“So, you have taken to the vow of Krsna Consciousness. Trying to preach Krsna Consciousness all over the world. And we have got little success. One politician in USA, he has remarked that: “This Krsna Consciousness Movement is increasing like an epidemic.” He has said like that, “And if we do not check it, one day it may take our government. He has opined like that. So, any intelligent man can know what is the ultimate result. Everyone…”Because mass of people, if they take to Krsna Consciousness, then government, is yours that is a fact. And if the Krishna Consciousness government is there: no meat-eating, no smoking, no illicit sex, so the demons will die. That is the position.”

“So Asvattama was thinking of this brahmastra: astram brahma-sito mene atma-tranam dvijatmajah. Hopelessly.

So far, of course, I know that…uh…this nuclear weapon was already discovered by the German people and Hitler, it is said that he did not use it because he knew that, “If I throw this nuclear weapon there will be devastation.” So, from this point it can be considered that he had some human consideration. So, he’s advertised adversely, but if it is true fact, then how he could have this human consideration that he did not throw the nuclear weapon? And this was taken by the Americans, and it was thrown in Japan. That is the history so far as we know.”

(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.19, 16 September 1976, Vrindavan, India)

His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada – And why the fight? What is the cause?

Suppose father gives all necessities of life to the children. Why they should fight? Simply ignorance and foolishness. That’s all. Where is the cause of fighting?

Just like the Pandavas, to settle up their misunderstandings, Krsna said, “All right, they are ksatriyas. They cannot take up the occupation of vaisya or sudra. Give them five villages so that they’ll be happy. They’ll rule over, each one, on the village. “No, sir. Not a piece of land holding the tip of the needle can be spared without fighting.” This is the world. Huh? The German, German War, First World War, what is the cause? The cause was that the Britishers will not allow the Germans to trade all over the world. They captured everything. And they’ll purchase from Germany goods and cheat people…

Hamsadutta – And sell.

His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada – “Made in London,” and sell it fifteen times higher than the German. This was their business. And that was the cause of…Is it not? Those who have studied history, this is the cause. So all this nonsense can be solved if we take it, “This is Krsna’s property.” And if you know something, you are manufac…that’s all right. You do it. I do something else. Or, even if I do it, where is the cause of fighting? Because they do not know what is Krsna

(Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, 17 June 1974, Germany)

(The word sastra means scripture, as in Vedic scriptures)

“There was only one flag, only one ruler, one scripture, Vedic scripture, and the Aryans. Arya, they were the civilized persons. You Europeans, Americans, you are also Aryans, Indo-European stock. Maharaja Yayati, grandson of Maharaja Pariksit, he gave to his two sons the portion of eastern Europe, Greek and Roman. That is the history Mahabharata. Mahabharata means great India. So there was no different religion: Vedic religion. Vedic religion means to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the Supreme Person Absolute Truth. This is Vedic religion. Those who have read Bhagavad-gita, it is said that there in the 15th Chapter, vedais ca sarvair eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. Vedic knowledge means to understand God. This is Vedic religion.

And: “National means anyone who is born in that land. At the present moment the governments take care of the men only, not the animals. What is this nationalism?”

(Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk, 19 May 1975, Melbourne, Australia)

Method:

The Kebabs

1. Shallow-fry radishes, cauliflower flowerets and peppers in olive oil in a frying pan at medium-high heat.
2. Shallow-fry panir cubes in a frying pan until crispy-brown all round.
3. Cut plum or cherry tomatoes, prunes and dried apricots into halves
4. Assemble on skewers

The Marinade

Mix olive oil, soya sauce, two tsps pomegranate molasses with mix of roasted-and-crushed coriander, cloves and cumin.  Add a little water.

Place kebabs on foil on oven tray.  Drizzle marinade over both sides of the kebabs.  Roast in oven at 170C for 10 mins.  Grill till crisp for another 5-10mins.

Offer and eat.

Directions:

1.  Cut potatoes into small cubes, do the same with two carrots, cube one swiss chard (it is onion family, so you may not want to do this if you’re very strictly anti-onions), add a large handful of celery.
2. Put tbsp butter in pan at high heat.  Add smoked paprika, pepper flakes, grated nutmeg, fresh turmeric root, asafoetida and two bay leaves.  Add two cups of water.
3. Add Himalayan salt, crushed black pepper and vegetable stock.  Add vegetables.
4. Cook until tender.  Add fresh parsley.
5. Cook until fully cooked and a little stodgy. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
6. Fold out puff pastry (check to to see if it is vegetarian-friendly) and roll a little, adding flour to the rolling surface to prevent from sticking.
7. Add pie-filling to pastry.
8. Fold pastry over, using a fork to close the pie.  Prick the top of the pastry.
9. Glaze with milk, using a food brush
10. Place in oven at 180C for about 20-25mins.
11. Remove when crisp and brown.

1. Boil water.  Dissolve vegetable stock cube.  Roast small cubes of pumpkin in oven with a little oil.

2. Pan fry risotto/arboreo rice in butter, with asafoetida until light brown.

3. Add stock water to rice, a couple of centimetres above rice.  Boil on high heat.  Keep adding water to rice, as water evaporates.  Add pumpkin and finely chopped celery when  rice is 3/4 cooked.  Add crushed pepper and Himalayan/sea salt.  Add lemon rind and finely chopped sage. Pinch of paprika.  Add butter or extra virgin olive oil.

4. Remove from heat when rice is soft.  Nice with rennet-free parmesan cheese.

A grimy, wiry youth with a red-and-white checked gamcha wrapped around his forehead approached me as I slid off the metal back-bar of the autoriksha. The boy was holding a basket which he pushed towards me with his outstretched arms. I remembered yesterday’s feast at Govardhana Palace.  Rice, dal, spicy Indian sabjis, sweet rice and Giriraja saonpapri – lovingly served by Russian devotees from circular straw baskets. Saonpapri is produced by repeatedly adding syrup to a mixture of channa (chickpea) flour and ghee, heated in a kadai or wok.  The golden-yellow mixture is removed from the kadai, twisted into sticky strands and beaten over a marble slab.  Saonpapri is the light-brown, buttery result of this labour of love. Saonpapri melts in your mouth, like a blend of compacted sugarcane and biscuit.

The boy ceremoniously opened his basket.  There were no heavenly confections inside; only the brown, scaly coils of a lethargic Indian cobra!  Snake charmers starve their snakes to keep them docile and manageable.  I watched the boy’s hand slide over the snake’s neck, a meter from where I stood.  I stepped back.  My craving for Giriraja saonpapri vanished at the thought of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami’s story, ‘The Frog and the Lily-pad’. The frog sits poised on a lily-pad, waiting for a fly.  The frog is unaware that the black serpent of time is hovering over him with open jaws.  Like the frog, we are also unaware of our mortality.  We think we are going to live forever and, in our foolishness, seek sensual enjoyments.  We do not realise the “snake” of death is waiting for us with wide open jaws. The ancient Sanskrit adage goes: Padam padam vipadam na tesam.  There is ‘danger at every step’.  Why?  Because we are subject to birth, disease, old age and death. The seriousness of my visit to Varsana now dawned on me.   I hailed another autoriksha, skipped my visit to Giriraja Sweet Shop and prepared my mind for the next stop – Radharani’s palace.  The afternoon was slipping by.