Monday, June 29, 2009

The Lord who fulfills all His devotees wishes and desires....


Our Holy Land of India is blessed with many wonderful and beautiful temples where the Lord rejoices by having His pastimes with His sweet devotees even today. One such divine place is in Guruvayur. Guruvayur is located 29 kms from Thrissur, Kerala. Kerala is described as "God's own country" since it's rich in beauty with perfectly lined trees, geographical and bio diversity. As we travel through Kerala, we will find rows and rows of coconut trees, dense forests and stretches of backwaters. Anyone visiting this place for the first time will be immediately enticed by the lush greenery, spectacular landscape and the cool weather.

In this post, I will be sharing some anecdotes of the Lord Guruvayurappan as narrated by my Gurunatha in "Gurvayurappan Vaibhavam". The story of how Guruvayurappa's deity was installed at Guruvayur is very interesting and has a long history.


Lord Guruvayurappa's deity was worshipped by Maha Vishnu at Vaikuntha. Then Maha Vishnu handed it to Brahma. King Sutapa and his wife Prishni, were given this deity by Brahma with Maha Vishnu's consent. The King and Queen worshipped this deity for a child and the Lord pleased with their worship appeared in front of them. He then granted a boon that He will be born to them as their child in their next 3 births. So, they were blessed to worship the same deity in their subsequent births. First time, Lord was born to Sutapa and Prishni as "Prishnigarbha". He preached and taught "Brahmacharya" principle to the world. On their second birth, this couple were Kashyapa and Adithi. Their son was "Vamana". On their third birth, they were called Vasudeva and Devaki. And their eighth son is "Lord Krishna". Krishna himself worshiped this deity at Dwaraka after getting it from his father, Vasudeva.

Later at the time when the Lord ascended to Vaikuntha, he asked his dear friend, Uddhava to entrust installing this deity to Guru (Brahma - the Guru of all Devas) at a proper place for people to worship in the Kali Yuga. During the PraLayam or engulfment of Dwaraka (deluge), Guru and Vayu (his disciple) saved this deity and were searching for the perfect place for the deity installation. One such place where they were searching was Kerala and here they met, Parasurama (another avatar of Maha Vishnu). He in turn showed them a lush green spot with a beautiful lotus tank where Lord Shiva was doing penance. Lord Shiva welcomed them and informed that this was the location that He imparted "Rudra Geetham" to Prachetas. And he also permitted them to install the deity at that perfect location. Guru and Vayu installed the deity here and from then the place is known as "Guruvayur". Lord Shiva and Parvathi left to the opposite bank of the tank and this place is called "Mammiyur". At Guruvayurappan temple, there is a place near Bhagavathi Sannidhi where devotees can face the Mammiyur temple and pray to Lord Shiva.

Vishwakarma, the divine architect then built this majestic temple after being requested by Guru and Vayu. The temple is built in such a way that on the day of Vishu Punya Kaalam (Beginning of New Year), the Sun himself pays his obeisances, salutations to the Lord. His first rays on that day fall straight on the Lord's feet.

Guruvayur is always filled with presence of the Lord's devotees, Srimad Bhagavatham, festivals and Bhajans. The Lord always listens to Bhagavatham here at this temple and this can be seen even now. Programs are held everyday where there are innumerable devotees reciting and listening to the Lord's pastimes. Hence this place is called "Bhooloka Vaikuntham (Heaven on Earth)" as His divine presence is felt every minute.

More information on Guruvayurappan temple and how to get there:

http://www.guruvayurdevaswom.org/home.shtml

Photos courtesy: Google search
(To be continued...)

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Krishna's 3Ms - Mango Mousse Magic



This awesome recipe is from my husband, Krishna. He is an excellent connoisseur of food and a creative chef. Here is a picture of him taking a hike and posing for us at Hoyt Arboretum, Portland.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Makes for 3-4 people.

Ingredients:
  • Fresh and ripe mangoes -3 (Peel off the skin and pulp mangoes)
  • Plain yogurt (thick) - 1 cup
  • Whipped cream - 1 -2 cups (i.e. Be generous, the more the merrier :)
Prep method:
  • Blend all of these into a mousse like consistency.
  • Offer to the Lord and enjoy!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Healthy Palak Paneer

This is a new variety of Palak Paneer made in a Saattvic way without onions and garlic.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Makes for 4-6 people

Ingredients:
  1. Palak - 6-8 cups (washed, steamed and water drained)
  2. Fried Paneer - 1-2 cups
  3. Grated ginger - 2 tsp
  4. Chopped green chilies - 1- 2 (depending on spice level)
  5. Paprika or red chili powder - 1 tsp
  6. Coconut milk - 4 table spoons
  7. Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
  8. Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
  9. Turmeric powder -1 tsp
  10. Salt to taste
  11. Ghee - 2 tablespoons
  12. Garam masala - 2 tsp
Prep Method:
  1. Add ghee to a wide mouthed pan and saute cumin, green chilies, turmeric, coriander seeds for 1 min.
  2. When they cool, grind the spices into a paste.
  3. Add the cooked palak to the pan.
  4. Then add the spice paste and salt. Cook the spinach for 5 minutes and then blend it for smooth texture. This can also be left as it is without blending to preserve the original color and texture of the spinach leaves.
  5. Add the coconut milk, paneer cubes, garam masala to the palak.
  6. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes.
Offer it to the Lord and serve hot with Chapathi/Roti/Naan.

Enjoy!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

A divine blessing and mantra for couples pining for a baby....


Our mother country, India is a Punya Bhoomi and has been blessed by various Avatharas, Avathara purushas, holy rivers and holy temples. One among these holy temples where the Lord blesses His devotees with a baby is at Mallur, Karnataka.

Doddamallur is located 60 kilometers from Bangalore on the Bangalore-Mysore Highway and 2 kms from Channapatna. This place is surrounded by tall coconut trees and lush greenery and captures the heart of all its visitors. Once you enter "Mallur Agrahara" you will see the temple of Lord Aprameya, Aravindavalli Thayar and Navaneetha Krishna.


This temple is simple but very beautiful and on top of all of this, has showered grace so much so that innumerable infertile couples have been blessed with a baby soon after their visit. Such are the glories of this wonderful Lord!

Navaneetha Krishna holds a "Butter ball" and whoever sees Him is just filled with maternal love and bliss. In fact, after looking at Him, Sant Purandara Dasa composed "Jagadoddharana Adisidalu Yashoda” Kriti. He has beautiful eyes which captivate us and is adorned with lots of jewels, chains and amulets. He has a "Kolusu" or "anklets" which make the tinkiling sound. Since so many visitors come and fall in love with Him and also praise His beauty, the temple priests make Him wear "Puli nagam" (Tiger claws) chain to ward off the evil thoughts!! Aah, what a beautiful rasa there!!

The butter ball that He holds is the "Gnana" or Self Realization that He is willing to offer to anyone who comes to meet Him. He also blesses couples who are yearning for a Putra with a baby soon after they pay a visit to this temple. We can see innumerable wooden, silver cradles at His altar offered by all the devotees who have been blessed.

Santhana Gopala Mantra for being blessed with a baby:
This Mantra was given by Lord Shiva to Parvathi Devi when she asked Him how to beget a baby.

Devaki Sutha Govinda Vasudeva Jagath Pathe

Dehimey Thanayam Krishna Thwamaham Saranam Kadhahaa

Deva Deva Jagannatha Gothra Vridhi Karap Prabho

Dehimey Thanayam Sheegram Ayushmandham Yashashreenam !

Process to chant: Keep a photo/deity of Lord Krishna and put Kolam and do 12 Namaskarams and chant this Mantra 12 times everyday. You can also offer some small Naivedyam. This shloka means that Lord will give you a good son/daughter soon. Faith is very important while you keep chanting this everyday.
More information on this temple:
http://www.karnatakavaishnavatemples.net/Bang/dodamallur.htm

Temple address:
APRAMEYA AND NAVANEETHA KRISHNA TEMPLE,
Dodda Mallur, Channapatna Taluk, Bangalore District, Pin: 571501


Photos: Courtesy of google search.

Secrets to make excellent presentations...

Have you wondered how some speakers talk so excellently, clearly and make their points come across and persuade us to do things? They know some secrets (hmm, what are they??) I am going to share some of them with you here in this article...

Why is this article for you?

Have you ever thought that it is reserved for people in higher positions than you are at work or people who run for elections or people giving lectures throughout the world? Well, I challenge you to think again…

We present everyday of our lives!

Do you talk to your family, friends and relatives or with your colleagues at our workplace? If you do then, you are "presenting" - whether you realize it or not. We talk about the newest recipe we have tried or the latest book we have read or the gorgeous dress that we got for ourselves or for our kid and display it to them or do a proposal to the senior management or our peers. We are sometimes very excited or enthralled about a topic of interest close to our heart and want to share it with our near and dear. When we really create an interest in the other person about the topic we have just talked about, then they catch it on and try our idea. They either try the new recipe or buy that great dress for their own kid or for themselves. They think that they have to have it if it is so special!! Well, what are you doing here? If you closely think about it, you are delivering a marvelous presentation without even knowing that you are doing one….So, read on. I have been an active member of Toastmasters International and I learned all of these tips from that club. All the tips I am sharing with you have been tested with millions of people and have been used successfully by everybody. These are applicable for all of us in the group. Please substitute the situations or examples that I have given here with your own specific case.

6 secrets to make effective presentations!

Does just the mention of the word "presentation" or "speech" make you queasy? Do you feel that there are some unknown butterflies in your stomach? Do you just want to get out of this "thing" and be your own happy self again? It might be beneficial for you to know that even the best speakers experience nervousness and butterflies in their stomach. It is actually okay to feel that way because it shows that you are genuinely interested in making a good presentation. Turn all this nervousness that you have toward yourself and your topic.



  • Plan on what you are going to say.Know who you are going to talk about this topic.i.e. Know your audience and think carefully about what you want to convey. Ask yourself: Is it going to be a presentation to my boss and his colleagues or is it going to be a casual conversation with my close friends? If it is with your boss/senior management, then you might want to have a power point presentation with your ideas written clearly and in simple language.If it is with your friends, then it doesn’t need any fancy presentations.For example, what is the name of the book that you are going to introduce your friend to, who wrote it, why you like it etc.
  • Prepare. Gather the content, organize it with a specific opening, body, conclusion.You can get examples or data to support your viewpoint.This gives the listener a solid impression that you have done your homework.Preparation is absolutely essential in making a great presentation! You can tell them why you chose this topic, why this is apt for this time etc. In our example of the book, you can by heart some beautiful phrases/quotes that you liked and which you think your friends might be interested in to support your viewpoint. In the case of presentation to the boss, you can show what is the current problem/situation that your organization faces, what your proposed solution is, how do you think this solution will solve the challenge and what benefits the solution will bring if implemented (savings in $$, time and employee efficiency).
Always memorize the opening sentence and make it in such a way that the audience is actually awakened by the topic rather than just jumping into the topic straight.



  • Practice: Once you have the presentation prepared, rehearse it a few times until you become completely confident about the material at hand.Become excited and enthusiastic about the topic.This can be easily seen by your friends or peers.When you are excited and speak very sincerely about the topic you have carefully chosen and prepared about, you can be assured that it will be a great presentation.
  • Body language: You can greatly enhance the quality of your speech using body language - i.e. movement (if you are in a podium), hand gestures (by hitting with your fist into your open palm to show importance or urgency, or moving your hands in unison to show similarities and in opposite directions to show differences etc) , appropriate facial expressions (like for example, show anger, happiness, frustration etc). Make sure that you have eye contact with all your members of the audience. When you look a person straight in the eye, then they think you are sincere, credible, friendly and honest. If you have a bigger audience you can look at a certain section of the room, look at a particular person, complete your thought and then move to another person. But avoid moving back and forth like an oscillating fan. You have to give them an impression that you are talking to the persons directly. If it is just a few friends, make sure that you look at each one of them when you make your points to make them all feel included.
  • Vocal variety: More often than not, if we hear someone speaking in the same tone (sound familiar? Remember all the boring classes by those professors?), we feel very bored and lose interest in the subject. To make sure that your audience doesn’t lose interest in the topic, you can try to vary your voice - like introducing pauses, increasing your voice pitch, rate of speech, emphasizing certain key words etc. All of these add interest. If you listen to a speech by a comedian or a well versed politician, they will use different tones throughout their acts or speech to keep the audience involved. When we are with our friends we can do this by adding some amount of enthusiasm - For example, Hey, have you seen this movie? I was so excited to watch this in theater with all the sound effects! At work, you can do this: This solution shows promising results. I am very excited about trying this solution. What do you all think? (Italics indicate emphasis on those words)
  • Repeat your purpose: Sometimes, people forget why they have to support a cause or why they are even listening to you. So reiterate the fact throughout your presentation and make them understand what is the primary purpose of doing such and such a project - like reading the book, what do you gain out of it, how can you use it in your life etc. Always keep in mind the interest of your audience; they will support your cause if they benefit, so reiterate the fact whenever possible. Use words like "us" and "we" whenever possible. This creates the feeling that all of us are in the same boat and we all have to do this to make it happen.
There you have it! These 6 points are indeed the keys for making an effective presentation. So next time when someone asks you to talk about a topic, you need not be queasy about it. You now know that you can unlock your fears by preparing sincerely for it and practicing it. Seek help if needed. There is nothing wrong with those butterflies. They are here to help you. Rehearse as many times as possible before your grand day and you will find that those butterflies fly in a neat formation! At the end of your presentation/little pep talk, I can guarantee that you will be at the top of the world and you will feel GREAT! Because, you have just taken a giant step towards your fear of speaking in front of others.


Here's another secret tip: Keep a pen or a pencil or a paper clip with you when you feel nervous. You can control your nervousness and have the confidence that it will all be okay.



If you need any more information, please send me an email. I will be happy to assist you. Please send me some feedback on what you think about this article and how you all have overcome your fear of talking to others. You can find more information about public speaking and how to overcome your fear of public speaking by visiting your local chapter of Toastmasters club. Their website is: www.toastmasters.org

Guru Vandanam

My humble obeisances to Maha Periyaval and Sri Sri Krishna Premi Maharaj. I offer everything at their Lotus Feet.

Yummy Kichari with Cashews, vegetables, dal and rice!!

Hello all,
This is an awesome, healthy, wholesome, tasty and delicious recipe that I got from Kurma Dasa's website. I modified it a little based on how we like it at home. He is an international cook and he has written lots of books. I thought this will be useful for my blog's readers :)

Recipe for Yummy Kichari with Cashews, vegetables, dal and rice


Prep time: 40 minutes

1 cup Basmati rice
1/3 cup Moong Dal
3 cups mixed vegetables - example: carrots, peas, green beans, tomatoes, bell peppers (capsicum)
1 tblsp cumin
1/2 piece - green chilies (more if desired)
little ginger (grated or chopped)
Ghee (clarified butter) - 7-8 table spoons
1 tsp turmeric
1 to 2 tsp asafoetida
3 or 4 tblspoons - cashews (1/3 cup)
Curry leaf or chopped coriander leaves for decoration
Salt (to taste)
5-6 cups of water

Preparation method:
Add 3-4 tblspoons butter to a wide mouthed pot or sauce pan and moderately heat the pan. Then add green chilies, ginger and saute for 1 minute. You can fry the cashews and take them out and add them later towards the end (or) just keep them in the pan and continue.

Then add turmeric powder and asafoetida to the sauce pan. Now add tomatoes and fry them for 1-2 minutes. Then add the rest of the vegetables. fry them for 2 minutes.

Next, stir the dal and rice to the mixture. Saute for 2 minutes. Add salt as desired.

Then pour water to the pan and mix all of them very well. Increase the heat at this point. Allow the water to come to a boil and then simmer the stove. Cover the pan partially and let it cook in moderate heat for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, check whether the rice and dal are cooked. If the Kichari appears to be dry, add 1 cup of water and cook it for a few minutes. Add the remaining ghee to the kichari.

You can add lemon juice to the Kichari if you desire.

Decorate with curry leaves, coriander leaves, offer and serve. Enjoy!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Microwave Milk Khova

Prep time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients:
  1. 1 can condensed milk
  2. 3-4 tablespoons milk powder
  3. 2 tablespoons yogurt
  4. 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
Place all contents in a microwaveable container in the given order. Mix them very well with a spoon. Microwave them in 50% power for 6 mins. Then take them out, mix them again and microwave them in 50% power for 4-6 mins. Take it out and check whether the desired consistency has reached. If not, microwave for 1-2 mins at a time.

Cool, offer it to Lord and then enjoy!!

PS: the timing may vary depending upon the microwave oven's capacity and also the container's thickness.

Blogging

I will start blogging regularly on spirituality and cuisines....Sometimes in raising children and other householder tips...will see how it expands...