Some of my favorite quotes....

During a clean I stumbled on my old diary, which has some nice words of wisdom. I decided to compile and put them online, so here they are.

1. I have only just a minute, only 60 s in it, forced upon me - can't refuse it. Didn't seek it, didn't choose it, but it was up to me to use it. I must suffer if I loose it, give account if I abuse it. Just a tiny little minute. But eternity is in it. 


2. Do not tell your problems to people. 80% do not care about them and 20% are happy that you have them.


3. All that is precious in life is a secret. Love is a secret. Life is a secret. The world is a secret. Your feelings, your emotions are secret. You are the biggest secret. 


4. Everything is changing. And this is all there only to heat you up, to make you. You are baked in joy, and you are naked in sorrow. You are baked in this event, and you are baked in that event. If you put your finger deeper into things you will get burned, so move lightly. 


5. (a) Reality exists as an objective absolute - facts are facts independent of man's feelings, wishes, hopes or fears.


(b) Every man is an end in himself, not the means to end of others. He must exits for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. 


(c) The pursuit of his own rational self interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life. 


Best regards,
Anurag

Good Bye Grandpa...

The most certain thing in anyone's life is Death.  Life is constantly uncertain, but death is a 100 percent certainty. Yet why we as human beings forget this reality and waste precious time in arguments, holding on to the past, and keeping grudges. Recently, my maternal grandfather passed away which has made me ponder on the limited nature of life. A 6 feet tall person reduced to ashes that can be put in a small pot – this is a fact. I was very attached to him and would often share and do things that I normally won’t with other people. The oldest memories I have was, when I as a kid used to sit near him every morning and insist that I will also shave with him. He used to oblige me by giving a razor without a blade and I used to happily fool around with it. For my mom, he was a friend, mentor, and someone, to whom she could go for any advice, no wonder she is in deep grief because of this loss.

Being aware of this fact that one-day I too will die helps me to think and act on the higher dimensions of life. It is only once a person realizes that death is guaranteed, the perspective to look at life changes completely. Who has the time to waste on all kinds of nonsense and stupid things people partake in. Hence one of my goals is to make every moment of my life and people around me as beautiful as possible.

Jananam Sukhadam Maranam Karunam

Milanam Madhuram Smaranam Karunam

Kalavashadiha Sakalam Karunam
Samyadhipateh Akhilam Karunam"

Translation: 

Birth is joyful, death a sorrow
To consort is joyful, to be left with memories is sorrowful

In the inevitable flow of time, everything turns sorrowful, (for the individual, not for the cosmic order)
In the kingdom of time, the end is appropriately sorrowful.

Till then, goodbye Grandpa…

I will miss you,

A

Friends with best friends...

Friends with best friends

What a perfect Saturday, woke up early, got ready, and then play ed with dogs. This is how spent my day and I am very happy. A bunch of us gathered in Central Park (10 dogs, 11 humans), chatted for while and then went to walk and play with the dogs. Let me see if I can remember the names of the canines - Alpha, Huska, Flint, Lola, Anka, Duke, Jet, Jutta, etc. It was fun to hang out with them, I personally believe that a dog comes closest to what unconditional love is. A few weeks ago I was talking to one of my friends and I asked him - Hey do you think it is ok to get a dog? And snap came the reply - Ya dude for sure. He has one and he mentioned to me that whenever he visits home, their dog is the only person most excited to see him :).

I enjoyed myself and I am in love with the German Shepherd breed. They are strong, smart, self confident, and fearless but not hostile. Additionally, they are committed, protective of those they care for, loyal to their family and friends, curious about strange things, good leader or follower, but not afraid to go out on their own. All the qualities I love, cherish, and uphold. 

Good night,

A

A candid confession and a deep realization

In my life I have been in situations where the sole purpose of getting/winning something was a spirit of competition. I do not know what is the source of this mentality – my background, genes, upbringing, or the environment I am exposed to. But one thing I know for sure that it can soon turn ugly and lead to situations and decisions that I have regretted later (personal experience). I was always confused about this issue, but not anymore. It is one of those moments when you meet someone who has a deep understanding of life and the answer hits you in a way that resonates with your consciousness. Here is the summary of the interaction I had with this wise guy. He answered using an example of students trying to get more marks in tests, but the idea is true for any kind of competition.

My question was – how do I handle competition without thinking too much about the competitors and the prize?

Do not try to find poor substitutes for truth. Now to study in a university or do something in life you do not have to compete with anybody. If you are truly interested in knowing what you want to study/do, you will study to the best of your ability, not because your friend is studying but you want to know. That is why you are studying. When you study like this, your study releases you, it is a liberating process, it enhances your growth, but when you study to get one mark more than your friend you are getting entangled and you become sick in the process. To do what you want to do well, you do not have to compete with anybody. What is it that you want to do? Throw your life and do it. What has to happen will happen according to your capabilities, your intelligence, and your abilities. Somebody is doing something if you try to do that you will go mad or in other words if you compete with somebody you also limit yourself, you do not realize your full potential. If someone is a monkey you will become a little better monkey than him.  

So in summary do what you want to do and throw your life at it, what has to happen will happen as per your capability.

I was super silent after this answer and could literally hear every sound in the environment, it shook me in a very positive way, that cannot be captured in words.

A

How to make Ghee

1. Take 1 pound of unsalted butter and put it in a heated stainless steel pan.

2. Let the butter melt in the pan - gas is on medium or high.

3. As the butter melts, it begins to boil. The solids settle to the bottom, excess water forms a foamy top layer as it boils away.

4. Remove the froth using a ladle - do not disturb the entire pot as solids are settled at the bottom - reduce the flame to low/medium as you do not want the ghee to burn. 

5. Once you have removed the froth gently transfer the liquid into another clean container, you will see some solids at the bottom of the old container. 

6. Heat the second container till all the moisture evaporates - you will know this when there are no bubbles coming out. Boiling point of water is much lower than that of ghee so water will evaporate before the ghee boils. Also make sure the flame is not on a high as this will burn the ghee, and the solids, which in turn, will effect the taste.

7. There will be some froth coming up in the new pan separate the froth with a ladle.

8. Once the moisture is gone carefully transfer the ghee into a glass container - remember it will be hot so do not burn yourself. 

9. You will see some solids at the bottom of this container as well.

10. Let the ghee cool in a glass jar. 

11. Once cool it will have this beautiful bright yellow color. 

12. See the above steps in pictures below.

Storage: Ghee can be stored for extended periods without refrigeration, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation and remains moisture-free. The texture, color, and taste of ghee depend on the source of the milk from which the butter was made and the extent of boiling and simmering.

NOTE: There should not be any moisture in the pans, glass jar or ladle - as we are trying to get rid of all the moisture so it would stupid to use a tool that has some water on/in it.

Why use Ghee for Cooking

I have been making and using Ghee (clarified butter) for a couple of years at home. It is packed with flavors, super - healthy, and surprisingly easy to make (time and complexity). Before I go to the steps let me first answer 2 questions:

1. What is GHEE?

Ans 1. Ghee is a Sanskrit word for a clarified butter, it is made by removing the milk solids and water from butter. Separating the milk solids from the butterfat almost entirely removes the carbohydrates (lactose) as well as a protein that some people are sensitive to, casein. Evaporating out the water means the flavor of the butter is less diluted. Additionally, removing the milk solids and water also gives butter a higher smoke point, which means you can use ghee for sautéing, stir frying, or deep frying at high heats (375-485 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on purity). About 60% of ghee’s fat content is saturated. That high saturated fat content coupled with the lack of milk solids and water means that ghee is exceptionally well-suited to cooking in a way that mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids just can’t match. 

2. Why is it good for the body?

Ans 2 .

 - Ghee is a source of beta carotene and vitamins A, D, E, and K. Beta carotene and vitamin E are vital antioxidants. Vitamin A is naturally present in ghee, which is lacking in other edible oils.

- Adding ghee to your diet reduces the serum cholesterol levels.

Caveat: Although Ayurveda promotes consumption of ghee for a variety of benefits, it also warns the obese to use this frugally.

Next post will be the recipe I use to make Ghee.

A