One fine day.. i realized that i spend 20 mins chopping veggies, and that's just a start. I spend over an hour cooking. Miss my Dallas roomies, with whom i had to cook only once in 4 days.
Its awesome being a student in one of the largest public universities. You are sure to find scores of people with similar dietary choices, which in my case is vegetarianism. ISKCON organizes vegan lunch, Krishna Lunch, at the university.
I was brought up being told that God is omni-present and omni-potent. One of the childhood stories told to me was "Narasimha avatar1", which reiterates that God is everywhere, even in each pillar of a house. I was also told of Vastu purush, the home-deity who stays in each home, listens to everything that you say at home, and says Tathastu (so be it). This was a way, elders ensured, generation over generation, that people maintained cheer at home, and said only good things. If over-zealous kiddo me and my bro were extra loud with the aaratis, my mom used to chide us saying, God can hear even your thoughts, so He can hear you even if you speak softly :)
With this said, I was perplexed with the atmosphere at ISKCON temples. For me, prayers are something you do in peaceful environs, and not surrounded by loudspeakers and dancing people. (Yes, Ganeshotsav in Pune is not my cuppa tea.) Visiting Dallas Hindu Temple made me feel good about places of worship abroad, and I was finally ready for the Krishna lunch after >1 year at the University.
The food is awesome. The hare krishnas are cheerful and helpful. The music is played softly (Thank God!) on a harmonium, sometimes accompanied by a Bharatnatyam performance. The food is vegan, which still perplexes me, since Krishna was raised among cow-herds and his childhood stints include milky, buttery adventures. But what is laudable that the Krishna Lunch is popular among people from principally non-vegetarian cultures too. Great service to mother Earth..may their tribe increase.
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narasimha
Its awesome being a student in one of the largest public universities. You are sure to find scores of people with similar dietary choices, which in my case is vegetarianism. ISKCON organizes vegan lunch, Krishna Lunch, at the university.
I was brought up being told that God is omni-present and omni-potent. One of the childhood stories told to me was "Narasimha avatar1", which reiterates that God is everywhere, even in each pillar of a house. I was also told of Vastu purush, the home-deity who stays in each home, listens to everything that you say at home, and says Tathastu (so be it). This was a way, elders ensured, generation over generation, that people maintained cheer at home, and said only good things. If over-zealous kiddo me and my bro were extra loud with the aaratis, my mom used to chide us saying, God can hear even your thoughts, so He can hear you even if you speak softly :)
With this said, I was perplexed with the atmosphere at ISKCON temples. For me, prayers are something you do in peaceful environs, and not surrounded by loudspeakers and dancing people. (Yes, Ganeshotsav in Pune is not my cuppa tea.) Visiting Dallas Hindu Temple made me feel good about places of worship abroad, and I was finally ready for the Krishna lunch after >1 year at the University.
The food is awesome. The hare krishnas are cheerful and helpful. The music is played softly (Thank God!) on a harmonium, sometimes accompanied by a Bharatnatyam performance. The food is vegan, which still perplexes me, since Krishna was raised among cow-herds and his childhood stints include milky, buttery adventures. But what is laudable that the Krishna Lunch is popular among people from principally non-vegetarian cultures too. Great service to mother Earth..may their tribe increase.
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narasimha
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