MANTRAS

MANTRAS

One of the forms of prayers is Mantra. It is defined as–"Mananen trayte iti" that which protects us by constant pondering. Mantras need not necessarily have a meaning. Mantras are so designed that they create certain vibrations in our body whether we are listening to them or whether we are reciting them ourselves. Since they are effective with the vibrations, they cannot be translated into any other language. They are like proper nouns, which have to be same irrespective of language. This also gives an open invitation for others to devise their own Mantras if they can. There is no bar. Only condition is that test your Mantra thoroughly for positive effect and early results for your own benefit.

Negative effects of vibrations are well known to all. Vibrations caused by noise, aeroplanes, bombs & earthquakes play havoc in our lives. Similarly the soothing vibrations received through patting, rocking, good music, and melodious voices of good speakers, singers, breeze etc, which affect us positively. They comfort us, calm us, put us to sleep and refresh us. They bring even a morose* to life. If simple vibrations can do so much good to us, imagine, what miracles properly designed mantra can do for us!

AUM
Let us now come to one of the important mantras. The most important is the monosyllable – Aum. Aum is so designed to generate vibrations, which originate at the navel and climb up the spinal cord to reach up to the medulla oblongata and the brain, which controls all functions and actions of our body.

"Tasya Vachakha Pranavah", so says ‘Patanjali’ in the ‘Yoga-Sutra’. It means ‘Oum’ is the address of God. It actually throws light on God. It is the indicator of place of God, the real self i.e." the Brahman".

Interestingly, navel is the main and the first source of energy in the beginning of any mammal’s life. In the mother’s womb, when the embryo comes to life, it is the umbilical cord connected to the navel that gives us the life sustaining juices and the oxygen or the ‘Pran’

This chanting really kindles the dormant energy lying at the base of the torso and at the end of the spinal cord. It travels upwards during the vibrations and finally reaches the brain spreading the light everywhere within.

To feel the vibrations, one can do a simple exercise during the chanting of "Aum". Close your ears by both the hands, palms blocking the ears and the thumbs touching the rear side of the neck, wherein lies the medulla oblongata, other fingers going upwards closely touching the skull. Close your eyes. Continue the chant. You can feel the vibrations coming up, if Aum is chanted in the bass tone.

(I received this as a forward and thought that it would be nice to put in my blog for all to read)

BATATA- KANDA POHE

BATATA- KANDA POHE
Ingredients
Poha (Beaten Rice) - 2 cups
Potatoes - 1
Onions - 1
Green Chillies – 2-3
Ginger grated – 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds – ¼ tsp
Cumin Seeds – ¼ tsp
Oil – 4 tbsps
Asafetida – a pinch
1 pinch Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Curry leaves (Optional)
Coriander leaves for garnish
Some Sev for garnish
Freshly grated Coconut for garnish

Method
Wash the Poha in a colander and let the water run through. All the water will get drained via the holes in the colander. This is to clean the Poha. No need to soak the Poha as it will get mashed. Keep the wet poha aside for a while.

Peel and chop potatoes into small pieces. Finely chop the onions and the chillies.

In a kadhai (wok). Take 4 tbsps of oil, Add the mustard seeds and when it begins to crackle, Add the cumin seeds, Add asafetida and then the green chillies, let the chillies fry nicely. You can add curry leaves if you like. Now add the Onions and when they become transparent, Add in the potatoes, Add turmeric and salt. Mix well and cook covered till the potatoes are done. Once the potatoes are done. Add the Poha. Mix well. Check for salt. If more salt is reuired add the salt. Mix well. Keep the gas on a low flame and cook covered for about 2 minutes. Remove the lid and mix well once more. Add the Coriander leaves. Switch off the gas and keep covered for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves, fresh coconut shreddings and sev. People who like a dash of lemon can always squeeze some in their portion and have the poha hot.

Variations: You can add peanuts, the peanuts must be fried in the oil first and kept separate and added later when you add the Poha to the onions and potatoes.

You can add tomato to the dish.1 tomato finely chopped can be fried once the onions become transparent and proceed with the above method.

You can also add green peas, When you add the potato, at that stage you can add a tbsp of green peas and allow to cook along with the potato and proceed with the above method.

Do try this authentic Maharashtrian Breakfast recipe.

A MOTHER'S PRICE

"A MOTHER’S PRICE"

A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his Mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said :

For cutting the grass - $5

For cleaning up my room this week -$1.00

For going to the store for you - $0.50

Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping - $0.25

Taking out the garbage - $1.00

For getting a good report card - $5.00

For cleaning up and raking the yard - $2.00

Total owed = $14.75

Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the 9-months I carried you while you were growing inside me - No Charge.

For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you - No Charge.

For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years - No Charge.

For all the nights that were filled with dread and for the worries I knew were ahead - No Charge.

For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose - No Charge.

Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is - No Charge.

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you." And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL".

You will never know how much your parents are worth till you become a Parent. Be a giver not an asker, especially with your parents.

KASHMIRI NAAN

KASHMIRI NAAN
Kashmiri food is known for its liberal use of nuts and its hot-sweet taste. Here is a recipe of Kashmiri Naan. A sweet bread with nuts and cherries.
Ingredients
Maida or Self Raising Flour - 2 cups
Baking powder - ½ tsp
Soda - ¼ tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Fresh Yeast - 1 tsp
Warm Milk - ¼ cup
Yogurt - ¼ cup
Oil or Ghee - 2 tbsp

For the Stuffing
Granulated sugar – 4-5 tbsps
Slivered and chopped Cashewnuts – 1 -2 tbsps
Slivered and chopped Almonds - 1 -2 tbsps
Red Cherries - 1 -2 tbsps
In a mixie make a fine paste of all the ingredients. Keep some finely chopped cashews and almonds separately for it to stick out on the Naan.

Method
In a Big bowl mix together 2 cups Maida, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp soda and 2 tbsp of oil or ghee.

In another small bowl, combine ¼ cup warm milk, ¼ cup Yogurt, dissolve 1 tsp sugar in it. Add 1 tsp fresh yeast and add this liquid to the flour mixture in the big bowl. Now mix all this together. Add warm water to make a very soft dough. Once you make the dough, Add a tablespoon of oil and mix well, so the dough becomes glazed with oil. Cover the dough with a wet cloth for around two hours. The dough will puff up and become almost double in volume.

Now make equal sized balls apply a little oil. Make a depression in the ball and place some of the stuffing (the paste that is made) in the center of the balls circle, then fold the edges of the dough up over the stuffing and pinch it together to enclose the stuffing; press with your hands to flatten the dough and then roll it into a round shape. Stretch it from one side to give it a triangular shape like the ones you see in a restaurant. Stick some finely chopped cashews and almonds on top of the Naan. It will get nicely toasted when cooked inside the tandoor.

Now put it on the wall of a preheated Tandoor or cook in a preheated oven (250 degrees Celsius) by placing it on a greased tray.

Remove when it is crisp and golden brown on both sides. Your Naan is ready to be served with any nice curry.

Note: You can either use fresh cherries or Canned cherries

YOU ARE GOD'S WORK OF ART

YOU ARE GOD'S WORK OF ART

Outwardly, you may not appear to be much of a masterpiece. You may look like a piece of junk. But inwardly, and in reality, you are God's work of art -- and God does not make any junk. All that is outward and seen is only temporary -- like the cocoon the butterfly inhabits for only a short time. So, while you should take care of your present body, don't be overly concerned about it. Most importantly, don't think of yourself as just the body you are now living in. You are a child of Almighty God, creator and ruler of the universe. Someone God is "raising" to be His companion for eternity. You are NOT insignificant.

Admittedly, you are a work in progress. God still has more work to do with you -- but He is the artist, and He will finish His work.

(Hint: As you submit to God, the easier it is for Him to change you into the wonderful image he has in mind. Someday, everyone will clearly see what God has done in you: making you a wonderful, unique individual worthy of Himself.

What is it that makes a person beautiful? If you have not thought about it, here are some reasons.

Youth: Everyone always looks their best when they are young. Obviously, the younger one is, the better they look. Yet those who are "young at heart" - full of happiness, full of feeling a sense of wonder and adventure about the world, of child-like (not childish) happiness, etc - always project a more beautiful appearance.

Kindness: Those who are full of loving kindness, those who are positive, those who are always ready to lend a helping hand, acquire a "filter" that projects the beauty (or the ugliness) of their soul. You can prove this to yourself by thinking about a person you thought was unattractive, at first, but, as you got to know them, became more attractive because you came to like them. Or, think about a person you thought was very attractive, at first, but seemed to grow uglier as you came to dislike them as you got to know them.

Thoughts: Those who "believe" that they are beautiful - in the deepest recesses of their heart and soul - tend to act on that belief by projecting it and so they tend to be viewed as more beautiful. Ask the most beautiful person you know in real life what they think about their appearance. Even though they will be quick to point out the flaws in their appearance, they will also be quick to say that they are, in fact, beautiful.

Action: Most people on Earth try their best to make their "bag of skin” as attractive as possible. Some spend small fortunes in getting surgery to make themselves "look" better (although after multiple surgeries others would question if that was the result). Yet, what makes a person beautiful is their "acting as if" they are... and doing the best they can with what they have. So if you want to seem beautiful, start acting-projecting beauty.

PANEER PAV (COTTAGE CHEESE STUFFED BUNS)

PANEER PAV (COTTAGE CHEESE STUFFED BUNS)
Ingredients
4 unsweetened buns
150 gm paneer (cottage cheese)
1 Onion finely chopped
1 red capsicum
1 green capsicum
1 tsp pomegranate seeds powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
4 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Method
Cut the capsicums into tiny pieces. Crumble the paneer. Cut a very thin slice from the top of each bun and keep aside to be used as a lid later. With a knife, scoop out the buns so that the filling can be stuffed into it.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and sauté the onions until transparent and then add the capsicums and sauté for one minute. Add the paneer and the spices and cook over a low flame for 3-4 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Remove the paneer filling from fire and fill the scooped out buns with this filling. Cover each bun with the sliced portion cut to make a filling earlier, it would be like a lid on the bun. Now rub each bun with oil. Preheat an oven and heat till the buns are a little crisp. Serve hot.

The Power of Praise

The Power of Praise
In the early 19th century, a young man in London aspired to be a writer. But everything seemed to be against him. He had never been able to attend school more than four years. His father had been thrown in jail because he couldn't pay his debts, and this young man often knew the pangs of hunger.
Finally he got a job pasting labels on bottles in a rat-infested warehouse, and he slept at night in a dismal attic room with two other boys - guttersnipes from the slums of London.
He had so little confidence in his ability to write that he sneaked out and mailed his first manuscript in the dead of night so nobody would laugh at him. Story after story was refused.
Finally the great day came when one was accepted. True, he wasn't paid for it, but one editor had praised him. One editor had given him recognition. He was so thrilled that he wandered aimlessly around the streets with tears rolling down his cheeks.
The praise, the recognition that he received through getting one story in print changed his whole life. If it hadn't been for that encouragement, he might have spent his entire life working in rat-infested factories. You may have heard of that boy.
His name is Charles Dickens.

With the many discouragements that people face each day, we should never underestimate the power that our positive words can have on them. A word of encouragement to someone who is feeling down and depressed can mean the world to them and in effect change their outlook on their situation. Comfort the feebleminded and support those who are weak. We are called to comfort, support and lift up those who are weak and their spirits and show them the love of God through our intervention so that they may be able to stand up and continue on. Be an encourager when the opportunity arises so that others may be lifted up by your positive reinforcements. We never really know what someone else is going through and this fact alone should cause us to take the initiative to say a good word of encouragement when the opportunity presents itself.
Be encouraged to be an encourager and know that your simple uplifting words will cause a change that will greatly outlast and outweigh the sacrifice that you made in your intervention.

NAN KHATAI (INDIAN COOKIES)

VANILLA COOKIES / VANILLA NAN KHATAI

What would one think of to have with a cup of tea or coffee, Yes, you guessed it right, the answer would be cookies.

I personally prefer our Indian biscuit style cookie which I cooked dunk in my tea and relish. So here’s the recipe of the cookie that we used to get at a local bakery in Mumbai, India.

Ingredients
All purpose flour (Maida) - 150 gms
Rava (Fine sooji) - 50 gms
Powdered sugar - 85 gms
Butter - 120 gms
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp (Optional)
Cardamom powder – a pinch
Few almonds, pistachios and cashew nuts(optional)

Method
In a big bowl, beat the butter till it turns fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. 
Now add the vanilla essence followed by the maida and sooji. 
Make a smooth dough of this mixture. 
Roll out medium sized balls and cut them into two halves. 
Put a cashew nut and broken almonds or pistachios on the top of each piece. 
Bake them on a greased pan for 25 minutes at 150 C.
Wait for 15 minutes after it comes out of the oven. 
Your Vanilla Biscuits or Vanilla Nan Khatai is ready. 
Dunk it into your tea and enjoy. 

LADIES FINGER RAITA / LADIES FINGER PACHADI

LADIES FINGER RAITA
Ingredients
Thick Yoghurt – 2 cups
Ladies finger – 2 cups
Green Chilly paste – ½ tsp
Ginger paste – ½ tsp
Oil – for frying and tempering
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Asafetida - A pinch
Salt to taste
Curry leaves – 1 sprig (optional)
Coriander leaves for garnish (optional)
Chaat Masala – a pinch for garnish

Method
Wash and dry the ladies finger. Cut the top and bottom and slice them into roundels.
Heat oil in a kadhai(wok), fry the ladies finger on medium heat until it is crisp. Don’t over fry it, as that will make it crumble like a biscuit. Drain the excess oil on a kitchen towel. Keep aside. Let it cool down. Add a pinch of salt to the fried Ladies finger.
In a bowl Take yogurt, beat the yogurt lightly, add green chillies and ginger paste, the fried ladies finger and some salt and mix well.
In a small pan, take a teaspoon of oil, add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle, add a pinch of asafetida and then the curry leaves. Pour this seasoning over the raita.
You can garnish with coriander leaves and chaat masala if required.
Serve chilled.

GULAB JAMUN

GULAB JAMUN
This is an all time favorite in our home. Kids and adults enjoy this. When I was making this dish at home, little Anoushka(my four and a half year old daughter) was hovering around the area, She didn’t even have the patience to wait for the gulab jamuns to soak in the syrup and wanted to be the first one to taste the jamuns. She calls them Gulam Jamuns, she wanted to taste the first batch of jamuns that I put into the sugar syrup, I had to oblige so that I could continue with my work, on one hand there were jamuns waiting to be fried, thrown in to the syrup and here lil Anoushka was struggling to eat the hot jamuns, so I had to split it, blow over it and then feed her, lest she burn her mouth, with all this happening I was also clicking photos of the jamuns for the blog. My little one and my husband have been an audience to my cooking, decorating, photo clicking, editing and uploading the photos on to my blog ever since I started blogging. Infact, nowadays Anoushka asks me, " Amma are'nt you clicking photos" whenever I am cooking. But hubby dear is very happy these days, getting to try new dishes, while I am happily navigating through blogosphere.

Ingredients
Khoya - 500 gms
Plain flour - 125 gms
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp.
Milk - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 250 gms.
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp.
Saffron - a few strands
Ghee/Refined cooking oil to deep fry

Method
In a bowl, Crumble the khoya. Sieve in the flour and soda together. Mix in the cardamom powder and crushed saffron. Mix well to form a soft dough.While kneading put the milk little by little. Use only as much milk as required for kneading. Make balls of even size.
Heat the ghee/refined oil in a wok. Once hot, keep the flame of your gas low (in sim mode).Put the balls in batches, they will rise up, fry till golden brown. Remove from ghee/oil and keep it aside on a plate. Don’t put into the syrup immediately. This tip of mine helps from the gulab jamuns being very soft and soaking in too much syrup and breaking into the syrup. Once the balls are warm, put them in the syrup. Soak for 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a glass bowl. When done pour the remaining syrup over the jamuns in the glass bowl and serve it warm.