Guruji's tips on food

Here is an almost direct transcript of what Guruji said in a recent visit to coimbatore...

Guruji : How many of you have body pains early in the morning, raise
your hand ?

(There was about 25% of the crowd raising their hands)

Guruji : You know why? We eat the crops that are cultivated by using chemical fertilizers. This causes a lot of diseases in our body. Do you understand? We don't detoxify the body. To get good yield we use artificial chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Because of these fertilizers, soil turns toxic and the produce from the soil in turn becomes toxic and our body gets toxic substances as we eat them which cause disease and pain.

How many have hip, joint, back pains and different kinds of headaches. I don't want you to tell me the number of head aches that you have at home!!! If we have to get rid of all these pains and diseases, we have to go back to our traditional method of farming. We have to do natural farming, Zero budget farming low-cost, more yield, better health. So we have to take this as a revolution to the farmers. (edit: Buy and eat organic produce!!)

You know the white sugar is termed as white poison in western countries. As it stops the nutrients from being absorbed by the body. The children who consume a lot of sugar are mostly lean because of lack of nutrition. If you stop giving them sugar, they will start getting healthier. We eat a lot of sugar and reduce our body growth as well. So
instead of white sugar you should start consuming cane sugar (edit: jaggery is great if cane sugar is not available) which is in turn good for the body. It helps the liver as it has minerals.

The only difference that you may notice is that gulab jamuns would look much darker and jalebis would be of a different color!!! It does not matter.

Similarly we need to learn breathing practices to keep our body healthy and
earn meditation to get peace of mind and these things are very much
essential for life. We should have knowledge and awareness on meditation,
breathing practices and food.

After 30 -32 years everyone should take 3 Triphala tablets at night. (edit: I take 1 almost everyday, if not feeling too good in stomach, take 2-3) It
sets right all the three doshas, vata, pitha and kapha in the body. . It eliminates toxins from the body. Even if there is a problem with the food, Triphala clears the stomach and helps in good elimination the next morning. It also maximizes anti- oxidization in the body. All of you should take "Triphala" and you can see the effect in your body within 5 to 7 days.

Devavati is a good cure for amebiosis and other diseases caused by change in food and water. It is harmless and everyone must carry Devavati with them wherever they go. It replaces antibiotics like Flagyl and others. Two to three "Deva Vati" can cure almost every minor and many major ailments.

In India , what ever we prepare we add turmeric in it. You know why? Because of its anti-oxidant properties and it has medicinal value. In 1980, we called upon scientists for a conference in Delhi . When asked about the use of turmeric, they said it is just a color pigment without any value. Today the foreigners say turmeric is an antioxidant and it can give immunization against Cancer and we still do not understand its real value.

In Tamil Nadu we add turmeric in the pickles, especially the lemon pickles. Turmeric means Goddess Devi. She is incarnation of lemon, turmeric, and neem. All the three plants are considered sacred in our country and they all give good energy to our body.

If we grow lemon and tulsi in each and every house we can have good health in our country.

You know in our country there is a shortfall in the production of pulses. We are importing nearly 40% of the pulses and if this continues we will not have sufficient food In the future. So we have to plant pulses in our home gardens and our women can do it.

My Grandmother was in Papanasam even at the age of 92 years she used to do
things for herself and she had a good system of eating. Like, eating Agathi Keerai , on every "Dwadesi" day ( The day after Ekadesi Fasting (edit: Fast on at least a few Ekadashis every year, Ekadashi is the 11th day of the waxing moon)) and she used to take two kinds of vegetables . She had laid rules for herself and hence had a lot of energy. In the next generation the energy level came down and now in our generation it is getting lower.

One more interesting thing you should know is our Idly is considered to be one of the most nutritious food in the World. Because it contains carbohydrates, proteins,
enzymes, fats, amino acids and fiber. Idly is said to be a complete food... that's nice to know dont you think so?

Every one should consume ghee (edit: in moderation). Ghee helps the body to absorb nutrients.

If I start talking on food I can go on for hours together...

and He stopped :)

Jai Gurudev

 

Sci-Fi

Rajeev Bharadwaj, a friend of mine introduced me to science fiction. It was an arena of books that i had never read before, and very soon i was devouring Sci-fi at an alarming rate :)

Isaac Asmiov's Foundation series is perhaps the best introduction to this genre... The series was writtnenover a span of 40 years by the author! The enigmatic Hari Seldon and the branch of mathematics called psychohistory is the basis of the entire series of books and all that can be asked in great fiction is there... an absolutely believable setting of a galactic empire on the verge of collapse, one man actually fighting to hurry the collapse which he predicts will take 30,000 years into just a 1000 years, and all the mystery and suspense about how the Seldon plan (based on the foundation of psychohistory, which i will leave you to read about) will work.



Asimov has also written the Robot series and is actually credited with coining the word Robot. And the 3 laws of Robotics. Again a series of brilliant books about how robots become more and more human, until there is little to differentiate between man and machine...

He was a prolific writer and write on many, many diverse subjects... from the bible to the big bang theory and lamost everything in between! I especially enjoyed his short stories :)

The other author who i think about in hushed terms is Arthur C. Clarke... his novels are lyrical, with surreal beauty and superb plots. There were two of his books, Childhood's End and the Fountains of Paradise which i absolutely loved... His Rama series which deal with an encounter with a mysterious alien space ship is also nice, though i didn't find the endings of the series satisfying... He does have a habit of killing off his characters at the most inopportune times. His other very famous books are the 2001: Space odyssey series which almost, almost managed to mimic what happened with earth's fledgling space program... you should read the books and then read up on the things that actually happened... i thnk only the monolith on the far side of the moon was not there :)... ofcourse you have no idea what i am talking about... read the books and you will know! :)



Dune is also a fantastic series set on a desert planet. So vividly written, it made me sweat and feel hot just reading it.

The Star Wars original trilogy is perhaps the BEST Sci-fi movies ever made... if you have not watched them, PLEASE do yourself a favour and buy them on DVD and watch them on as big a screen as possible with the volume turned on HIGH!


Before they went onto the gory german nazi movies, steven spielberg and George lucas gave us some really really nice feel good, happy ending sci-fi movies: ET, Star Wars, batteries not included, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones... According to me, all worth owning on high quality DVD and watching once every 2-3 years :), maybe sometime i will write a review for all of them :),

Just for the record, i really didn't like the story of darth vader which was told in episodes I, II and III, which were actually made years after episodes IV, V and VI... its kind of complicated :)

As much as i loved Sci-fi, i love fantasy even more... but that's for another post, some other day...  

Hanging Curds

For some reason, i had never done this, thinking it to be some exotic, difficult thing to do :)

Here are photos:

You put a hanky (a muslin cloth is recommended, a hanky works just fine) on a vessel, and plonk the curds into it


Then tie up the ends of the hanky and hang it...


Goto Bed (meaning let it hang for at least 12 hours)

The next morning, when you take it down and open it here is what you will see...



The same thing put in a nice bowl:



Its now ready to make Tzatziki or
use as a spread on toasted bread or you could also add some rosemary to it with some olive oil or you could do a fresh basil and garlic tadka in opilve oil to it or... the list is endless! Enjoy! :)  

The fax

This happened in Rishikesh, almost 14 years ago.

Late one night, Guruji called me and gave me a slip of paper with a number on it. He told me that i should fax (emails were non existent then!) to this number a message saying that Guruji cannot make it to the function. This was one of the first things Guruji had ever told me to do.

I immediately went to the telephone booth to do it, and found that it was closed, and that they could do it only in the morning. So, i went to bed. The next morning, the slip of paper and the precious number on it had disappeared.

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I searched and searched, retraced my steps from the phone booth, but no paper. In Rishikesh that time, from my room, you could clearly see Guruji's room. I started to look out furtively and avoid Him... and succeeded for the entire day. I hoped He would forget about it. You have NO idea the kind of mental turmoil i was having.




Then it was Satsang time. I sat at the very end of the hall, hiding behind some fat women.

Bhajans started, He glided in. For once i did all i could to hide and not get noticed...

He did His customary hmmmmm... looked straight in my direction and said, bawa have you done the fax yet? In a full satsang hall!!! I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me... everyone turned around and looked for me... i stammered, i lost the slip of paper Guruji... there was a collective gasp from the audience... He said, lost it? Oh I dont have the number, and we have to send the fax by tomorrow. How did you loose it?! Find it and do the fax by tomorrow!

All this is happening in front of 500+ people!

omygodomygodomygodomygod.... thats all i thought of during Satsang.

After Satsang, i ran to my room and started to methodically search for that $%^## slip of paper. It had simply vanished from the earth. I searched everywhere. Even on top of the fan blades. Then i searched again, and somewhere fell asleep... woke up early morning with a start and searched yet again, and again... i was exhausted... deep gloom... darkness all around in the middle of the afternoon...

Then i just sat down and prayed. I told Guruji (in my head), that i had really really done all i possibly could to find that paper, but i had failed. I really needed His help and His forgiveness...

and no, what happened is not what you think would happen... i didn't miraculously find the paper.

But Guruji called me to His room. He asked me again, did you do the fax? I said with a very heavy heart that i couldn't find the paper. He just smiled and hugged me and said
don't worry, that person just called up now, and I talked to him and told him I cant come... Do you want a sweet?

What relief!! What joy!!! The sun was shining again, the birds were singing and the roses were blooming...

An important lesson learned: Running away from Guruji is never a solution, He can be quite brutal! :). Help will be given and forgiveness is assured, but ONLY when you surrender... and that happens only when you give your 100%... and failing or succeeding is not the point... just giving your 100% and praying.

Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa  

Help and an Announcement

Ok people... the time has come :)

This blog will be undergoing some MAJOR cosmetic changes and is going to look pretty awful for some time, coz its me who is doing the changes and i am learning HTML as i make them :)

if any of you want to volunteer and help out, it will be much appreciated... the others, once i have finished making the changes, will heartily congratulate me for them ok?! :)

After this much needed upgrade to how it looks, i promise i wont tinker with the look and feel for an appreciable length of time! :)

If anyone knows HTML(which like i said before i am learning), flash or java (which i am NOT going to learn) and want to help me PLEASE contact at khurshed@gmail.com  

Don't be Nervous

You could hear this from outside a closed door in a hospital:

"...Its ok... don't worry, its really a minor operation, NOTHING can possibly go wrong... you will be in and out in a few minutes, don't be nervous, why are you worried..."

A man, clearly the patient comes rushing out, slams the door and locks it and starts to run away... When asked why he was running away when there was no need to worry, he looked furtively about and said:

What you heard... that was the nurse talking to the doctor!!!!!!  

Monday Mornings

I love Monday mornings at the Ashram especially. I have always loved monday mornings at the Ashram, but somewhere down the line the reason changed... Let me explain:

In the earlier years, a lot of us would be sharing a room, sometimes 12-16 of us would be on an Adv course to share a dorm, and there would be only 2 toilets and bathrooms. To make it in time for the early morning Yoga, which though i didn't like much, i always saw to it that i attended, i would have to get up really early and join the battle for the bathroom :)... a little later, once i had become good friends with Umesh, he would invite me to stay in his room along with 2-3 other people and we would be 4 people in a small ashram room, and again only one bathroom (+ loo) combined between all of us, so now, it was no longer a battle, just a minor skirmish every morning... :)

Except that is, for Mondays... On Mondays in the mornings, there is Rudra Pooja. I never went for Poojas. I thought that it was one of those things that Guruji had to do... you know, that stuff you have to do if you are enlightened :)... I didn't really care at all for any sort of rituals, and more importantly there was no Yoga on Monday mornings and i didn't go for Pooja and everyone else including Umesh did... When i woke up at a leisurely (for the ashram) 7 am, i would have the bathroom all to myself with no one banging the door to hurry up... and i would have a long shower, shampoo my hair 2 times and really savour being King of the Loo :)
... yup, Monday mornings at the ashram were sheer bliss :)

Now one fateful Monday morning, after i had shaved and showered, put on clean ironed clothes, i decided to take a walk to where the Pooja was happening and see if i could catch Guruji as He walked back to His Kutir... and i did... and He looks me up and says ohhhh... good morning!! how was the pooja today morning? i very proudly told Him that i never went for Pooja, it was the only day i got the bathroom to myself :)... He laughed and said, you must attend Pooja, you will love it... and walked away... my heart sank like a stone!! Pooja on Monday mornings??!! oh no!!

A week just flew by and it was Sunday night... Umesh reminded me that i had to come for Pooja the next morning (i think he was just jealous that i had so much time in the loo :)), and with a sinking feeling, i went to sleep... woke up the next morning way earlier than was the norm for Mondays, halfheartedly joined the fray at the bathroom and then went for Pooja...

A shining, smiling Guruji entered the meditation hall, the chanting started, I was sitting fairly near the stage and could smell the fragrances of the incenses and flowers, and as i closed my eyes, i went into a rapturous state i had never experienced before... it was like 10 Sudarshan Kriyas and 5 Adv courses all rolled into one... It was fantastic! I loved it!! After a completely blissful hour or 2 hours i dont know how long... everyone started singing Shiva Bhajans, and i surfaced from some unknown depth and joined in... If Guruji was shining earlier, He was resplendent now and on His face there was something indescribable, a joy, a splendour... all too soon the singing was over, and some final chanting was done and Guruji stood up and with a very very mischievous smile walked directly to me and asked me... so how was your first Pooja? I had almost no words... i blabbered something incoherent, He squeezed my hand and whispered in my ear, I told you, you will love it!... and glided away...



After that magical monday morning, i made it a point that whenever i visited Ashram, even if it was just 5 days or so, a monday would be included in the trip... And now that i live on the Ashram, i really look forward to Monday mornings (and fridays too, thats the day of the Devi Pooja but thats another story...)

Pooja means "jo Poornata se Janam leta hai woh" (That which is born out of fullness of the heart)... When you sit and thank the Divine for all the Blessings that have been bestowed on you... What a fantastic way to start the week! Like i said, i LOVE Monday mornings!!! :)