Everything is Arcanam

Arcanam, one of the nice processes of devotional service, refers to deity worship and it's interesting how everything in this blog can be ultimately linked to arcanam or worshiping the Lorḍ. Whether it's referring to setting up and maintaining a home altar or keeping the house clean for the home deity to live in comfortably or shopping for bhoga and other sacrificial ingredients and cooking daily offerings or serving one's husband as prescribed by Lord Krishna or serving the people in your family or practicing hospitality with friends and other guests for the pleasure of the deity within everyone's heart and distributing prasada or keeping healthy and fit so we may continue on, it all has some connection to arcanam. And all the other processes of devotional service when you think of it are connected. For example hearing and chanting for the pleasure of your deities. An gradually you realize you have your own personal deity of Krishna within your own heart. He is personally present there in His deity form of Supersoul to witness all our activities, so we do them nicely, control our sense etc. His satisfaction should be our sole aim in life.

And Srila Bhaktivinoda sums up and strengthens this mood in a wonderful prayer when he dedicates his all to the lotus feet of the Lord:

 Whatever I am, whatever I possess, I offer at Your lotus feet, O merciful Lord. I no longer belong to myself. Now I am exclusively Yours. The soul inhabiting this mortal body has given up the false ego attached to the word “I”, and now the eternal, spiritual sense of being Yours has entered his heart. All my possessions - body, brothers, friends, and followers, wife, sons, personal belongings, house and home- all of these I give You, for I have become Your servant. Now I dwell in Your house. You are the Lord of my house, and I Your most obedient servant. Your happiness is my only endeavor now. Whatever piety or sins were done by me, by mind or deed, are no longer mine, for I am redeemed. My desire has become one with Yours. From this day Bhaktivinoda has no other identity.

Nothing remains “mine”. Father, friend, brother — You are even these to me. Those whom I called friends, wife, sons, and daughters are all Your servants and maidservants.

Whatever care I take for them is only as it relates to You.  If I continue to maintain my wealth, family members, home, and wife, it is because they are Yours. I am a mere servant.  For Your service I will earn money and bear the expense of Your household.  I know neither good nor bad. I merely serve. I am but a watchman who guards the properties in Your household.  The exercising of my senses — hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, touching — is done according to Your desire.  I no longer do anything for my own pleasure. Bhaktivinoda says, “Your happiness is the essence of everything”.

I have become supremely joyful by surrendering myself at Your holy feet. Unhappiness has gone away, and there are no more anxieties. I see joy in all directions. Your two lotus feet are reservoirs of immortal nectar where one may live free from sorrow and fear. I have found peace there now and have given up the fear of worldly existence. I shall render service in Your household and not endeavor to enjoy the fruits of that service, but rather I shall strive for whatever pleases You, fully devoted to Your lotus feet. Troubles encountered in Your service shall be the cause of great happiness, for in Your devotional service joy and sorrow are equally great riches. Both destroy the misery of ignorance. I have completely forgotten all past history by feeling great joy in my mind. I am most certainly Yours, and You are indeed mine. What need is there of any other treasure? Bhaktivinoda, diving into the ocean of bliss, devotes all his efforts for Your service and dwells in Your house according to Your wishes.

Excerpt from Saranagati,  Atma Nivedanam Songs 4-5 and 8. For the entire supremely relishable song, click here.

Roasted Beets Subji

Preheat oven 400 degrees
INGREDIENTS:
3 large beets, washed and peeled
beet greens, washed and chopped
1-2 T ghee, for greasing the roasting pan and for chauncing the beets
1/2 t fresh ginger root, minced
1 pinch hing
1 t coriander powder
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t turmeric

salt

PREPARATION:
1. Roast the beets about 30 minutes in a gheesed pan, preferably with a lid over iṭ.
2. Use remaining ghee to make a chaunce. Heat it very hot in a frying pan, add the ginger and fry until browneḍ. Add hing and coriander and pepper and turmeric and then add the greens in quick successioṇ
3. Stir fry a  minute or two. Add about a cup of wateṛ Cover and cook on high heat until water evaporateṣ
4. Chopped up the roasted beets and add to the greens for offering to Krishna.

An Example Given by the Acaryas

"We have to practice remembering the Lord always, twenty-four hours a day, by chanting His names and molding our life’s activities in such a way that we can remember Him always.

"How is this possible? The ācāryas give the following example. If a married woman is attached to another man, or if a man has an attachment for a woman other than his wife, then the attachment is to be considered very strong. One with such an attachment is always thinking of the loved one. The wife who is thinking of her lover is always thinking of meeting him, even while she is carrying out her household chores. In fact, she carries out her household work even more carefully so her husband will not suspect her attachment. Similarly, we should always remember the supreme lover, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and at the same time perform our material duties very nicely. A strong sense of love is required here. If we have a strong sense of love for the Supreme Lord, then we can discharge our duty and at the same time remember Him. But we have to develop that sense of love. " - A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita As Is Is, Introduction

reminiscing (garden 2018)

It's the dead of winter here, but found these images to remember fondly our last garden, while dreaming up the next one. A variety of plants were growing.

 Dug up two beds that were full of gravel over 5" thick (Found out this used to be a driveway)!

 Established a narrow stone tile pathway.

 Lots of composting was going on.

 Grew lots of marigolds for the deities.

Did a ton of weeding.  Lots of them were edible- purslane, lambs quarter and mallow, to name a few.  Also put in an area of new sod. It was leftovers when they put new sod in front of the temple across the street.

Also I got a feverfew plant from a neighbor. I'd always heard of feverfew and finally our meeting took place. I love meeting new plants, especially as fragrant and useful as feverfew. I potted up the tiny seedling she gave me to overwinter, and so glad to see it's grown quite a bit. It should be ready to put into the garden as soon as the weather is warmed up enough.

 But the best part was not only the pretty plants and sunshine and exercise and fresh air and the lovely sight of a garden each day, but especially offering the fresh produce from it to Krishna!

Homemade breakfast cereal

Got leftover banana, raisin or other sweet bread? Just break into chunks, put it in a pan and toast on lowest oven setting until crisp and crunchy. Easy peasy. And tastes way better than store bought, factory made cereals. Healthier, too. Also you can get creative, adding different offered nuts, fruits or dried fruits and seeds to serve with the cereal.

Sew a Mrdanga Cover

Don't ask me how I did this. I even made two of them.

There are books available that describe how to make patterns from finished clothing and the instructions can be easily applied here. I used one author's tip to place the separate parts of an already made mrdanga cover on top of a large piece of paper on top of a large piece of cardboard, section by section, and punch holes with pins along their edges. 

Remove the ready made cover and next connect with a magic marker the remaining dotted pin marks that you just formed on the paper(The purpose of cardboard underneath is simply to have protected any surface below while you did this). 

Next cut out the pattern that was drawn connecting the pin marks. 

Next, make sure it is symmetrical by folding the pattern in half. Redraw onto another piece of paper until it is uniform. I used large pieces of drafting paper. Then add to this at least a half inch border for the seam allowance. Then cut out your pattern on the cloth you'll be using.

Phew! I hope that made sense. I also machine embroidered some on the borders with another colored thread, but it is too fine to see in the photo.

DIY Grout Cleaner

1. Rub on lemon peels/juice
2. Sprinkle on baking soda
3. Moisten with Hydrogen Peroxide
4. Scrub
5. Vaah!

1-2-8 Wood Cleaner

(1 part olive oil, 2 parts vinegar and 8 parts water)

Murphy's Wood Oil Soap, move over! This is my absolute favorite recipe for cleaning woodwork, kitchen cabinets, doors, wood floors and furniture, and it works on the vinyl sofa, too. It also is my favorite plaster wall cleaner, along with occasionally a dash of baking soda.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
10-15 drops essential oil (Peppermint works really well here)

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
A clean squeeze bottle such as an empty dish soap bottle

PREPARATION:
Put all ingredients together in the squeeze bottle. Shake well before use.

Cornbread

INGREDIENTS:
1  1/4 c cornmeal
3/4 c atta
2  1/2 t baking powder
4 T sugar
3/4 t salt
3 T melted ghee
1  c buttermilk (or watery yogurt)

PREPARATION:

• Mix dry ingredients together.
• In another bowl, mix wet ingredients together. Add to the dry and stir lightly until everything is moistened. Pour about 1 inch thick into hot baking pans greased with ghee.
• Bake at 475 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until firmed up on top, slightly cracking and a toothpick comes out clean (unless you are adding cheese described below).

          OR:

• Steam the same way iddlis are steamed for 25 min. Super soft and moist and fluffy and delicious that way, too!

VARIATIONS: Add finely chopped jalepenos, bell pepper and grated cheese...

Serve immediately to Krishna with cranberry jam:

CRANBERRY JAM

• available cranberries
• half to an equal amount of sugar, as desired
• equal amount of water
• a pinch of baking soda (optional, tames the acidic content and flavor)

Bring to a boil and then cook the berries in sugar water on low simmer and lightly covered until thickened and the berries are broken and soft (Add the pinch of soda early on). Turn off heat and stir well.
 
Extra cornbread can be sliced and then fried in a little ghee, as pictured.

Remembering the Lotus Feet of Lord Nityananda

Sri Nityanande Nistha

by Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura 

 

nitai-pada-kamala, koti-candra-susitala,
je chayaya jagat judaya
hena nitai vine bhai, radha-krsna paite nai,
drdha kari’ dhara nitaiyera paya (1) 

Nitai’s lotus feet are more cooling than the shining of millions of moons. Their shade gives solace to the universe. O brother, without a personality such as Nitai, it is not possible to attain Radha and Krsna. So hold on very tightly (drdha) to His lotus feet.

se sambandha nahi ja’ra, vrtha janma gela ta’ra,
sei pasu bada duracara
nitai na balila mukhe, majila samsara sukhe,
vidyakule ki karibe ta’ra (2) 

If someone has not yet established his relationship with Nityananda Prabhu, his life has been wasted. He is no better than an animal. Not taking the name of Nitai on one’s lips, one becomes absorbed in the so-called happiness of this world. Then what is the value of one’s education and birth in a high family or great nation?

ahankare matta haiya, nitai-pada pasariya,
asatyere satya kari’ mani
nitaiyera karuna habe, vraje radha-krsna pabe,
dhara nitaiyera carana du’khani (3) 

Forgetting Nitai’s lotus feet, one becomes maddened by the false concept of bodily life and considers the illusory energy as real. Receiving the mercy of Nitai, he can attain Sri Radha and Krsna in Vraja. Firmly catch hold of the lotus feet of Nitai.

nitaiyera carana satya, tahara sevaka nitya,
nitai-pada sada kara asa
narottama bada duhkhi, nitai more kara sukhi,
rakha ranga-caranera pasa (4) 

The feet of Nitai are real and service to Him is eternal. Always hope and pray for the lotus feet of Nitai. “Narottama is very unhappy! O Nitai, please make me happy. Keep me tucked close to Your feet which are like reddish lotuses.

Kiwi Lemonade

Something else to do with kiwi fruits.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4-5 kiwi fruits, peeled and halved
• 4 cups water
• Juice from 2 lemons or 3 limes
• 1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
• a pinch of cardamom powder (opt)

PREPARATION:

• Bring 1/2 cup of water and the sugar to a boil until the sugar dissolves. Cool to room temperature (It isn't summer, yet!).
• Blend the kiwis with the sugar water, remaining water, lemon juice and cardamom, if desired.
• Offer to Krishna with a salad of fresh fruits.

Banana Cream Pie

CRUST atta flour, dash of salt and melted butter, baked until golden brown and cooled. OR ground almonds with butter to hold them together, baked until lightly toasted.


FILLING
1/2 gallon milk
1 cup vanilla sugar
sliced bananas

TOPPING
2 cups whipped cream
2- 3 T powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Spread the cracker (or cookie crumbs, or toasted almonds) into a spring form pan or large pie pan. Work up the sides at least an inch.
2. Cook down the milk and vanilla sugar until thick. Test a little drop in water to check what the consistency  will be when cooled. It should not be runny or dry, but thick like pudding.
3. Layer sliced bananas onto the graham cracker crust. Add the filling on top of the bananas. Add another layer of bananas on top of the pudding (OR on top of the whipped cream added next in step 4 as follows, as a garnish).
4. Finish pie with a generous layer of sweetened whipped cream before offering to Krishna.

VARIATION
When I have no time for pie crust and filling, I just put bananas and cream on top of banana bread! :)

Chapatis

I am totally revising this chapati post made many years ago. For one thing, I no longer buy factory produced flour. I get 50 lb bags of organic wheat berries and grind them very fine for atta or coarsely for sooji. I use the Komo Fidibus Classic Mill.


Generally, I make chapati dough at least a few hours ahead of time and let it sit a bit (unless kitchen is very warm). Also extra dough can be refrigerated until ready to use again. Freshly made, homemade bread on a moment's notice is easy when you know how to make chapatis!

INGREDIENTS:
Finely ground whole wheat flour (most favorite wheat we get is called kamut)
Salt, as desired
A little ghee (optional)
whey (from paneer or yogurt. Use water if no whey is available)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a mixing bowl or pan combine the flour and salt and a little ghee. Only recently I'm using ghee after seeing dozens of YouTube videos doing so. It does seem to make the dough more elastic.

2. Add the whey gradually and mix everything together with your hand. You can tell with practice by the feel of the dough if you need more water or not. When it feels almost sufficient in water but not quite, do not pour in  whey or water directly. Wet your hand instead in order to slowly add more until the ingredients all come together to make a dough. Conversely, if too sticky, slowly add more flour.
You want your dough to be neither sticky nor stiff, although.depending on the type of wheat you have and the humidity in the room, some dough has the tendency to become softer after sitting awhile. It just takes practice to get to know the ingredients you are dealing with.

4. Knead well. I like to knead inside the bowl or a wide, flat pan to not make a big mess.

5. Cover the dough and let it sit it for at least 30 min to an hour. If you won't be using it right away and the room temperature is warm, refrigerate it after sitting an hour or two, so that it will not take on a yeasty flavor. The hotter the room temperature, the sooner to refrigerate.

6. When ready to cook your chapatis, break off even pieces of dough and roll into balls.


7. Dip each ball of dough into a can of flour and roll it out on the counter top into a round chapati fairly thin and about 4"-5" in diameter (I like to roll chapatis on a wide cutting board for easier cleanup afterwards). Redip the dough in flour as needed,  so it won't stick to the surface while rolling. 6. Heat up a heavy cast iron griddle on med heat. Take one chapati that has been rolled out, dust off any excess flour and place it on the hot griddle. Bubbles will begin to form.


8. When you see them, flip the chapati over to cook the other side. Bubbles will continue to form.
 9. Turn on the flame of another burner. With a pair of tongs flip the chapati back to the first side directly onto the open flame. The chapati should immediately puff up like a balloon with hot air.



Those days when I had an electric range, I got the same effect by putting a cake rack over the hot electric spirals, so that the chapati does not come in direct contact with it.

Of course this all takes practice but chapatis then become super easy to make and are very convenient.

Chapatis are usually offered to Krishna freshly cooked and buttered. Or drizzle on ghee. Best served immediately as each one is cooked or keep in a stack and cover with a cloth. Generally they are served with a meal to be torn into pieces and used as a way to scoop up subji and chutney... Also good with various bread spreads, cheese melted inside or on top.... Chapatis are really worth taking the time to learn how to make!