural soil is not great for growing much of anything. But using principles of permaculture the team has created beds out of waste vegetation, layered with cardboard, and topped with less than 5 cm of top soil. The beds are fertilized with an ancient organic recipe based out of cow urine and dung, that is lovingly nurtured through a fermentation process that includes dumping a couple handfuls of earthworm rich soil into it in the end, that apparently multiplies the worms by the thousands in a matter of days. The name of it is Jivamrit, or elixir of souls, referring one guesses to the rapid multiplication of the worms, and I am sure millions of bacteria and other nutrients beneficial to what little soil there is. Binay, besides taking hours out to show me around the place and sending me home with pockets full of basil, and a tummy full of passion fruit (note: bring a shopping bag if you visit!), is on a mission to inspire city dwellers. He assured me you could create such beds on your rooftop, or balconies, growing your own fresh food even in our high rise cities around the world! See right - the beds!

Another ancient farming technique, Agni Hotra, is also a regular practice on the farm. Cow dung from a particular Indian breed of cow, is burnt in a small copper pot shaped as an inverted pyramid, while chanting special sanskrit sutras (or threads, meaning “threads” of knowledge) and once the ceremony is complete, the ash from this practice is also thrown onto the beds and mixed into the soil. This practice has also been shown scientifically to provide healthy nutrients to the soil as well as having a purifying impact on the atmosphere. (For more on Agni Hotra: www.homatherapie.de)

The PCC also is an active training center for the practices of Permaculture. They offer training classes to organic farmers and lay people alike, that include not only how to make their soil-less beds, but also how to work to create effective rain water harvesting to maximize rainfall as a water resource, and many other aspects of a permaculture farming. Another very cool aspect of the farm, is the training center itself: it’s styled after a Mongolian round yurt made entirely of ingredients found on site including: bamboo framing, a thatched frond ceiling, and about 4 inches of a red mud blend that hangs on the frame. Built by Binay and 3 other guys in under three weeks, it’s 30m in diameter and can seat roughly 70 trainees. The hut keeps a stable temperature with a variance of roughly 4 degrees in the peek of summer. The interior is set up as a classroom complete with red mud tiered seating so all students can see. Its quite an impressive structure built with no architect, contractor or experienced builder.

The large handfuls of basil I harvested from the farm, were turned into the vegan pesto below-as pasta for four with sautéed tomatoes, toasted almonds and a couple heaping tablespoons of this pesto (per plate). This recipe was first developed for a meditating friend with gluten and dairy allergies, so its pretty non-traditional with no cheese, or even garlic. But the first time I served it to my dubious siblings (our Grandfather was an immigrant from the rich farming areas of Abruzzi, Italy), and even they praised the final product, I knew I had a winner. Its great on pasta or as a spread on toast with a bit of feta or avocado, or as a non-spicy chutney to add a little moisture to anything needing a dip. I also have been known to mix it into a rice dish with some sautéed tomatoes and zucchini stirred in, topped with some goat cheese and raisins. I hope you enjoy it too!

Nancie Di’s “New Fangled” Pesto

Ingredients

1/2 cup of soaked walnuts (cashews and almonds will also work but I usually toast the almonds and leave the cashews raw, soaking preferred)

2 cups of basil (this is a slightly packed measure)

1/4-1/2 cup of olive oil (depends on your blender and your taste; less makes a drier pesto)

1 t lemon juice

1/2 -1 pitted date (more if needed; these can also be soaked if you wish-but I don’t)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t cumin powder (optional)

1/2 t corriander powder (optional)


Method

First, soak your walnuts. This can be done the night before, if you've planned; but I often just soak them for about 15-30min while I am cleaning the basil, or doing other prep work, like putting water to boil for pasta or putting on rice.

Then, clean the basil thoroughly. Pick the leaves off the stems, and rinse in a bowl of water. Often basil grows in sandy dirt, if the whole stems of plants have been pulled out of the ground, the leaves collect sand. If your basil is like this, you have to soak it repeatedly, 3-4 times and rinse-there is nothing worse than sandy pesto, so not short cuts on the washing, however tedious plucking and soaking may seem. After all that work, you want a delicious finished product, and short cutting here wont cut it. If your basil has already been well cleaned by your merchant, no problem, but be sure to check for sand and rinse until there is basically none in your rinse water.

In a good blender (raised blade preferred here) or a food processor, blend the basil, olive oil, and lemon juice. This will be a bit liquidy, oily and not yet resemble pesto. Don't worry.

Add the walnuts and blend until smooth. Now it should be looking a bit more like your idea of pesto.

Add the date. Start with half the date. I have used medjool and daglit but pretty much they are the same once you get proportions correct-the secret is between the lemon juice, the dates, the salt and the relative sweetness of the basil.

Add the remaining spices and taste. The cumin and coriander are on the sweet side of taste to the tongue but also replace the garlic. But I have made it without one or the other and its fine.

Balance spices to your taste. If its too lemony add, more date or corriander/cumin. If too sweet, use a little more lemon (by the drops as opposed to teaspoons) or salt.

There is this moment where it all comes together and you say, “Yeah! YUM!” and thats when you stop.

Scoop it out of your blender and serve. You can also refrigerate it (it’ll keep a couple of weeks at least-I usually eat it long before it can go bad) or use as a spread or chutney straight from the fridge. I also use it in salad dressings as a flavor base (a tablespoon or so) with oil oil and balsamic vinegar for a quick basil dressing.

Buon Appetito!

Attraction on the Spiritual Path

The creation is full of charming, beautiful objects and individuals. Everything in creation, in nature, is a gift to us from the divine - it is there for us to appreciate and enjoy. The problem arises, when we want to own or possess. Because the reality is that once we possess, the thing possessed soon loses its charm and we are attracted to something or someone else. This is a potentially never ending cycle and I have often wondered about the nature and tendency of our minds to be attracted to things and people even after we already have such beauties of creation within our homes and hearts. Recently, listening to the story of a close friend going through a separation, this topic and the wonder came back to me.

In his commentaries on the Bhakti Sutras, Sri Sri says, if there is anything in this world that is charming, I (Krishna) am the charm. Elsewhere he says, your non-attachment to the mundane is your beauty, your attachment to the divine is your charm. Combining these two statements together, I was not completely surpized when my teacher at the end of the Art of Living teacher training course (way back in 2004) said: "beware, your students might appear to fall in love with you. It is not you they are in love with - it is the charm and grace of the knowledge, of the enlightened Master that they experience radiating through you. You can respect their love, because it is actually love for the highest knoweldge." Indeed, I have had several students express deep love and admiration for me and I have always reminded them and myself that what they are drawn to is the knowledge and the grace and wisdom of the Master - and these alone are worth pursuing (and being in love with). At the same time, when ever I have felt attracted towards the charm and grace of an Art of Living teacher, this knowledge has kept me centered.

I wanted to share with you all, however, an early experience of mine with this beautiful and true knowledge. Despite knowing that what I love about all Art of Living teachers is, essentially, the grace and wisdom of the enlightened Master that radiates through them, there is no escaping the fact that I have been drawn to several wonderful teachers on the path. In the early years, when I had been with this knowledge only a few years, I remember being utterly in love with one extremely handsome, young, charming (but, unfortunately, not single) teacher from whose lips, Sri Sri's knowledge flowed like the cool holy water of the Ganges. Whose smile was radiant like Krishna himself and whose eyes were full of mischief, love and wisdom (a deadly combination) - just like Sri Sri's. Can a young girl help but fall in love? Yet, the intellectual 'knowing' that what I was drawn to was nothing but the highest knowledge and wisdom, made me push away the loving feeling that arose in my heart each time I laid my eyes on this charming instrument of the Divine. Lets call him Mr. Krishna :) I was particularly upset that I was attracted to someone who was already in a committed relationship.

Soon after, I heard about the Guru Mandala - the matrix of sorts that exists around the elightened (or around the gate to enlightenment) that keeps us entanlged and away from reaching the enlightened. The Mandala, for example, might have very horrible, nasty people in it who put us off and keep us away from our center (or from the spiritual path itself), or it might have very attractive charming people - in whose charm, again, we remain trapped, and thus remain away from our own nature, which is enlighenment. This partial knowledge about the Guru Mandala shook me - being in love with an Art of Living teacher was like being trapped in the Guru Mandala! OMG I told myself - shake out of it immediately. I started wishing even more strongly to be out of trap of the Mandala so I could keep my mind one tracked on enlightenment, or in the short term, at least more focussed on my work (that was suffering dearly as a result of my love struck state of mind) :) It helped for a few days - but the next time I laid my eyes on Mr. Krishna, all the resistance vanished and I was once again helplessly in love. Yet, I fought with this feeling and tried hard to throw it out of my mind and heart, not least because I felt deeply guilty 'wanting' someone who was in a relationship with another. "I have work to do - I have places to be and things to acheive in my life - this is no time to be in love," I told myself - but to no avail. Later that week, as I continued to fight with my feelings and even went to the extent of avoiding seeing Mr. Krishna, I heard a bit of knowledge from Sri Sri - I dont remember all of it (as usual), but this small bit hit me hard and stayed - "if you are in love with someone, that love is a gift to you."

I was shocked. How can this crazy one sided love be a gift? I asked myself - "I know this piece of knowledge is for me - but how am I to use it in the current situation? I need to work hard on several projects and dont need this distraction of being in love - if I consider this to be a gift, how will I get out of being in love with the wrong guy and get my work done??" Nevertheless, I let it go. I went about my day as usual, but with some kind of new lightness in my heart. I stopped fighting with the feeling of love that arose in my heart when I saw or thought about Mr. Krishna. The next morning, as I walked out of my home to get to work, there was a smile on my face and in my heart - and a new wisdom dawned - It is impossible to not feel this love and it is futile to try and fight with it in our intellects. If we are on the spiritual path, being drawn to teachers who give the highest knowledge of the enlightened is as natural and inevitable as being drawn to the knowledge and to the enlightened Master himself - in fact, it is indeed a gift, because not everyone is attracted to the spiritual path and to the practical, beautiful wisdom it brings into our lives. The only thing we can do is know that it is inevitable and accept it - then the feverish tendency of the mind to want to possess the beauty it perceives, dissolves, and leaves us with an innocent feeling of gratitude - and a love devoid of desires and fantacies. The uncomfortable grip of attraction that I was in, had vanished - all that remained was a gentle feeling of gratitude and beauty - how wonderful Guruji, that the Divine has created people like Mr. Krishna who so gracefully and beautifully share your practical wisdome and knowledge with the world.

Flowing away with the maya(illusion) of the 'loving feeling' that arises in the face of one who is a (mere) instrument of the divine, or wanting to somehow 'possess' them, is problematic - not the love itself. The knowledge that what we are attracted to is not the person, but the wisdom, grace and knowledge that radiates through the person, is important because it keeps us focused on our commitments. But it is equally important to know tht being drawn to one who is an instrument of the divine is inevitable and is indeed a gift - ironically, this knowledge too keeps us away from the feverish grip of maya.

At the right time, I was attracted to and fell in love with the right person (my hubby), the love and attraction was not one sided, and has led to a relationship that helps each of us grow and walk further on the journey called life and on the beautiful path, called the spiritual path - keeping all our (other) commitments intact. Because, as Sri Sri says, commitment indicates a mature mind and only a mature, centered mind can reach its goal.

Todays irresistable, attractive, and committed recipe:

Vegan Banana Blueberry Waffles

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:
2 Cups whole wheat spelt (Dinkel) flour
1 Tbs Corn Flour / Corn Starch
1 Tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla powder

Wet Ingredients
1/2 Banana
1 TBs Whole Brown sugar
1 TBs sugar
3 Tbs coconut oil
1 TBs chia seeds (soaked in 100 ml water for 10 minutes)
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup rice or soy milk or almond milk
1 TBs almond butter
1 cup blueberries


Method

Mix all the dry ingredients. Set aside. Mix all the wet ingredients (Other than blueberries) in a high speed blender. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix well. Add the blueberries and mix again. Warm a waffle iron and follow the instructions to make waffles in it. Serve with maple syrup/honey, fresh cut fruits and vegan whipped cream.