Biography - Early Days by Kurma

People often ask how I first became involved in cooking. Had I always cooked vegetarian food? Was I born a vegetarian? The answer is that my involvement in a vegetarian lifestyle, cooking, and my hunger for a more spiritual way of life all began at the same time - in my last year of high school in 1970.

As a student at Vaucluse Boys High School in Sydney I found myself inexplicably drawn to all things Indian. I would read books on yoga and mysticism, listen to Indian music, burn incense, buy Indian posters of Krishna and buy Indian clothes. I had just become a vegetarian, and enjoyed the taste of Indian food. So when my best friend Mark invited me to a newly opened temple in Paddington, I jumped at the chance.

Mark explained to me - as we travelled to the temple in one of Sydney's old double-decker buses - that we were going to the Hare Krishna Temple. I had heard of Hare Krishna, but knew very little about it. I recalled first hearing the words "Hare Krishna" in the Beatles song "I am the Walrus", and then on George Harrison's famous single "Radha Krishna Temple" released on Apple label. Mark and I had gone along to see the newly opened musical "Hair" at the Metro Theatre in Kings Cross only months before. At the rousing incence-filled finale, the whole audience (except me) had stood and chanted Hare Krishna along with the cast. Despite the scenes of unabashed nudity, and despite the fact that I was too shy to chant, the mantra had stuck in my mind. But apart from that I knew nothing about the Hare Krishna's.

We entered the quaint little shop-front filled with incense smoke. After sitting through a lecture on Bhagavad-gita we were served refreshments - chilled wedges of orange, dried figs, and little cups of warm, nutmeg and banana-infused milk. The philosophy had not really sunk in, but the taste of the food sure did. Despite it being so simple, I had never tasted anything so wonderfully delicious. A young English girl in a sari invited us back on Sunday to what she called "The Love Feast". During the next few days I could not get the taste of that food out of my mind.

At the feast on Sunday there were more taste sensations. Mark and I sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor in the tiny Oxford Street shopfront along with about fifty other first-timers and savoured the newly encountered flavours. There were numerous dishes, but the two that remain in my mind were the warm, firm buttery pudding made from semolina called halava, and slices of eggplant dipped in a spicy chickpea flour batter and fried in ghee with a haunting elusive flavour that I had never encountered. I asked a lanky, bright faced monk dressed in saffron cloth what that taste was and he answered "asafetida". I had no idea what that was, but I was hooked on the taste.

I started to make regular visits to the temple after school. One Friday evening, the young saffron clad devotee, whose name I learned was Upananda, invited me to help him in the dimly-lit temple kitchen. He was rolling small balls of soft, milky-coloured dough that were to become a sweet called Gulab Jamuns. The task was a long one - at least 2 hours - but the time went fast as Upananda regaled me with the fascinating story of what we were doing in that tiny basement kitchen.

Shaven headed Upananda had not long before been long haired Bill Willis - 'California Bill' to his friends - and had started reading mystical literature at a psychedelic book shop in Berkeley, California at the end of 1969. One day, in return for a small donation, Bill received a small card with the mantra and a message on it from a shaven-headed monk on Telegraph Avenue. The card had read:

Please chant:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.

And your life will be sublime!

Bill had started chanting straight away, eager to experience the promised sublimity. Shortly after, he met the same shaven headed devotees as they chanted outside the University of California, Berkeley campus, and yet again in San Francisco at an avante garde outdoor 'art-fest'.

Bill was becoming more and more disgruntled with his shallow, hedonistic life of drugs and sex. His father was a Pan Am pilot and had offered Bill a free ticket anywhere in the world. His friends had headed off to Europe, but Bill, now a vegetarian and macrobiotic, decided to head to Hawaii, Auckland and Sydney. Renting a flat on Darlinghurst Road Kings Cross, Bill sometimes found himself wandering the streets, past the seedy bars and strip clubs. One day he sighted a Hare Krishna monk in a knitted cap and sweater and as they both crossed paths, the devotee smiled warmly and said "Hare Krishna." They talked, and the devotee, who introduced himself as Upendra, invited Bill to their temple. Bill was happy to discover that it was only a few minutes from his apartment. He started visiting the temple daily and was impressed by Upendra's convincing presentation of the philosophy of Krishna consciousness. Some days he would join them in their street chanting, and especially enjoyed visiting the temple for the food, which he found delicious. Not long after Bill moved into the temple, and received the new name Upananda.

As the saffron-clad chef told me his tale, I found the Sanskrit names a bit confusing and got mixed up between Upendra and Upananda. "Who was Upendra, I asked, "and what was he doing in Kings Cross in the first place?"

Before he continued the story, Upananda directed me to lower the balls of dough into a large pan of warm, golden clarified butter, called ghee, placed over a low heat, and requested me to help him gently stir them. Together we slowly deep-fried the small balls in ghee, and as we did so, they turned golden-brown and full.

As we methodically stirred the golden balls, Upananda explained that Upendra, along with another devotee called Bali Mardan, had come to Australia on the request of their guru - whose name was A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada . Upananda referred to him during the rest of our conversation by his shorter title of "Prabhupada". Prabhupada had been asked by his guru to spread the teachings of India's classic Bhagavad-gita in the west. Prabhupada had established a small shop-front temple in New York four years previously in 1966. Since then, the Hare Krishna movement had spread rapidly around the world, and had taken root in Sydney due to the pioneering efforts of Upendra and Bali Mardan.

The balls had become quite dark in colour, so Upananda showed me how to lift them, one by one, out of the ghee with a slotted spoon, and put them to soak in thick sugar syrup.

The first tiny temple had been in Potts Point, Upananda explained. In their spare time, Bali and Upendra used to chant with drums and cymbals in the Domain, a vast, well-kept expanse of parkland dotted with sprawling old fig trees near the city. The Domain was well known as a 'Park for the People', where thousands had flocked for years to watch cricket matches and military reviews. More recently, it had been host to protests against the presence of nuclear bases and Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. Within walking distance of their small temple, it came alive every Sunday afternoon, offering instant crowds that eagerly gathered around anyone who had something to say. Philosophers, evangelists, political activists and popular heroes would proselytise atop ladders, in the same way as in 'Speakers' Corner' at London's Hyde Park.

As the devotees arrived each week, dozens of various speakers would already be standing atop ladders and boxes. They promoted a vast array of doctrines - creationism, rationalism, pacifism and republicanism to name but a few. Fundamentalist Christians with banners proclaiming "Ye Must be Born Again" and "The End is Nigh" vied for attention with real and quasi-religious preachers. Communists and Anarchists stood beside Irish revolutionaries and old Aborigines singing songs.

After chanting and addressing the crowd for some time, Bali or Upendra, accompanied often by Bill, would extend an open invitation to the crowd to return with them to the temple for a 'Love Feast'. The devotees would then walk back across the grasslands, followed by an assortment of hippies and 'free-spirits', past the wharves and up the staircase on the cliff face that led to the quaint old temple at Potts Point.

One of the main elements of bhakti-yoga, Upananda pointed out, was the preparation of sacred foods, foods fit for God. For thousands of years, priests in temples throughout India had prepared divine vegetarian offerings for the Supreme Being, known by names such as Krishna and Rama. These offerings were saturated with love and devotion.

The Sanskrit word yoga carried the meaning of "connection," specifically the connection between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul. That connection had now been broken, and yoga was the means for re-establishing it.

The connection between the soul and Supreme Soul was intimate and personal, and the techniques for re-establishing the connection were also intimate and personal.

"If we love someone, we want to do things for them, and a very common thing that people do for people they love is to cook for them," said Upananda.

"Practitioners of bhakti-yoga prepare offerings for Krishna in this same spirit of love. This love is manifested at every stage of the cooking process - from the purchasing of the ingredients to the final offering of the sacred meal to the object of one's devotion." I thought it all sounded very profound yet very reasonable. I went home and thought deeply about what Upananda had said.

That day in the kitchen was an eventful one. A few months later I had shaved my head and was living in the temple as a full-time monk. I became a disciple of Prabhupada in 1971 and received the name Kurma Dasa. It wasn't long before I was cooking full-time in the kitchen and preparing my own feasts. And the rest is history.

Over forty years have passed, and I no longer live in a temple. I don't shave my head (nature has taken care of that) but the practices of bhakti-yoga are still pivotal in my life. I write and teach and cook and chant, and enjoy kitchen life more than ever.

http://kurma.net/

HIS GRACE KURMA DASA - THE JOVIAL CHEF WITH A HEART FOR KRISHNA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Ug-MuaazM

Mar 8, 2009 - Uploaded by VeggieVidz

Some bits from a vegetarian episode of the ABC TV programme The Cook and the Chef http://www.abc.net.au ...

SRI NRISIMHA KAVACHA.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada gave the following Kavacha for the protection of sannyasis he had send to the west:

Sri Nrisimha Kavacha of the Trailokya Vijaya in the Samhita of Brahma

1. Sri Narad Muni said: “My dear father and lord, master of the Universe, lord of the multitude of demigods headed by Indra, kindly tell me the kavaca mantra of Lord Nrsimha, the incarnation of Visnu. O master, reading this kavaca aloud, a learned man will become victorious throughout the three worlds.”

2. “Lord Brahma said: My dear Narada, please hear me. O best of my sons, who are rich in austerity, I shall speak this kavaca of Lord Narasimha, which gives victory over the three worlds.”

3. “My dear boy, by recitation of this kavaca an eloquent person will become victorious throughout the three worlds. It is by reciting this and meditating deeply on it that I (lord Brahma) am the creator of all these planetary systems.”

4. “It is by reciting and meditating upon this that Laksmi maintains the three worlds, and Lord Siva destroys them. Also the demigods in this way became controllers of the different directions.”

5. “I shall speak this essence of all Vedic mantras, which wards off all kinds of ghosts and hobgoblins. By its grace the sage Durvasa became victorious throughout the three worlds, commanding respect and most fearful in his anger.”

6. “For this kavaca, which is directly perceived as giving victory over the three worlds, I (Brahma) am the Rsi, Gayatri is the metre, and the all powerful Nrsimhadev is the Deity.”

7+ 8. “One should place Lord Nrsimha’s mantra bija, ksraum, on one’s head, thinking, ‘May my head be protected by the moon-colored one, who is the greatest among humans. My obeisances unto the ferocious and powerful, the great Visnu, the fiery one, who’s faces are on all sides, the fearful one, Nrsimha, who causes the death of even death personified, or the one who can overcome death.’ One should place this mantra, composed of thirty two syllables upon his head. It is the king of all mantras. It is like a wish fulfilling tree for the demigods and devotees.”

9. “One should also place ksraum firmly upon his neck for protection. Placing the word bhagavate upon his heart, narasimhaya upon his two eyes, and jvala maline on the top of his head, one meditates upon the different parts of this narasimha mantra protecting the different parts of his body.”

10. “One should place on his nose the syllables dipta damstraya agni netraya sarva rakso ghnaya sarva bhuta vinasanaya. (Obeisances unto Him, whose teeth are blazing, whose eyes are fire, and who destroys all ghosts and raksasas.)”

11. “Meditating on the protection of one’s face, one should place there the syllables ‘sarva jvara vinasaya daha daha paca paca raksa raksa. ksraum ugram viram maha visnum jvalanatam sarvatomukham nrsimham bhisanam bhadram mrtyu mrtyum namamy aham. ksraum bhagavate narasimhya jvalamaline dipta damstrayagni netraya sarva rakso ghnaya sarva bhuta vinasanaya svaha’. (This means: Unto He who vanquishes all fevers, oblations. Burn and burn, cook and cook, protect protect. My obeisances unto the ferocious and powerful, the great Visnu, the fiery one whose faces are on all sides, the fearful one, Nrsimha, who causes the death of even death personified, or who can overcome even death. Unto the Personality of Godhead Narasimha, garlanded with blazing energy, whose teeth are glowing and whose eyes are fiery, who kills all raksasas and demons and annihilates the ghosts, to You my oblations)”

12. “Meditating on the protection of one’s rectum, one should first sip water for purification and chant om Ramacandra namah. Sipping water again one should place the bija mantra klim on both of his hands together. Thereafter one should place om namah on his feet and narayanaya on his side, as well as the bija mantras am hrim kraum ksraum hum phat.”

13. “Praying for the protection of one’s waist, one should place there the varaksara Om. One should place the syllables om namo bhagavate upon his feet, vasudevaya on his back, and klim krsnaya upon his two thighs.”

14. “Upon his knees, one should place the mantra klim krsnaya, thinking that the Lord may always protect me in His form as the best of human beings. Then one should sip water for purification and place the mantra klim glaum klim syamalangaya namah upon his feet.”

15. “One should meditate upon the constant protection of the body, placing the mantra kshraum narasimhaya kshraum upon all his limbs.”

16. “Lord Brahma continued: My dear boy, thus I have told you the embodiment of the potencies of all mantras. Because of your great affection I have explained it to you, although it is not to be spoken to just anyone.”

17. “Having performed worship of the spiritual master, one may accept this kavaca. Having become enriched in his pious activities he will attain all perfections.”

18. “Performing the ritualistic ceremonies of purification (purascarya) one hundred and eight times is equal to one tenth the effect received by that best of devotees who chants this kavaca.”

19. “Laksmi, the Goddess of fortune, and Sarasvati, the Goddess of speech and learning, reside in the home of that fortunate soul who has become perfected by this kavaca, giving up the intoxication of competing with others for supremacy.”

20. “Simply offering eight times puspajali and reading only once the original version, one attains the result of even a thousand years of worship.”

21. “If one write this down on a leaf or bark of a tree and keeps it within a golden capsule on his neck or right arm, Lord Nrsimhadev will be personally present.”

22. “A woman may keep it on her left arm, a man on the right hand. Certainly this most auspicious kavaca brings all perfection to the bearer.”

23. “A woman who is totally barren, or who bears only one child, or whose sons are lost or dead may become possessed of many sons.”

24. “By the grace of this kavaca, a man becomes jivan mukta, liberated soul even within this life time. He is able to move the whole universe, and certainly becomes victorious throughout the three worlds.”

25. “Certainly bhutas, pretas, pisacas, raksasas, and danavas all immediately flee from the country and go to another upon seeing it.”

26. “In the home or even the same village where this kavaca exists, all such demoniac creatures, once having understood its presence, give up that place and go far away.”

Thus ends the Sri Nrsimha Kavaca, of the Trailokya Vijaya in the Samhita of Brahma.

the actual Kavacha is from 7 to text 14