Devotion and Food.

I studied Vivekananda last year and he said that we cause ourselves a lot of unnecessary suffering simply because of the food we intake. 

Sri Ramakrishna used to say that devotees should cook their own food and not depend on women so much. 

I wanted to start cooking for myself for a while, but always put it to future. (lazy a** guy) 

I have seen Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji say many times which type of food we should take, the proper manner to intake it, etc.

In fact, the latter wrote a book on it called the The Wellness Sense. 

That book 🥵 

Man does it change the way you look at food. 

Processed food ❌ Sugar ❌

Baasi/Fridge food – any food which got oxidised ❌ (which is basically all food you eat from outside) 

Highly acidic food ❌ Alkaline ✅

All the above food which he said not to take was basically all my diet since childhood. 

Nutritional value is something he didn’t have to stress, because I myself know it’s importance. (had to learn it when I started gym). 

Food is an everyday part of our lives and our bodies and minds are nothing but the food we intake. 

I live currently in Chandigarh in a flat by myself.  

Last year, I realised a whole lot of energy was being spent, travelling here and there, arranging food from this and that person.

Iski cost, uski cost.

Bargaining, tiffin ordering calls and sometimes even going to Gurudwara and eating /serving there, eating from this and that restaurant. 

I sometimes even had to go to our relatives to eat home like food and be an unwanted atithi.

All that chitter chatter my introverted self had to make all for the sake of my stomach. 

All this precious time, I could have put in training myself in Sadhana or something else. 

It was time, I start becoming more independent for food. 

I recently went to my hometown in the winters with the resolve to cook my own food, but My mother lives there and my lazy a** wouldn’t do any work at home.

Your mother is practically a free servant you have, who does all your work without getting paid or getting even appreciated sometimes. 

Servant sounds demeaning but think of Hanuman serving Sri Rama, disciples serving their Master. 

Greater is the service of the Mother who doesn’t actually get anything in return. 

I wish I could do better; describing her hardwork; instead of just writing her off as a ‘ free servant ‘, but truly I don’t mean to evoke a poor image of her. 

Also neither am I inspired to write something better, for she has always been an abusive parent. 

Her anger and restless nature is also due to her lack of awareness of the type of food she puts in her belly, which is usually days old.

She drinks tea like water and such a nervous stimulant in that amount would obviously make you restless and agitated. 

I wish she would read Swamiji’s book now that she’s been so often in the hospital recently. 

People get more self – aware, when their bodies start saying – I’ve had enough! 

But I wish from now on, I appreciate her hardwork in the household a little more. 

“I think a mother deserves the highest respect and when you talk about salary it’s not always about cash but I feel it’s the love and respect that you give to someone. My mother has always been the biggest inspiration in my life. All mothers sacrifice so much for their kids. So, I think it is the job of a mother that deserves the highest salary,” Manushi, the winner of Miss World 2017 said in reply to a question – Which is the best profession ? 

Anyways this article is about my cooking, not the hard work of my Mother 🤣

So the first secret of Sadhana is to get the basics right. 

Eat correct food. 

As long as we are slaves of nature, we must have religious steadfastness and obey it’s rules.  Once we transcend nature, then we may take whatever we want. 

Swamiji highlighted the importance of some vegetables in a table by putting them under Highly Alkaline /Sattvic and just a week ago, I bought vegetables for myself, the first time. (before, I used to buy it for my Mother) 

This was my first time cutting vegetables (in childhood, I must have, but in adulthood – first time). 

Even peeling them off was such a task for I was a newbie.  

I also read his post on this very platform in which he shared his diet and I started making paneer sandwiches with tomato sauce. (copying him a lil). 

Food’s nature also depends on the source from which we get it, as Swamiji taught in the book. 

I removed half fried eggs from my diet which are acidic and tamasic (because a poultry or butcher’s shop is not a very great place ) but I still eat egg whites by sprinkling water chanting Rama Rama over it (so as to get rid of the ill effects of Tamas) to meet my protein needs. 

So I started taking cut vegetables for one of my meals now, and one or two paneer sandwiches for another one of my meals, both ideas I got from Swamiji. 

Swamiji also mentioned sprouts and I started researching on it on the Internet. 

Below is three spoons of Horsegram, Green Mung, and Chana each, left for sprouting. 

Also they are not easy to digest, so you need Dahi (curd) along with it,which aids digestion. 

Those were some baby steps to a healthier diet and self independence. 

The Wellness Sense also made think about how I should no longer eat baasi/oxidized food, so I stopped eating at Dhabas which serve food they made in the afternoon at night or sometimes even a day older. 

Also north Indians use a lot of onion and garlic in their food which makes us feel restless and agitated. Our body becomes a burden, making life depressing. 

But I would eat from a food stall, who made Rajma/Curi Chaawal every morning fresh and would go for a meal there as soon as it started, so that the food doesn’t oxidise. (Rajma is good protein source as well so no guilt) 

You see Swamiji explained oxidation very easily in that book by giving the example of an apple turning color when it cut and left in the air. 

He explained it’s harmful effects. 

But still, I had to learn to cook on my own. 

Anyways I came back from the Ashrama last month and saw a bag of Atta on my table which my sister left when she came to live with me for holidays last year in December. 

Let’s seize this opportunity I thought! 

Soon I resolved to slowly start learning how to make chapaati and atta kaisa gundta hai ! (along with starting regular exercise, reading Swamiji’s book and learning Sri Suktam) 

Anyways I called Bua and told her I wanted to learn. I did this last year as well. 

” Beta, you always say you will, but you never do”. 

“Bua this time, I have a lot of free time and motivation. Plus i really want to be independent.” 

She agreed. 

Anyways the first time I went there, I wasn’t too focused. 

That day Bua made my Rotis, so I got to enjoy a meal at her house. Didn’t have to make it myself but she still taught me both 

• Atta gundna (kneading it into dough) 
• Roti banana aur sekna

I asked her if I could keep the Gunda hua atta and she agreed. 

The gunda hua atta I took from her and tried to make Rotis the next day, but failed miserably the first time. 

Roti would just break again and again. I didn’t apply enough sukha atta I guess. 

Anyways I managed somehow to make three rotis that day along with Daal. 

Again went to Bua’s and learned it again. This time I caught my cousin looking at Bua like why is he(me) here again ? 

I told myself  and him in my mind – ‘don’t worry, once I learn, I won’t have to come to your place for food.’ This time I focused more and realized the atta bua gave me was more wet. 

Bua again fed me the rotis we made and I didn’t have to arrange it on my own. 

I went home and the next day, I video called my sister and she instructed me in atta gundna(which I saw two times at   Bua’ s but still needed her). 

This time I was more successful. Rotis were also better shaped. 

Anyways I did the same at Day 3 as well, but I started getting tired of plain Daal roti.

So yesterday, I on my way from buying cereals for sprouting and bananas, I stopped to buy Gobhi. 

I also bought Paav Bhaji Masala and Dhaniya powder as directed by my Mom. 

The vegetable vendor was a young teenage girl, very sincere by nature, I was on video call with Mother, who said, unhee se kat wa lo Gobhi !

That girl cut the Gobhi for me in small portions and put it in a plastic bag. 

I now understood why big Swamis always say to pray for the welfare of all beings in any devotional /meditation act.

I truly felt for that girl. Might tip her when I start earning, plus I now know where she stands daily for selling vegetables. 

Anyways today after mindfully eating my Rajma chawal in the noon, which Swamiji also taught in his book. 

Mindful eating is so important. It’s hard but I’m learning. 

Came back and video called my sister who told me to cut potatoes, wash vegetables and atta gundna again.

She soon got cranky saying that I was taking too much of her time.

She was being a bit rude in instructing me on how to cook it, so my Mom took the phone. 

I cooked the sabji in cow ghee and a pressure cooker. 

Mother said to cook it for ten minutes, meanwhile I prepared the rotis. 

I have noticed something. 

Freshly gunda hua atta se roti is better and easier to make rather than the one kept in fridge,though I’m sure housewives could easily make awesome rotis in both scenarios. 

Anyways rotis turned out fabulous the fifth time 🤣

This time atta was rightly kneaded into a perfect dough. (which is verb for gundna as I just googled) 

I opened the cooker and added the extra masalas as instructed by Mom. 

I added a lil water from my palm chanting Rama and mixed it well. 

Took the food straight to the Divine Mother and recited a few verses from the Sri Suktam to call her and a verse from the Gita to invoke Vaishvanara agni in my stomach. 

I doubted if it would be any good, plus I was unsure about the salt and spice quantities I put, all of which was tukka(rough estimation) 

Then I took the offered food. 

My God was it delicious. 

Really the flavor, the texture, everything. Even the rotis were flat and tasted awesome. 

Now I’m happily writing this article with my own cooked tasty food in my belly, becoming more independent each day and all the more ready for tomorrow’s Ekadashi fast. 

Swamiji’s book has made me take better care of my body and I cannot thank him and Sri Ramakrishna enough. 

Anyways sorry if maine apko pakaya(with my faltu story) , 

But sabji ko maine definitely bahut accha pakaya 🤣

Also if by any chance, you managed to reach till the last of all my boring content, please leave a comment on what should I cook next which is easy and healthy? Any suggestions?

I gtg. Khana toh bana liya. Ab kitchen and bartan saaf karna is a workout of its own.