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Deepavali Or Diwali
This Saturday is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in India. It is the Christmas of the East. The big day when Lakshmi wed Vishnu. Each area of India focuses on a particular victory. For example, in the north, Ram's return to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana, the demon king who kidnapped his wife, is celebrated. Ravana despite his arrogance had a few redeeming qualities where he told Sita, Rama's wife that he would not touch her without her consent. Despite the ladies of the court taunting her as to why she would not want to be one of the queen's of a powerful king like Ravana, Sita was immersed in her husband's memory and love and waited for him. Rama did come and get her eventually with the help of the monkey army from the forest and other allies. In the south, Krishna slaying Narakasura is celebrated. Naraka in sanskrit means “extreme misalignment” or “hell.” Sura means “light” and asura means “one without light.” So the lightless one who was extremely misaligned had to be released from his misery by Krishna or this Christ consciousness. In Kerala and parts of the west of India, this day is celebrated as the day Vishnu sent king Bali to rule the netherworlds.
Light Over Darkness
Deepam means “lamp” and awali means “row.” Many lamps are lit in homes in India providing a brilliant showcase of light that soothes the soul. Deepavali or diwali literally means “row of lights” to signify there are rows of goodness we can celebrate even in our darkest times. These earthen lamps filled with sesame oil and a cotton wick are traditionally used. My maternal grandmother had some simple ones as well as intricately painted earthen lamps. Nowadays people use electric lights as well, which gives it a Christmas feel.
Diwali is celebrated on new moon day and people light each other's lamps to show that we can bring light into each other's lives.
Dhanwantari Trayodashi And Dhanthera
Dhanvanthari is the supreme energy of healing and ayurvedic medicine. He is invoked on the three (tray in Sanksrit) + ten (dasi) or thirteenth day of the Karthika month.
My grandmother used to regularly make Diwali legiyam (herbal paste) which is a combination of 22 herbs to bring health and longevity to us. She would wake us up early, take us into the puja room, apply oil on our heads, and give us a head massage that would knock us out into a deep sleep. Then we were taken to the big washroom where our entire body was oiled. After a nice shower with shikakai for the hair and a blend of herbal powders to wash our body, she fed us this healthy digestive legiyam. It was so good and because it was also a digestive, it helped me digest all the foods we ate during festivities. In the north, the dhan, or money aspect, was popularised. Everyone bought gold and it was said to build the financial health of the family. Even in the south you will find many jewellery shops advertising this to attract customers. It also taught people to save and spend on gold. That is why India is a saving economy and not a spending economy. So let us bring in both health and wealth this Deepawali.
Festivities
As with any Indian festival the spiritual significance is not marked by asceticism but by living in the world and enjoying it. There is great food, myriads of sweets, firecrackers and excitement to go into the colder months with joy and aliveness. This is a time of hibernation up north, yet near the tropics this is a time for revival as well. The harvest festival, called pongal, is usually celebrated around mid January in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Garden Fresh
Vegetables and fruits contain more prana when they are not stored for long periods. The first home I rented in Kitsilano for 2 months, thirteen years ago when I visited Vancouver, was three blocks from the farmer's market. That was no coincidence as I was visiting in the summer to teach and wanted to be able to walk to a spot that had fresh produce. I wanted to eat locally and organically. I felt the prana and love for their land and produce from the farmers.
Awareness Of Input And How It Impacts Output
In the Yogic system there is an in-depth awareness of food for the body as well as the soul. A person on a yogic path seeks healthy team work within and with the cosmos. Thus this fuel to run his body and mind needs to be in harmony with that vision of benefitting the collective whole as well as sattva, or purity. I have written and spoken on this many times. Below is an excerpt from an old article...
What Do We Feed Our Bodies, Minds And Emotions?
We need to be aware of what we feed not just our bodies, but our minds and emotions as well. Do we read fantasy novels to escape reality, engage in seeing porn that objectifies the human body and creates unconscious patterns of violence? Do we buy into fear mongering and gossip or buy products that have chemicals in them which are easily absorbed by us, through the skin? We need to be aware of what we consume and absorb on many levels.
Qualities Absorbed Through Food
The rishis, sages or ancient researchers, have done extensive research on how food not only impacts the body but consciousness as well. They classified it into three broad categories as you can see below.
Thamas is the quality of dullness, darkness, ignorance. So foods that are heavy, take a lot of energy to digest and hamper clear thinking and elevated consciousness are thamasic. Thamasic foods need to be avoided. Examples are: meats, eggs, preserved foods, alcohol, opium, garlic, heavy foods and those filled with pesticides.
Rajas is the quality of passion, restlessness, agitation, aggression. These foods need to be minimised else you will find yourself caught in the throngs of inner and outer conflicts and emotional entanglements. Foods that increase these qualities are: radishes, stimulants like coffee, cocoa, tea, sugar and very spicy chilli peppers.
Sattva is the quality of pure essence, aliveness and awareness.
Sattvic foods include: all organically grown fresh fruits and vegetables - except onions, garlic, radishes and mushrooms - all wholesome grains, lentils and spices, as well as sprouted and live foods.
“Not only does the inherent quality or guna of food impact us, but how we approach food impacts its quality. This applies to all areas of our lives.”
Yogacharini Maitreyi
Recipe For Kumbilappam
This is a sweet dish made from ripe jackfruit, rice flour and coconut. You can use bananas as well, instead of jackfruit.
It is wrapped in the edana leaf and, since while making the desert, some shape it like a kumbil or cone, the leaf became identified with the kumbil dessert and called the kumbil leaf as well.
I did not know where to find them in Vancouver, so used fig leaves. I also placed fresh bay leaves in some but found the flavour too strong. Though it could be a nice kick, if you like that. Please note that fresh bay leaves have a flavour much stronger than the dried ones.
Jack Of All Fruits
Ripe jackfruit, though sweet, is good for diabetics because of its high fibre content and enzymes that help heal ulcers. It helps lower LDL, the bad cholesterol. It is also high in potassium which is good for high blood pressure, constipation and is high in vitamin C.
I like the Cha brand organic canned jackfruit though other varieties of non-organic ones are available in many speciality stores in Vancouver.
Recipe
Preparation time: 10 to 15 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Ingredients
1) 1 can ripe jackfruit
2) 1 cup rice flour
3) 1/4 to 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut or packaged shredded coconut
4) 1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut sugar or maple syrup
5) 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
6) 1/2 tsp cumin powder
7) A couple of pinches of salt
8) Fig leaves
9) Bay leaves ( optional)
Method
Blend the fruit to a paste along with salt, cumin and maple syrup.
Add coconut and blend just a little.
Transfer to a bowl.
Add rice flour slowly and mix in to make a thick batter that can be shaped with the hand. Keep aside some flour or add some depending on the consistency. You want something not too runny and at the same not too stiff. It should stay in the middle of the leaf.
Wash the fig leaves and place a loose ball of the mixture in the leaf.
Flatten and fold the leaf up. You can use the stem of the leaf to seal itself, which is what I did. Or use toothpicks. Some tie a cotton thread loosely around.
Inside a couple of them add a fresh or dry bay leaf on top of the paste before closing. See if you like the flavour.
I got around 12 small steamed cakes from this batter.
Steam in a pot for 20 minutes. I made mine flat so it cooked faster. If you make it cone shaped it could take 30 mins to steam.
Enjoy with masala rooibos chai or barley chicory coffee. They went down very well for me :)
