Ep. 2/ Cooking up a Little Love this Diwali
As the Celebs say: Love and Light, Happy Diwali!
When we were kids my father used to tell me and my sister stories from Ramayan, Mahabharat, and other Indic literary works as bedtime stories. And because I turned into a (slightly) book-mad adult I eventually and naturally gravitated towards delving into the plethora of literature that finds its origin in the Indian subcontinent. However many of these amazing works (specifically the ones that make up Hindu Itihas) are originally in Sanskrit. Although I studied Sanskrit in middle school, the only things I remember after all these years are the conjugation tables of verbs. Now of course there’s the option of reading the English translation of these works, but because this is so close to my home, my childhood, and my heart I decided I did not want to read someone else’s understanding and interpretation. I’d rather wait a lifetime to read them but I will read them in their original language. Thus began my journey to relearn Sanskrit. It started with watching relevant YouTube videos on weekends (and you thought my Saturday nights were boring, tsk tsk tsk) to finally graduating to doing online workbooks. I am, albeit, still learning the language, I sometimes like to pick out a random portion from Ramayan, Mahabharat, Srimad Bhagavatam, or Bhagavad Gita and try to comprehend it to test myself. Recently, I came across this small portion in the 5th chapter of Yuddha Kand (also referred to as Lanka Kand and loosely translated to the War Chapter or the Lanka Chapter) of Ramayan that I can’t help but think about tonight. This excerpt is absolutely precious and I really want to share an abridged version of it with you. Here, Lord Ram is talking to Lakshman, his brother, lamenting about his separation from his wife, Sita Ji and it goes something like this:
शोकः च किल कालेन गच्चता हि अपगच्चति |
मम च अपश्यतः कान्ताम् अहनि अहनि वर्धते ||
It is said that sorrow dwindles as time passes. Yet, my agony of not seeing my beloved is increasing day in and day out.
वाहि वात यतः कन्या ताम् स्पृष्ट्वा माम् अपि स्पृश |
त्वयि मे गात्र संस्पर्शः चन्द्रे दृष्टि समागमः ||
Oh, wind! Flow from the side of my beloved. Touch her and touch me too. It is through you that I get a contact with her limbs. It is through the moon that I get a contact with her eyes.
बह्व् एतत् कामयानस्य शक्यम् एतेन जीवितुम् |
यद् अहम् सा च वाम ऊरुर् एकाम् धरणिम् आश्रितौ ||
It is good news for me who’s passionate that Sita and I are resting on one and the same earth and on this fact I am able to survive.
केदारस्य इव केदारः स उदकस्य निरूदकः |
उपस्नेहेन जीवामि जीवन्तीम् यत् शृणोमि ताम् ||
The way a paddy field without water survives, by getting wet from a neighboring paddy field underwater, I am also surviving since I know she is surviving.
कदा नु खलु माम् साध्वी सीता अमर सुता उपमा |
स उत्कण्ठा कण्ठम् आलम्ब्य मोक्ष्यति आनन्दजम् जलम् ||
When will Sita, my lady virtuous like the child of a celestial, with an excited longing, embrace my neck and release tears of joy?
There’s a lot more in this chapter but you get the gist, right? How devastated he is, how insurmountable his grief is during their separation, how lovingly and almost idyllically he remembers Sita Ji. Each and every line he dedicates to her reads like a romantic song. And I think it’s beautiful: Lord Ram’s magnificent and eternal love for Sita Ji. So tonight as I bask in the radiant glow of the diyas that I've lit and embark on the joyous task of cooking for about 15 people whom I absolutely adore and who have, in a way, become my family in Cincinnati, I find my thoughts drifting to the profound love depicted in Lord Ram's poignant words. Just as he experienced unadulterated and pure love for Sita Ji, I am reminded of the boundless love that surrounds me—my mother's excitement for her brother's visit, one of my best friend's dedication to hand-paint diyas till two in the morning for all her friends, my father's comforting voice on the phone across the miles, my sister sending food packets to her sick friends and the warmth shared among family and friends. Our lives I think are simply us weaving through the threads of love that connect us. I realize that the Festival of Lights is not merely about illuminated lamps but a celebration of the luminosity within our hearts. Every small act, motivated by love, contributes to the brilliance of this festival. It is a reminder that, in our pursuits, both grand and modest, we are guided by an innate desire to be loved and to share that love in return. So, amidst the culinary aromas and festive preparations, I am enveloped in the spirit of Diwali—a celebration fueled by the enduring flame of love, connecting us all in a tapestry of shared affection and joy.
Until next time.
Xoxo
