Mayapur, India
Firm Feet
My legs are well looked after. A brahmacari (monk) from Ujain, gives daily massages before the night's rest. Normally I get a decent reflexology session by walking the uneven terrain (not today unfortunately). I keep ankles and feet covered with thick socks during sitting times. Mosquitoes look at your ankles like succulent drum-sticks. It is also doctor's recommendation to have my legs above the level of my head. So I kick those lower limbs up to where two walls meet allowing my blood to flow down. Apparently this is a way to treat varicose veins. Tiny as they are, they are a part of my karmic reality.
It is important to get a good footing in life. To do so, you should identify with your natural dharma, your natural psycho-physical nature and engage yourself accordingly.
I was sitting with two people I much admire - Anuttama and Jayananda both from DC - and we were talking just briefly about two passions. I mentioned about my love for walking and also my love for working with youth and engaging them in drama.
Anuttama is a good teacher. He's in his element. He delivers classes in spiritual leadership. He does it well. Jayananda is a teacher in the area of puja (rituals for the deities). They are both very grounded - kind of people because they are engaged according to their own propensity.
Find a good footing in life and balance like two feet, your spiritual and material endeavours.
May the Source be with you!
3 KM
B L O G S P O T
Monday, 23 February 2015
Saturday, February 21st, 2015
Mayapur, India
On the Roof
On the roof of the education building, the Chaitanya Bhavan, a priest had prepared a havan, a small sand-pit arrangement. It was paraphernalia all set up for a fire ceremony to acknowledge two candidates for initiation into our Vaishnava culture. And I must say they are very excited about this personal step forward.
Luke is the father of one of the candidates. His son, Philippe Lussier, has been aspiring for this moment, and was anticipating that it could happen in his dad's presence. Luke is Canadian and it’s his first trip to India. Michelle, his friend, to accompany him, just loves it here.
The other candidate, is Jon Strickland, from the USA. He had served with the Marines and he finds the devotional regimentation of Krishna Consciousness to be very second nature to him.
It was a fine morning, a bit misty, up there on the flat roof. The sun from a far distance, attempts to pierce through. I counted five raindrops to brace my shaven head. Jon sports a beard, a green light I gave him as an actor in our drama. I spoke from 16.5 of the Bhagavad-gita, wherein Krishna identifies with the qualities of divinity declaring them as the road to liberation. The qualities contrary are sources of bondage.
In my role as the guru I like to see in all the initiates that they become, or rather remain in this life, as at least, sensitively moral, if not, then better still, lovers of the Creator.
Joh took on the Sanskrit name Jnanagamya in honour of our recently deceased dear god-brother. Philippe accepted the name Pradyumna. Got bless them!
May the Source be with you!
5 KM
On the Roof
On the roof of the education building, the Chaitanya Bhavan, a priest had prepared a havan, a small sand-pit arrangement. It was paraphernalia all set up for a fire ceremony to acknowledge two candidates for initiation into our Vaishnava culture. And I must say they are very excited about this personal step forward.
Luke is the father of one of the candidates. His son, Philippe Lussier, has been aspiring for this moment, and was anticipating that it could happen in his dad's presence. Luke is Canadian and it’s his first trip to India. Michelle, his friend, to accompany him, just loves it here.
The other candidate, is Jon Strickland, from the USA. He had served with the Marines and he finds the devotional regimentation of Krishna Consciousness to be very second nature to him.
It was a fine morning, a bit misty, up there on the flat roof. The sun from a far distance, attempts to pierce through. I counted five raindrops to brace my shaven head. Jon sports a beard, a green light I gave him as an actor in our drama. I spoke from 16.5 of the Bhagavad-gita, wherein Krishna identifies with the qualities of divinity declaring them as the road to liberation. The qualities contrary are sources of bondage.
In my role as the guru I like to see in all the initiates that they become, or rather remain in this life, as at least, sensitively moral, if not, then better still, lovers of the Creator.
Joh took on the Sanskrit name Jnanagamya in honour of our recently deceased dear god-brother. Philippe accepted the name Pradyumna. Got bless them!
May the Source be with you!
5 KM
Friday, February 20th, 2015
Mayapur, India
Holy Holy Holy is His Name
A sincere friend from London, Canada forwarded an excerpt from John Michael Talbot, founder of a monastic religious community.
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
And my spirit exalts in God my Saviour
For He has looked with mercy on my lowliness
And my name will be forever exalted
For the mighty God has done great things for me
And His mercy will reach from age to age
And holy, holy, holy is His name."
Here resonates a massage that transcends the borders of religious denomination. This is an across-the-board reality expressed by one evolved soul.
Along these lines, chanting sacred sound did take the prominent seat on Mayapur grounds. In what is called "The Panca Tattva Hall" the final day of a five-day sacred sound extravaganza played itself out. Personally I found myself caught up in the kirtan frenzy and so did others. We were chanting and dancing almost as if intoxicated. At one point I was hoisted and put to crowd-surfing. When it was time for what I considered was my expiry I tried to make an exit, but a group of these young men formed a fun-loving human barricade. Then to make matters more challenging the act of shutting the doors to block me demonstrated their determination. The compromise was that they take up again the swami in the air and bring him to his room! The frivolity took no less than forty men to go three blocks and up three levels of stairs where to come to my doorstep at 504 Gada Building just minutes before midnight.
All done in good fun!
May the Source be with you!
5 KM
Holy Holy Holy is His Name
A sincere friend from London, Canada forwarded an excerpt from John Michael Talbot, founder of a monastic religious community.
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
And my spirit exalts in God my Saviour
For He has looked with mercy on my lowliness
And my name will be forever exalted
For the mighty God has done great things for me
And His mercy will reach from age to age
And holy, holy, holy is His name."
Here resonates a massage that transcends the borders of religious denomination. This is an across-the-board reality expressed by one evolved soul.
Along these lines, chanting sacred sound did take the prominent seat on Mayapur grounds. In what is called "The Panca Tattva Hall" the final day of a five-day sacred sound extravaganza played itself out. Personally I found myself caught up in the kirtan frenzy and so did others. We were chanting and dancing almost as if intoxicated. At one point I was hoisted and put to crowd-surfing. When it was time for what I considered was my expiry I tried to make an exit, but a group of these young men formed a fun-loving human barricade. Then to make matters more challenging the act of shutting the doors to block me demonstrated their determination. The compromise was that they take up again the swami in the air and bring him to his room! The frivolity took no less than forty men to go three blocks and up three levels of stairs where to come to my doorstep at 504 Gada Building just minutes before midnight.
All done in good fun!
May the Source be with you!
5 KM
Thursday, February 19th, 2015
Mayapur, India
Just That Place
Mayapur is just that place where you meet old acquaintances and anticipating that even new ones to become lasting friendship connections. Everyone here is a pilgrim in residence or have come from afar. You meet Aussies, Indians, Yankees, Canucks (Canadians), Ruskies, Euros, Africans, Spaniards, Chinese, everything that represents the globe.
After all, it is an international centre which draws people of the bhakti line. I wouldn't exactly call it the place for spiritual seekers because those who are visitors have actually found what they are looking for. It's Krishna!
When pacing up and down along the veranda, I pass by a room of brahmacharis (monks) who were listening to a recording of our guru, Srila Prabhupada. The message was, "Sri Chaitanya is teaching you how to love Krishna!"
That message just about sums up the reason for Mayapur existing. It is in this place that Sri Chaitanya began His mission. He was born just down the road, was raised here, and roamed the pathways in the area. How sacred are these grounds that benedicts the earth! And as there are many such tirthas (sacred spaces) that are identified by people of distinctive spiritual traditions around the world, we the Vaishnavas (followers of Vishnu) hold sacred to our hearts this vicinity of Gaudadesh and Mayapur as the domain where one becomes purged.
May the Source be with you!
6 KM
Just That Place
Mayapur is just that place where you meet old acquaintances and anticipating that even new ones to become lasting friendship connections. Everyone here is a pilgrim in residence or have come from afar. You meet Aussies, Indians, Yankees, Canucks (Canadians), Ruskies, Euros, Africans, Spaniards, Chinese, everything that represents the globe.
After all, it is an international centre which draws people of the bhakti line. I wouldn't exactly call it the place for spiritual seekers because those who are visitors have actually found what they are looking for. It's Krishna!
When pacing up and down along the veranda, I pass by a room of brahmacharis (monks) who were listening to a recording of our guru, Srila Prabhupada. The message was, "Sri Chaitanya is teaching you how to love Krishna!"
That message just about sums up the reason for Mayapur existing. It is in this place that Sri Chaitanya began His mission. He was born just down the road, was raised here, and roamed the pathways in the area. How sacred are these grounds that benedicts the earth! And as there are many such tirthas (sacred spaces) that are identified by people of distinctive spiritual traditions around the world, we the Vaishnavas (followers of Vishnu) hold sacred to our hearts this vicinity of Gaudadesh and Mayapur as the domain where one becomes purged.
May the Source be with you!
6 KM
Wednesday, February 18th, 2015
Mayapur, India
Be Smart About Your Spiritual Fervour
It is quite astonishing to hear of another death today. However you measure this one, auspicious or not for a relatively small town the frequency seems high.
This time it was a young man from the famed Krishna place called Vrindavan. He and colleagues went for a sacred bath in the Ganges. He stepped into an area which was not an official safe bathing location, slipped into a truly slippery slope, vanished into the water and was not seen from there on.
It was around 7 pm when I heard of the loss of life from one of the swamis from India. Nava Yogendra Swami informed me that one of his students standing next to him was there at the scene of the incident. He tried to dive and swim for the victim's whereabouts, for a rescue but his efforts went in vain.
The young man who attempted the heroic feat and who was rather athletic-looking gave a look of regret, pain, and helplessness.
No one actually gave a name to the drowned victim. I made some inquiry but only found out that the boy didn't know how to swim. On the one hand you have someone who left his body to the holy liberating waters of Mother Ganga. On the other hand it would seem quite unfortunate to have lived a short life. Bless the young man who's death wasn't even mentioned by name at morning announcements in the large temple although notification was given at the kirtan wrap-up messages in the evening.
What to learn from this? Perhaps, one should not get carried away in one's spiritual fervour to the point where your smarts have gone for a nap. That's hard to make such a remark but these things are going on.
May the Source be with you!
5 KM
Be Smart About Your Spiritual Fervour
It is quite astonishing to hear of another death today. However you measure this one, auspicious or not for a relatively small town the frequency seems high.
This time it was a young man from the famed Krishna place called Vrindavan. He and colleagues went for a sacred bath in the Ganges. He stepped into an area which was not an official safe bathing location, slipped into a truly slippery slope, vanished into the water and was not seen from there on.
It was around 7 pm when I heard of the loss of life from one of the swamis from India. Nava Yogendra Swami informed me that one of his students standing next to him was there at the scene of the incident. He tried to dive and swim for the victim's whereabouts, for a rescue but his efforts went in vain.
The young man who attempted the heroic feat and who was rather athletic-looking gave a look of regret, pain, and helplessness.
No one actually gave a name to the drowned victim. I made some inquiry but only found out that the boy didn't know how to swim. On the one hand you have someone who left his body to the holy liberating waters of Mother Ganga. On the other hand it would seem quite unfortunate to have lived a short life. Bless the young man who's death wasn't even mentioned by name at morning announcements in the large temple although notification was given at the kirtan wrap-up messages in the evening.
What to learn from this? Perhaps, one should not get carried away in one's spiritual fervour to the point where your smarts have gone for a nap. That's hard to make such a remark but these things are going on.
May the Source be with you!
5 KM
Tuesday, February 17th, 2015
Mayapur, India
Lesson On Life
Phil's dad came from Canada to see his son. Also from Quebec, to be more specific, is Michelle. Both Luke and Michelle happened to visit India for their first time.
Their arrival was timely for more than one reason. Yesterday was day one of the Kirtan Mela, the chanting fest. Pilgrims from around the world, have come to indulge in what is usually an unforgettable event. The couple had come to peak, out of interest, the portion where I took the lead in singing but also in dancing. The half-hour slot I was given, turned out to be a dance lesson in as much as singing (it had been a year's wait for this opportunity).
For Luke and Michelle it had also become their first exposure to a cremation. Just as one of the very saintly women from Mayapur, Manarupa, had passed away yesterday and was cremated, a second person, Gnanagamya, a friend of mine from the USA, also departed today. That came as a surprise to the community. Cancer had taken his life, and now residents took full advantage of sending him off.
Here again I was to lead the chant, and in the procession. The couple from Canada, and even I - had come to witness the cremation. It was a first for me as well, seeing it all in the raw format as opposed to the sophisticated arrangement of the West. It was quite the eye-opener as the sun began to decline behind the horizon at the Ganges. As Phil said, "A lesson on life" was observed.
Can one be consoled from the experience such as this? We just need to recall the Gita’s message that we are not these bodies.
May the Source be with you!
6 KM
Lesson On Life
Phil's dad came from Canada to see his son. Also from Quebec, to be more specific, is Michelle. Both Luke and Michelle happened to visit India for their first time.
Their arrival was timely for more than one reason. Yesterday was day one of the Kirtan Mela, the chanting fest. Pilgrims from around the world, have come to indulge in what is usually an unforgettable event. The couple had come to peak, out of interest, the portion where I took the lead in singing but also in dancing. The half-hour slot I was given, turned out to be a dance lesson in as much as singing (it had been a year's wait for this opportunity).
For Luke and Michelle it had also become their first exposure to a cremation. Just as one of the very saintly women from Mayapur, Manarupa, had passed away yesterday and was cremated, a second person, Gnanagamya, a friend of mine from the USA, also departed today. That came as a surprise to the community. Cancer had taken his life, and now residents took full advantage of sending him off.
Here again I was to lead the chant, and in the procession. The couple from Canada, and even I - had come to witness the cremation. It was a first for me as well, seeing it all in the raw format as opposed to the sophisticated arrangement of the West. It was quite the eye-opener as the sun began to decline behind the horizon at the Ganges. As Phil said, "A lesson on life" was observed.
Can one be consoled from the experience such as this? We just need to recall the Gita’s message that we are not these bodies.
May the Source be with you!
6 KM
Thursday, 19 February 2015
Monday, February 16th, 2015
Mayapur, India
Hit By A Monk
One swami gave me a slug. Yes, in truth I got hit by a monk in the left brow and cheek. It was not ill-intended. It was an accident but at the time it felt a hard blow.
What actually happened is that at the first day of the kirtan mela, the chanting fest, I was making my dance moves during the chant session. Dozens of men were following my lead when Chandramauli Swami comes in to participate. He always gravitates to the place where there's a beat and a thump and a mantra - I commend him for that.
At one point in the kirtan he broke into a wild spin and like a tornado he spun out of control and headed my way. The Maharaja apologetically said, "I stepped out of line, I'm sorry." And of course, all was done with genuine heart. The incident had all alarmed but the dance persisted and both swamis, he and I, demonstrated a transcendence, if I could say. The hurt subsided and there were no signs of permanent damage.
Life goes on, as it should, with the chant in prevalence.
I think of the conviction of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, who carried on, despite being knocked over by a horned bull while on the streets in Delhi, and how on his ocean journey on the vessel "The Jaladuta" he encountered two heart attacks, but on the will of persistence, forged ahead with a mission.
The apparent blow to my head was minuscule compared to what my guru has done.
May the Source be with you!
6 KM
Hit By A Monk
One swami gave me a slug. Yes, in truth I got hit by a monk in the left brow and cheek. It was not ill-intended. It was an accident but at the time it felt a hard blow.
What actually happened is that at the first day of the kirtan mela, the chanting fest, I was making my dance moves during the chant session. Dozens of men were following my lead when Chandramauli Swami comes in to participate. He always gravitates to the place where there's a beat and a thump and a mantra - I commend him for that.
At one point in the kirtan he broke into a wild spin and like a tornado he spun out of control and headed my way. The Maharaja apologetically said, "I stepped out of line, I'm sorry." And of course, all was done with genuine heart. The incident had all alarmed but the dance persisted and both swamis, he and I, demonstrated a transcendence, if I could say. The hurt subsided and there were no signs of permanent damage.
Life goes on, as it should, with the chant in prevalence.
I think of the conviction of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, who carried on, despite being knocked over by a horned bull while on the streets in Delhi, and how on his ocean journey on the vessel "The Jaladuta" he encountered two heart attacks, but on the will of persistence, forged ahead with a mission.
The apparent blow to my head was minuscule compared to what my guru has done.
May the Source be with you!
6 KM
Sunday, February 15th, 2015
Mayapur, India
From Tongue to Nose
Cashews and figs are my breakfast. During meetings my colleagues and I enjoy a snack bar with water right out of the dab (coconut). Other juices are freshly made pomegranate, sugar cane, lemon, and bael. Delicious! Good for any one walking or sitting (at meetings).
Lunch is much the same every day. I pass on the rice but delight in steamed veggies, a banana curry, and today it was jackfruit, an actual vegetable. I tell you, even a meat-eater would relish cooked jackfruit, its texture and taste.
Daru Brahman is a student of mine who brings a lighter meal at night during our rehearsals. I will not pass up on the fruit-filled custard, a fitting food to our tummies taken just two hours before retiring for the night.
Somehow the above-mentioned gets burned up during the daily walk, the recreation of dance during the morning auspicious time at tulasi puja and then somehow or other the warmed-up temperature that we experience at our think-tank hours, the AGM for our society.
What a pleasant change it was to have that downpour of rain. It didn't take much for areas to flood. I guess you call it a token flood. By the following morning most of that had disappeared and was drained out to the nearby Ganges. It was shortly after the rainfall that the coriander fields in the area exploded in fragrance. Tucked away we were in the samadhi auditorium at the time and that remarkable scent burst at the nostrils, adding to the magic of nature and its Creator.
May the Source be with you!
7 KM
From Tongue to Nose
Cashews and figs are my breakfast. During meetings my colleagues and I enjoy a snack bar with water right out of the dab (coconut). Other juices are freshly made pomegranate, sugar cane, lemon, and bael. Delicious! Good for any one walking or sitting (at meetings).
Lunch is much the same every day. I pass on the rice but delight in steamed veggies, a banana curry, and today it was jackfruit, an actual vegetable. I tell you, even a meat-eater would relish cooked jackfruit, its texture and taste.
Daru Brahman is a student of mine who brings a lighter meal at night during our rehearsals. I will not pass up on the fruit-filled custard, a fitting food to our tummies taken just two hours before retiring for the night.
Somehow the above-mentioned gets burned up during the daily walk, the recreation of dance during the morning auspicious time at tulasi puja and then somehow or other the warmed-up temperature that we experience at our think-tank hours, the AGM for our society.
What a pleasant change it was to have that downpour of rain. It didn't take much for areas to flood. I guess you call it a token flood. By the following morning most of that had disappeared and was drained out to the nearby Ganges. It was shortly after the rainfall that the coriander fields in the area exploded in fragrance. Tucked away we were in the samadhi auditorium at the time and that remarkable scent burst at the nostrils, adding to the magic of nature and its Creator.
May the Source be with you!
7 KM
Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Saturday, February 14th, 2015
Mayapur, India
In and Out of the Dust
The two lovely ladies were taking a beating. Mayapura's two elephants lay there in the dust receiving a kind of massage from the trainer. He takes a burlap sac and strikes the body of each mammal. This included poking the head, neck, and trunk.
Vishnupriya and Laksmipriya are the honoured ladies-in-waiting. What are they waiting for? Their morning stroll - of course. But prior to that, their trainers (from Asam), they had their evening sleep followed by the massage.
Dust was thrust in the air at each flick of the sac. Elephants are known for their enjoying their dust. When having their afternoon bath, a massive task on the plot of land highly populated by hundreds of banana trees, elephants are known to gather dust with their trunk and toss it over their bodies for cooling purposes.
The small group of us walkers, watched the two huge mammals make their way up with trainers on their backs and very resolutely ambled along with a chain affixed to their left ankle. Naturally their trunks snaked in the direction of our extended hands. Snacks seem to be what they always hanker after. Unfortunately we were empty-handed but compensated by offering our own form of massage on their agile hoses.
Love is what is being given to the two princesses, Vishnupriya and Laksmipriya. Love is always the ingredient that provides the greatest reassurance. Ultimately, we need only to give this love to the Creator. That translates as bhakti, intense devotion.
May the Source be with you!
7 KM
Friday, February 13th, 2015
Mayapur, India
The Sun, Movement and Heat
I pondered, "Morning and walking are still the perfect couple." Pre-dawn, dawn itself, and a piece of post-dawn are the perfect trio. Walking, chanting in the shower of sunshine is the superlative function of any day. How important is fitness for both body and mind!
I'm spending four to five hours each day after this solar bathing with youth in a dark place. The Samadhi Auditorium is the venue for our drama practices and its located in a basement level. Just when the sun radiates more intensely you will find me down there.
I'm spending four to five hours each day after this solar bathing with youth in a dark place. The Samadhi Auditorium is the venue for our drama practices and its located in a basement level. Just when the sun radiates more intensely you will find me down there.
Now, there was an incident where two actors sparked a minor feud. Yes, people can get heated up even in a cooler place. Fortunately the relations between the two did get smoothed out because on the basis of the spiritual family we belong to, a mature perception about the incident prevailed.
There was one more element that evolved in the semi-circular amphitheatre - shaped auditorium. Two of the young men took to wrestling moves because that is what the story-line calls for. (Yes, indeed Krishna wrestles with the big brute, Chanura).
Also, the actor playing the role of the tyrant, Kamsa, demonstrated a fiery fight scene as part of the rehearsal. He worked up a sweat and with an agility that I did not see in him when we first started ten days ago. In reality, even the youth are out of shape. I, however, noted a change in practically everyone on the rubber-matted stage. They were experiencing a physical stimulation to parallel the spiritual experience enjoyed by them.
I remarked to Gaura, one of the actors, "Go for that balance. It is key...!"
May the Source be with you!
7 KM
Thursday, February 12th, 2015
Mayapur, India
A New Book
One of my monk friends, my senior actually, showed up the other day. He came down the trail near the brahmacari kitchen. He has that distinct build, rather thin, and walks with a grave smoothness.
Jayadwaita Swami by name, is an American-born early pioneer to Krishna Consciousness in New York. He was glowing in presence when we met after a reasonably long time not having seen each other. Offering a warm smile he stretched his arm to hand me his book, an advanced copy called 'Vanity Karma.'
"Thank you, Maharaja!" I said with genuine gratitude. I dashed off to my room in order to take that sneak peek. In the forward by Graham M. Schweig, he writes, "'Vanity Karma' invites us into an exploration of the meaning of life through deep philosophical reflections and a richly layered dialogue. To do this it places the book of Ecclesiastes (from the Hebrew Bible) in dialogue with the Bhagavad-gita (from the Hindu epic poem the Mahabharata) and we quickly find that this is not only an external dialogue but an inner one as well."
The author, Jayadwaita Swami, talks of his early years at Temple Sinai in New Jersey for Jewish instructions. He relays how the term 'vanity' was discussed based on Ecclesiastes and is generally understood as a sort of pride. Upon further deliberation of this word one teacher expressed that it refers more to the meaningless or pointlessness of the world. As Jayadwaita put it, "a man works his whole life, and what does he get for it?"
Somehow Jayadwaita gingerly brings the message of the Bhagavad-gita to the fold as a person's stepping incremental growth to finding life's rich purpose.
I've begun reading it. I love it.
May the Source be with you!
6 KM
Wednesday, February 11th, 2015
Mayapur, India
The Best of Lunch
The best of lunch are the chapatis that are pulled up by way of a device from one floor below. Perhaps these flat-bread circular wonders are offered optimally with and without ghee (clarified butter). We usually lunch in the Lotus Building. Wheat, a chappati's main ingredient, is not indigenous to the area of Bengal like its' popular rice - but it is loved. With it, you tear off with right hand a portion of it, and with that, you scoop up almost any or all of the delectables on your plate. It might be the air that touches these chapatis as they ascend from one veranda to the other that enhances the flavour.
They come out as soft and tasty fibrous edibles. I know that I couldn't live without tortillas (similar to the chappati but larger) that hold in place my raw slices of veggies to form a wrap. It's my morning mainstay.
When I see a chapati, whether on a temple kitchen grill, or on a shelf wrapped in a plastic zip-loc bag from an Indian shop, or one that's handed to me lovingly from my support person on one of my walks - I relish those guys. It can be a labour-intensive ordeal rolling out the dough, transferring it to a grill, and then properly exposing it to a flame. Such is the methodology as executed by an incredible devotional crew, consisting of men and women, who put devotion to the task.
I've been walking trails in the area with rice paddy field on both sides of me but I have special preference to the wheat fields that produce those delicious chapatis or rotis worthy of being offered to the deity of Krishna with love and devotion.
May the Source be with you!
5 KM
The Best of Lunch
The best of lunch are the chapatis that are pulled up by way of a device from one floor below. Perhaps these flat-bread circular wonders are offered optimally with and without ghee (clarified butter). We usually lunch in the Lotus Building. Wheat, a chappati's main ingredient, is not indigenous to the area of Bengal like its' popular rice - but it is loved. With it, you tear off with right hand a portion of it, and with that, you scoop up almost any or all of the delectables on your plate. It might be the air that touches these chapatis as they ascend from one veranda to the other that enhances the flavour.
They come out as soft and tasty fibrous edibles. I know that I couldn't live without tortillas (similar to the chappati but larger) that hold in place my raw slices of veggies to form a wrap. It's my morning mainstay.
When I see a chapati, whether on a temple kitchen grill, or on a shelf wrapped in a plastic zip-loc bag from an Indian shop, or one that's handed to me lovingly from my support person on one of my walks - I relish those guys. It can be a labour-intensive ordeal rolling out the dough, transferring it to a grill, and then properly exposing it to a flame. Such is the methodology as executed by an incredible devotional crew, consisting of men and women, who put devotion to the task.
I've been walking trails in the area with rice paddy field on both sides of me but I have special preference to the wheat fields that produce those delicious chapatis or rotis worthy of being offered to the deity of Krishna with love and devotion.
May the Source be with you!
5 KM
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