Sanatana Dharma - Spirituality and Food
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Please enjoy this good collection of explanations by Maha Periyavar of Kanchi...Many have samskrit base....
To the awe and amazement of his devotees, Paramacharya often discussed about down-to-earth laukika matters with keen interest, deep understanding and knowledge. In this upanyasam, he explains the origin and meaning of the names of common Indian dishes and their connection to spirituality. In these explanations, translated words of what Paramacharya actually spoke are used, extracted from the Tamil publication titled Sollin Selvar (The Expert of Words), Sri Kanchi Munivar by Sri Ra. Ganapathy.
A South Indian Meal
A typical South Indian meal is served in three main courses: Sambar Sadam, Rasam Sadam and More (buttermilk) Sadam . Sambar is also known as kuzhambu in Tamil, a term that literally translates to 'get confused'. Paramacharya explains how these three courses are related to the three gunas of spirituality: the confusion of sambar is 'tamo guna', the clarified and rarified flow of rasam is 'rajo guna' and the all-white buttermilk is 'satva guna'. Our meal reminds us of our spiritual path from confused inaction to a clear flow of action and finally to the realized bliss of unity.
- Shri Kanchi Maha Swamigal
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Please enjoy this good collection of explanations by Maha Periyavar of Kanchi...Many have samskrit base....
To the awe and amazement of his devotees, Paramacharya often discussed about down-to-earth laukika matters with keen interest, deep understanding and knowledge. In this upanyasam, he explains the origin and meaning of the names of common Indian dishes and their connection to spirituality. In these explanations, translated words of what Paramacharya actually spoke are used, extracted from the Tamil publication titled Sollin Selvar (The Expert of Words), Sri Kanchi Munivar by Sri Ra. Ganapathy.
A South Indian Meal
A typical South Indian meal is served in three main courses: Sambar Sadam, Rasam Sadam and More (buttermilk) Sadam . Sambar is also known as kuzhambu in Tamil, a term that literally translates to 'get confused'. Paramacharya explains how these three courses are related to the three gunas of spirituality: the confusion of sambar is 'tamo guna', the clarified and rarified flow of rasam is 'rajo guna' and the all-white buttermilk is 'satva guna'. Our meal reminds us of our spiritual path from confused inaction to a clear flow of action and finally to the realized bliss of unity.
- Shri Kanchi Maha Swamigal
Sadam
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Cooked rice, the main dish of a South Indian meal is called Sadam. That which has sat (sathva guna) is Sadam, in the same way we call those who are full of Sat, sadhus. We can give another explanation for the term: that which is born out of prasannam is Prasadam. What we offer to Swami (God) as nivedanam is given back to us as Prasaadam. Since we should not add the root 'Pra' to the rice we cook for ourselves, we call it Sadam.
-Shri Kanchi Maha Swamigal
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Cooked rice, the main dish of a South Indian meal is called Sadam. That which has sat (sathva guna) is Sadam, in the same way we call those who are full of Sat, sadhus. We can give another explanation for the term: that which is born out of prasannam is Prasadam. What we offer to Swami (God) as nivedanam is given back to us as Prasaadam. Since we should not add the root 'Pra' to the rice we cook for ourselves, we call it Sadam.
-Shri Kanchi Maha Swamigal
Rasam and Kuzhambu
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Rasam means juice, which is also the name of filtered ruchi. We say 'it was full of rasa' when a speech or song was tasteful.
Vaishnavas, because of their Tamil abhimAnam, refer to rasam as saatthamudhu. It does not mean the amudhu (amrita) mixed with sadam. It was actually saatramudhu (saaru or rasam + amudhu), which became saatthamudhu.
Vaishnavas also have a term thirukkann amudhu that refers to our payasam. What is that thirukkann? If rudraksham means
Rudra's eye, does 'thirukkann' mean Lakshmi's eye? Or does the term refer to some vastu (article) added to payasam? No such
things. Thiru kannal amudhu has become thirukkann amudhu. Kannal means sugercane, the base crop of suger and jaggery used in payasam.
I was talking about rasam. If something is an extraction of juice, then would it not be clear, diluted and free of sediments?
Such is the nature of our rasam, which is clear and dilute.
The other one, served earlier to rasam in a meal, is the kuzhambu. Kuzhambu contains dissolved tamarind and cut vegetable
pieces, so it looks unclear, its ingredients not easily seen.
- Shri Kanchi Maha Swamigal
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Rasam means juice, which is also the name of filtered ruchi. We say 'it was full of rasa' when a speech or song was tasteful.
Vaishnavas, because of their Tamil abhimAnam, refer to rasam as saatthamudhu. It does not mean the amudhu (amrita) mixed with sadam. It was actually saatramudhu (saaru or rasam + amudhu), which became saatthamudhu.
Vaishnavas also have a term thirukkann amudhu that refers to our payasam. What is that thirukkann? If rudraksham means
Rudra's eye, does 'thirukkann' mean Lakshmi's eye? Or does the term refer to some vastu (article) added to payasam? No such
things. Thiru kannal amudhu has become thirukkann amudhu. Kannal means sugercane, the base crop of suger and jaggery used in payasam.
I was talking about rasam. If something is an extraction of juice, then would it not be clear, diluted and free of sediments?
Such is the nature of our rasam, which is clear and dilute.
The other one, served earlier to rasam in a meal, is the kuzhambu. Kuzhambu contains dissolved tamarind and cut vegetable
pieces, so it looks unclear, its ingredients not easily seen.
- Shri Kanchi Maha Swamigal
Buttermilk as our dessert
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A western meal normally ends with a dessert. In a South Indian meal, desserts such as payasam are served after the rasam
sadam. Any sweets that were served at the beginning are also taken at this time. After that we take buttermilk rice as our
final course. Paramacharya explains that since sweets are harmful to teeth, our sour and salty buttermilk actually
strengthens our teeth, and this has been observed and praised by an American dietician. We gargle warm salt water when we get toothache. The buttermilk is the reason for our having strong teeth until the end of our life, unlike the westerners who resort to dentures quite early in their life.
- Shri Kanchi Maha Swamigal
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A western meal normally ends with a dessert. In a South Indian meal, desserts such as payasam are served after the rasam
sadam. Any sweets that were served at the beginning are also taken at this time. After that we take buttermilk rice as our
final course. Paramacharya explains that since sweets are harmful to teeth, our sour and salty buttermilk actually
strengthens our teeth, and this has been observed and praised by an American dietician. We gargle warm salt water when we get toothache. The buttermilk is the reason for our having strong teeth until the end of our life, unlike the westerners who resort to dentures quite early in their life.
- Shri Kanchi Maha Swamigal
Vegetable Curry
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Although cut vegetable pieces are used in sambar, kootoo and pacchadi, in curry they are fried to such an extent that they become dark in color (the term curry also means blackness or darkness in Tamil). May be this is the origin of the name Curry.
- Shri Kanchi Maha Swamigal
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Although cut vegetable pieces are used in sambar, kootoo and pacchadi, in curry they are fried to such an extent that they become dark in color (the term curry also means blackness or darkness in Tamil). May be this is the origin of the name Curry.
- Shri Kanchi Maha Swamigal
Partha
I found this message in Sai Radio site:
Lord Krishna, in His childhood days, broke the mud pots where butter was stored. The inner meaning is that Lord Krishna broke the material casement and liberated them from their temporary attachments. He then appropriated to Himself what always belonged to Him - the butter of faith. This butter is the result of the churning of the mind, the spiritual discipline of self-purification. The deha-thathwa (the feeling, “I am the body”), must go and transform into dehi-thathwa (the belief, “I am embodied”). Take a small quantity of sea water and keep it separate in a bottle; it will develop a foul smell in a few days. As long as the water remains in the sea, nothing will happen to it. Be in the sea (of Divinity), as a part of it. Do not separate and individualize yourself. Never isolate yourself as the body (deha) , separate from the Indweller (Dehi). So long as you are in the Divine Consciousness, no pain, grief, egoism or pride can tarnish you.
- Sathya Sai Speaks: Vol 5, Jan 29, 1965
Simple way to explain big philosophy.
I found this message in Sai Radio site:
Lord Krishna, in His childhood days, broke the mud pots where butter was stored. The inner meaning is that Lord Krishna broke the material casement and liberated them from their temporary attachments. He then appropriated to Himself what always belonged to Him - the butter of faith. This butter is the result of the churning of the mind, the spiritual discipline of self-purification. The deha-thathwa (the feeling, “I am the body”), must go and transform into dehi-thathwa (the belief, “I am embodied”). Take a small quantity of sea water and keep it separate in a bottle; it will develop a foul smell in a few days. As long as the water remains in the sea, nothing will happen to it. Be in the sea (of Divinity), as a part of it. Do not separate and individualize yourself. Never isolate yourself as the body (deha) , separate from the Indweller (Dehi). So long as you are in the Divine Consciousness, no pain, grief, egoism or pride can tarnish you.
- Sathya Sai Speaks: Vol 5, Jan 29, 1965
Simple way to explain big philosophy.
(Source: Thuglak Reader Forum Post on Thuglak Tamil Magazine dated 01.12.2011 Courtesy Sri Sai, except the last part courtesy Sri Partha)
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