Wow! It has been a while!

Just like the title said! Gosh, 2014 just flew by with a lot of traveling and personal changes. Moving is not a fun experience, and I would highly recommend everyone to either 1) not accumulate a lot of stuff, or 2) not move.

In the cold winter months of January and February, there is a Nepali festival called Swasthàni Purnima. It starts on a full-moon evening of the month of Poush and ends a month later in Magh. This year, the festival started on January 4, and will end on February 3. Growing up in Nepal, I remember cold winter evenings when our family would gather around the heater with blankets and layers of clothing on around the Swasthàni book, and we would read a chapter a night. Because Hindus do not have specific congregations and services, this nightly reading was the only form of structured lessons in faith I ever got as a child. I remember being very excited when I could finally read Swasthàni. There is a verse evoking the Goddess Swasthàni, a form of the eternal female embodiment of God, Maheshwor, or the "God of Gods" in Hinduism. The verse is in Sanskrit, and I memorized it without really understanding the true meaning behind it. About 20 years later, I finally obtained a text that translated the verse into Nepali, and I have used my rough Nepali skills to translate it to English.

She who is lauded by Brahma, Varun, Indra, Rudra with all holy scriptures, all organs, all statuses, all procedures, and all verses of Upanishad and Vedas,

She who all knowledgeable sing to and her tales uttered,

She who is seen by meditating yogis’ third eyes,

She whose beginning and end are neither known by the gods nor the demons,

She is neither created, nor destroyed

She is unbreakable

Such a remarkable divine being is lauded by all!

Her body glowing as if it is coated with golden saffron,

Wearing the purest white

She wears a garland of jasmine

Her jewels so beaming

She carries the books of all knowledge

Her rudraksha so pure

The mother of heaven, earth and the underworld

Goddess Saraswati!

May she forever bless me!

She whose blessings make the mute speak, and the cripples move mountains,

I praise the one true Goddess, and give her my Namaskar!

She who blesses me to be able to say the Lord’s word,

I praise such knowledgeable Goddess, and give her my Namaskar!

I give my Namaskar to Lord Krishna, and the holiest man Arjun!

I give my Namaskar to Goddess Saraswati, and the writers of scriptures Veda Vyasa!

I give my Namaskar, and shall begin uttering this tale!

 Thousands of women in Nepal each year participate in the month long fast in order to appease the Goddess Swasthani. This fast involves eating one meal of specific proportions at noon every day, reading the Swasthàni in the evenings, and other religious rites. Because of the strict nature of the fasting and my practical requirements (school, work, etc.), I am unable to participate in the strictest form of the fasting. Instead, I took upon myself to do a modified version of the fast. For the month of January, I have turned vegetarian. This involves avoiding any meat or eggs. I am still consuming milk and yeast products, so I am not a complete vegan. I am generally avoiding processed foods. I figured it is a good month to get in touch with my religion and also understand the ethical concerns behind meat consumption.

I did not realize how hard it is to be a vegetarian for me! Consuming meat products is just so easy, especially when traveling or dining out. In the last ten or so days, I have definitely been more aware of what I am putting in my body. 

While this journey continues, I have made some delicious vegetarian recipes, two of which I will be sharing here within the next few days. School has been very busy, but I will see if I can spend a few minutes in the evening after reading Swasthàni to jot some of these recipes and directions for posterity and enjoyment! 

NB