CHAPTER – 15

Suvrat said:-

The expert chefs who had already prepared sweet dishes, started preparing curry and vegetables. Brahmin ladies cooked their food in a separate kitchen. 1

That night Jaya, Rama and other kshatriya ladies cooked four types of eatables and food (Bhakshya, Bhojya, Choshya and Lehya), etc. in King Uttama’s kitchen. All of them performed their jobs self-effacingly (unassumingly). Now, I shall tell you more about those who were specially entitled for their jobs. 2-3

Both the mothers of Lalita, (Somadevi and Suraprabha) began cleaning the grains, rice and lentils required for the preparation of food. 4

Jaya encouraged and motivated all the women participants who had engaged themselves in the cooking, and provided all the necessary appliances and utensils. 5

Lalita, just appreciated the job of those women who were specially skilled in the culinary art. She took personal interest in training those women who did not know the basics of cookery. 6

Rama cautiously arranged the sweet cakes, Jalebis, and other confectionary, in a separate container so that they may not get broken. 7

Amari, Amala, and Kshema displayed their skills in making butter-milk curry, salads sweet cakes and a variety of vegetables. 8

Rati, Mena, Sati and Devi, demonstrated their excellence in making Puris and Rotis. 9

Revati specialized in making Dudh-pak, Suji halwa, Malpova, and porridges. 10

O King! Phulla, Aditi, Ajava, Malli and Jahnhavi prepared various types of tasty saffron rice. 11

Yami and Phullajaya prepared Ghugara and other women prepared sweet, baked Rotis with filling of Gramdal and Jaggery (Mandas). 12

Panchali and her younger sister brought all the required material for cooking without any delay, from (Lalita’s) House. 13

As adviced by Lalita, both the wives of the King Uttama took charge of the catering job from the women cooks who were very much exhausted, and requested them to relax and take a break. 14

Jita, Maanya and others were very busy in bringing fuel, water and the required utensils, to those women who were engaged in catering. 15

The kitchen was full of odour of vegetables and other snacks, and cookies stirred-fried in ghee and oil with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay-leaves, mustard, cumin seeds, black–pepper and coriander. Due to that, women caterers were hissing repeatedly. 16-17

There was a continuous hissing noise of the Puris and hot- cakes (Wadas) and Malpuva being fried in ghee. 18

The fragrance of the fine, soft, white rice, which was being cooked in the kitchen, pervaded the whole city. 19

Those women who were well–versed in the art of cooking, but had overcome (conquered) their taste for food, cooked four types of food merely with the purpose of pleasing Shri Hari. 20

The veteran (male) chefs who were experts in culinary art lost their self-esteem when they noticed the expertise of the women cooks. 21

Preparation for Annakutotsav.

Early morning next day, the wise Brahmin priests, worshipped Lord Vasudeva and offered Him new clothes and ornaments. 22

In order to make arrangements for the Food-festival (Annakoota), in the temple, they set up beautiful, multi-coloured counters. 23

They erected an arch of the Ashoka and Mango leaves at the entrance of the temple of Shri Hari, and erected a Mandapa with the stalks of plantain trees. 24

In order to keep the dishes full of various sweets, four wooden daises were erected in the four different directions. 25 

After collecting the materials for the afternoon worship, he (the Brahmin priest), along with the other celibates, stood there, waiting for the orders of Shri Hari to begin the celebrations of the great food-festival. 26

Thus ends the fifteenth chapter entitled, ‘Narration of preparation of different dishes for the Annakutotsava,’ in the third prakaran of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as Dharmashastra, (the rules of the code of conduct). 15