There is a Bengali parable, ādhāra vyapari yahāre khabola (?). Ādhāra vyapari, a merchant dealing in ginger, so he is taking information, "What about the shipping one..., just like one cartload or one ship full of ginger?" So ādhāre vyapari means he has not very large quantity to sell. Ginger is taken, very little quantity. So ginger merchant, if he has got stock, say, one bag, it will take months together to sell it. And if he thinks that "I will stock hundreds of bags," it is useless for him. That is not his subject. But one who sells rice or wheat, that is in great demand. That he can stock and talk of large shipment. Similarly, those who are already engrossed in material qualities, the science of God is not their subject matter at all. So that is the test. Just like who shall be the guru? Whose subject matter is only Kṛṣṇa or God, he shall be guru, not an amateur man. He is doing some other business, and in some pastime he makes a guru business. No, that is not their subject matter. The subject matter is different.
Ginger
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Madhya-lila
Among the cooked vegetables were paṭolas, squash, mānakacu and a salad made with pieces of ginger and various types of spinach.
There were yogurt, milk, butter, buttermilk, fruit juice, a preparation made of fried yogurt and sugar candy, and salty mung-dhal sprouts with shredded ginger.
“One day My mother, Śacī, offered food to Śālagrāma Viṣṇu. She offered rice cooked from śāli paddies, various kinds of vegetables, spinach, curry made of banana flowers, fried paṭola with nimba leaves, pieces of ginger with lemon, and also yogurt, milk, sugar candy and many other foods.
CC Antya-lila
In great affection, Bhagavān Ācārya cooked varieties of vegetables and other preparations dear to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He also obtained remnants of food from Lord Jagannātha and digestive aids such as ground ginger and also lime with salt.
These are the names of some of the pickles and condiments in the bags of Rāghava Paṇḍita: āmra-kāśandi, ādā-kāśandi, jhāla-kāśandi, nembu-ādā, āmra-koli, āmsi, āma-khaṇḍa, tailāmra and āma-sattā. With great attention, Damayantī also made dried bitter vegetables into a powder.
She made sweetmeat balls with dried ginger to remove mucus caused by too much bile. She put all these preparations separately into small cloth bags.
She made a hundred varieties of condiments and pickles. She also made koli-śuṇṭhi, koli-cūrṇa, koli-khaṇḍa and many other preparations. How many should I name?
They offered pungent preparations made with black pepper, sweet-and-sour preparations, ginger, salty preparations, limes, milk, yogurt, cheese, two or four kinds of spinach, soup made with bitter melon, eggplant mixed with nimba flowers, and fried paṭola.
He offered yogurt, limes, ginger, soft baḍā and salt. Seeing all these arrangements, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very pleased.
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Conversations and Morning Walks
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: You understand what is Kesav? Kesav is saffron. Saffron.
Sumati Morarjee: You know saffron? When you prepare milk from Swamiji, you bought ginger powder, put a little, and little saffron.
Devotee: Saffron.
Sumati Morarjee: And sugar, and heat it, and keep it some time, and then properly mix it, and then not very cold or anything. Little how you'll give it to him and that will improve his digestion. Because this (indistinct) won't be there, due to itch. (indistinct).
Prabhupāda: Our example, gosāi, gosvāmī all the gosvāmīs, let me speak in English.
Prabhupāda: So you can ask Nanda Kumāra to give me milk in that way.
Devotee (2): Yes.
Prabhupāda: Or you can ask Himavatī. What is your formula?
Devotee (Revatīnandana): Ginger powder and a little bit of saffron and sugar. Heat it up for a while, and then after a little while mix thoroughly and serve like that. It's good for digestion.
Prabhupāda: You give to Nanda Kumāra, because he will give.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: So let us cooperate. Then the people will be happy. That is acintya-śakti. If a poor man cannot spend ten dollars and if a rich man immediately spends million dollars, he becomes surprised, "How it is possible? How it is possible?" It is like that. We have got the capacity of not even ten dollars. We are thinking of millions and trillion dollars. Adara vapari yahan khabor.(?) You know this? Adar, adar, adar means ginger. A ginger merchant, he is asking, "When the another ship will come?" Ginger is never purchased ship loaded. You take little ginger. If you have got one bag of ginger, then it will be sold in three years. So adar vapari yahan khabor. (?) What you have got to do with ship, shipment? You just carry one bag or ten sheer(?) or ten kilos... That's all. So these rascals, they are adar vapari, and they are taking account of where is that ship.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Madhudviṣa: These are preparations which is prepared from Australian milk.
Prabhupāda: Let him take. Yes.
Guest (2): Oh, thank you.
Madhudviṣa: Give a napkin. It's a sweet preparation called gulab jamin. It is all prepared just from milk which has been made into curd, and then the curd has been fried in ghee, cooking ghee, and then after it has been fried, it has been soaked in sweet water and it is very palatable. It's called a gulab jamin. It is a very famous delicacy of Indian cooking. It requires great skill and art to prepare these. And as our spiritual master said, there is actually hundreds and hundreds of food which can be prepared from this, like the cheese you have there. Even cooking cheese and spicing it with asafoetida and ginger, meat taste can be simulated very, very nicely.
Prabhupāda: This cheese as it is you take, it is as beneficial as meat.
Madhudviṣa: Protein.
Guest (2): Yes, yes. Similar protein.
Prabhupāda: So why the animal should be killed? Take milk.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Śrutakīrti: Śrīla Prabhupāda? For breakfast just fruits?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śrutakīrti: Milk?
Prabhupāda: No. You can... Cashew and ginger. And you make, what is called, channa. In the lunch make cheese. Cheese, cheese. Fry it, and make preparation.
Śrutakīrti: Tomato and cheese?
Prabhupāda: Tomato, cheese, potato. Yes. And fried peanuts? And salad, fruit. By force... Communism is going on, by force. It is the result of sinful life.
Prabhupāda: There is a Bengali proverb, ādār vapare yahare khabor (?) A man is dealing with ginger. So ginger is used... Suppose we take ginger, a few small pieces. You cannot expect ginger selling in wagons. (laughs) Ginger is accepted—you purchase one or two pieces, that's all. So a merchant dealing in ginger is asking, "What is the fare of one big freight? I shall take ginger that." He is selling only two pieces, and he's taking information of a big freighter. Similarly, these rascals, they are dealing with small things and contemplate describing (?) life. What about that moon expedition?
Bali-mardana: Rocks.
Prabhupāda: No, rocks, that is the last. Now what is the latest news?
Prabhupāda: We consider our human life is very valuable, and before the next death we should prepare ourself go back to home, back to Godhead. This is our philosophy. We cannot waste a minute time before the next death comes. That is our philosophy. So why should we waste our time, "Where is the moon? Where is sun?" Just have it gist idea, that's all. (break) ...no profit. Suppose the position of the moon is correct according to Bhāgavata or according to the scientist, what benefit we shall get out of it? Whichever may be correct or wrong.
Siddha-svarūpa: Yes, right.
Prabhupāda: We are not getting any profit out of it. So why should we bother about it? Adhara vapare jaj akalara. We are dealing in ginger. Then what is the use of asking, "What is the hire, I mean to say, freight for a big ship?" If you are dealing with ginger, ginger is not sold by tons. When you go to purchase ginger, you take one or two pieces. So those who are dealing in ginger, what is the use of asking what is the fare of a freight ship?
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: One thing you have missed: how we are preparing all these foodstuffs.
Kīrtanānanda: It was too short. In the movie? It was too short how to prepare it?
Prabhupāda: Yes. How from milk in different stages you get this foodstuff, kacuris, śṛṅgāra,(?) sandeśa, rābṛi. And this chānā, if fried, if you prepare nicely with little hing and ginger, then it will exactly taste like meat. They'll forget. If you give them without telling them, they will think that they're eating meat.
Kīrtanānanda: Hing and what? Prepare with hing and?
Prabhupāda: Ginger.
Kīrtanānanda: Ginger.
Prabhupāda: They prepare the semiliquid meat like that. You give them little piece and they will not understand that it is not meat.
Prabhupāda: We have got our own mung dāl?
Bhagavān: Mung dāl. This is the first year we're growing. We have a large patch.
Prabhupāda: Not yet harvested.
Bhagavān: Not yet harvested. But the plants are all very healthy, strong.
Prabhupāda: So in the morning you can give. We have got other mung dāl? Soak it, soak it, and raw mung dāl also. Ginger and this cucumber.
Prabhupāda: Put in the khicuḍi and tomato. Like in the morning.
Hari-śauri: Yes. Do you want anything like puri or anything to eat with it?
Prabhupāda: No.
Hari-śauri: Just khicuḍi and the vegetable.
Prabhupāda: That will be easily digested.
Jayapatākā: Digestion is not good now.
Gargamuni: This will help digestion.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gargamuni: This medicine.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gargamuni: There is ginger, I think.
Prabhupāda: This is ajwain(?).
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: ...always studying, for the last ten years. It is my conclusion that originally everything Indian, that is very, very high grade—for human society, for personal. That is actual human civilization. Everything, hygienic principles, Vedic knowledge, moral knowledge, everything perfect.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I'm going to tell them to... It's good to take rest now.
Prabhupāda: Hm. Otherwise it will increase. In your sickness, if you go on working, it will increase. Better take rest.
Devotee: Ginger, and keep warm.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Last night you were translating a little bit.
Prabhupāda: I began, but...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You stopped.
Prabhupāda: No, stopped not for my incapability, but I stopped it feeling sleepy.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, I mean you are taking so little prasādam that it is not to be expected that you can do very much physical activity. But I can see one thing is that you are very now fully recovered and alert.
Prabhupāda: I think so.
Prabhupāda: A child's naughty activities, and they are hearing, and this is spiritual?" But Kṛṣṇa has made easy salvation, that simply by hearing His naughty activities you'll be liberated. Who will understand this philosophy? Can you give me a little hot water with lemon?
Devotee (1): Hot ginger water?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hot water and lemon.
Prabhupāda: No, lemon. Lime. Lime.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Hot water and lime. Not lemon, lime. That acts like digestive. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...ask the list.
Sac-cid-ānanda: Hot cloth, that Prabhupāda massaging.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's asking whether we did it? We didn't get it. Tell him
Upendra: There is no hot cloth, hot-water cloth. Drying cloth.
Kavirāja: (Bengali)
Prabhupāda: (Bengali)
Kavirāja: (Bengali)
Sac-cid-ānanda: Hot cloth and ginger juice, hot, massaging over.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Ginger juice.
Sac-cid-ānanda: And making hot...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Massage on chest for mucus to come out.
Prabhupāda: If the mucus come out, the prana(?) come out. (Bengali)
Kavirāja: (Bengali) Two medicine for cough.
Prabhupāda: (Bengali)
Hari-śauri: This morning I was speaking to Girirāja, and he told me that this woman Śaktimātā was here and...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: She came from Vancouver, Śrīla Prabhupāda, to be... Because she heard how ill you were, so she came here to see if she could help in any way.
Hari-śauri: So she said that she knew how to make some juices from..., like carrot juice but with some ginger and a little hing and other things mixed which would give you very much strength, but at the same time not cause mucus or anything.
Prabhupāda: Let her make.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Let her make?
Hari-śauri: We can try and see what she can make anyway, and then, if you like it, then it may have some good effect.
Prabhupāda: Some vegetable preparation.
Prabhupāda: So let her do something. (Hindi)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So we'll give her the ingredients she requires.
Śaktimātā: I will try same to small baby. You see, it doesn't matter. I will try to give Prabhupāda something, something. Anything Prabhupāda says, "Yes, this I like," and that is suitable for the body, that is good.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. The main problem is that mucus, because if he gets this cough, then he's so weak he cannot cough properly.
Śaktimātā: That is I understand. I will use that ginger powder, little, and honey. That is very helpful. Also sometimes I will use that keśura. That thing very useful. Also you can get kophur.(?) You can use your throat always here and near the ear...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He doesn't have a cough now. It's not that he gets... He doesn't have a cold or flu. It's not like that kind of cough. It comes from the kind of food he eats. It causes the mucus. So when you cook, you have to cook in such a way that it doesn't form mucus. It's not that he has a cold.
Śaktimātā: I understand. You hear me one thing. I am nothing, Prabhu. I am servant of Prabhupāda. I am servant of the all devotees. Rādhārāṇī, as She suggest me, I will cook. I am nothing. She order me. So She gave that prasādam to Prabhupāda. I am nothing, Prabhu. Don't think, "Shakti will something." I am nothing, Prabhu. Rādhārāṇī, She give Prabhupāda as She like. I don't know. I haven't in my mind anything now also. If She say... I will first go to pray Rādhārāṇī, "Rādhārāṇī, You save Your servant. He is so great bhakta." I am beggar of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So He will hear me.
Prabhupāda: Give her to prepare. I cannot take very thick. Only thin prepara...
Prabhupāda: (Bengali)
Bhakti-caru: Śrīla Prabhupāda is asking him how did he get to know Shastriji. So he said that it's I who took him there and...
Kavirāja assistant: (Hindi)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How will we stop the stool?
Kavirāja assistant: (Hindi)
Bhavānanda: Bhakti-caru, what is he saying?
Bhakti-caru: He's saying that for controlling the stool he's going to just give juice of ginger roots and honey mixed together, and just that. He's not going to give any other medicine for that.
Bhavānanda: Gentle.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That will stop the stool?
Bhakti-caru: He's saying yes. He doesn't want to change this medicine. He says that none of these medicines has any ingredient that might cause stool or might make him pass stool. (Hindi) He's saying that passing stool is due to the old stool that was in the stomach. That is coming out. They are not laxatives, as such. Now I remember, he was telling also, that Shastriji, that Śrīla Prabhupāda's intestine has become shrunk, dried up. Now they are slowly, slowly, they have got to become loose and looser, and this might be one thing like the intestine is loosening, and that is causing the bowels to move.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So if that is true, then why stop the stools?
Bhakti-caru: No, I mean since it's causing inconvenience... He's saying that these two agents are natural digesters, both ginger juice and honey.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Natural digestives? So what does that have to do with stopping the stool?
Bhakti-caru: Anyway, since he said, we can just try it. (Hindi) He's not actually causing it to stop. He said that it will... Now, last few times, Śrīla Prabhupāda has passed very light stool and liquidish. So ginger root and honey will make it sort of thicker.
Bhavānanda: That's all.
Bhakti-caru: Yes.
Correspondence
1970 Correspondence
Thank you very much for the silver for sweetmeat preparations and also the milk massala of ginger base; I have kept it for future use as you have suggested.
1975 Correspondence
It is a very good idea for people to come to our vegetarian restaurant and take so many nice things, especially the panir, fried cheese, and sandesh, kachori, rasagulla, samosa and in this way they will forget their meat-eating. If you make a soup of fried panir with asafoetida and ginger, this will replace lobster soup nonsense. Of course we are not interested in giving them vegetarian food; we are wanting to give them prasadam. Then gradually they will become devotees.
| Page Title: | Ginger |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti |
| Created: | 17 of Oct, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=9, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=17, Let=2 |
| No. of Quotes: | 29 |