East and West Series - December 2022

Guru Gobind Singh* : THE FLAME OF HIS LIFE SADHU VASWANI

And I heard a Voice say: “Who standeth at the door?”

I said: “Thy humble servant.”

And the Voice asked: “Prove thy claim!”

I said: “Behold the tears in my eyes!”

And the Voice asked: “What dost thou want?”

I said: “To abide for ever in thee!”

And the Voice said: “All this I have done for thee: what art thou doing for me?”

*

What has not the great Guru done for us!

The Hindus had failed to organise their forces for the protection of their frontiers

and their cities, their families and their village-folk. India was immensely rich. Alas! the Hindus had failed to guard their wealth and freedom. And Turks and Afghans had swept down to destroy India’s peace and prosperity.

Mahmud of Ghazni had swooped over India and pillaged the cities of the Hindus and destroyed their temples and carried away to his capital, Ghazni, treasures accumulated for centuries — pearls and diamonds and rubies and emeralds and jewels. Mathura and Somnath had been sacked. Mahmud of Ghazni had become the richest king in the world.

*December 21 is Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s birth anniversary.

Ala-ud-Din came after Mahmud. He too, proved a scourge for India. In quick succession came Baber, the Moghul. He continued the terrible work of destruction. In the line of the Moghul kings, Akbar (born in Sind) was the one king who combined statesmanship with sympathy in his attitude and dealings with the Hindus. But Aurangzeb upset the conciliatory work of Akbar. And Aurangzeb’s name inspired dread and fascination: fascination, for he had some qualities, truly arresting. He never touched liquor: he drank only water. He kept fasts and vigils: he ate no meat. He spent nights in prayers. He gave alms profusely. He was simple in dress and manners. He copied twice the whole Koran: he knew the Koran by heart. He did manual work, making skull-caps and earned out of it his living. He kept severely aloof from luxuries.

But his destructive work inspired dread. He ruthlessly deposed his father from his throne and held him a prisoner till his death, seven years later. And he killed his other brothers to capture the throne. The mullahs had educated him only too well: and he was thoroughly imbibed with the idea, the sectarian idea, that alone his religion, namely Islam, must live, and all other religions must be exterminated. His spirit of

intolerance dictated a policy of massacre of Hindus. In a single year he destroyed sixty-six Hindu temples in Amber and sixty-three temples at Chittoor and a hundred and twenty-three at Udaipur. And he destroyed the magnificent temple of Vishnu at Banaras and over that site he built a Muslim mosque. He imposed the jazia poll tax on Hindus, for, in the words of Alaud-Din, “the Hindus will never be submissive and obedient till they are reduced to poverty.”

Aurangzeb issued an order that in cities like Banaras and Brindavan all Hindu shrines must be thrown down in broad daylight.

Aurangzeb’s dream of a Muslim empire in India was never realised. He weakened Akbar’s work: he wrecked his own dynasty: and the mute millions of India prayed for his death. Indeed, he himself began to realise, when, alas! it was too late, that his narrow, sectarian policy had destroyed the heritage of Akbar. His deathbed “letters” are Aurangzeb’s “confessions” — a lesson and a warning.

“I know not,” he writes, “who I am and where I shall go or what will happen to me, a sinner full of sins.

“My years have gone by, profitless.

*

Guru Gobind Singh surveyed the situation of India. He saw that if Hindus would maintain freedom, they must pay the price of freedom: and that price was “vigilance”, “eternal vigilance” — not the nonviolence of the weak. If power corrupts, so may non-violence corrupt, too. India has been invaded, again and again, by barbaric, aggressive forces. And India’s hope, I humbly submit, is not in a creed of non-resistance but in the spirit of heroic resistance, which surrenders life in reverence for the Great Life. Guru Gobind Singh dared to go out to meet Aurangzeb and his forces of intolerance and

oppression in the true kshatrya spirit that fights, not for selfish gain but in order to purify and heal. This I interpret as the true Khalsa spirit that awakes in him who has reverence for life.

In this spirit, indeed, Gobind Rai — then, a mere, boy — said to his revered father, Guru Teg Bahadur: “Father! offer yourself as an oblation and save the people of Kashmir!

Embrace death as a bride!” In the same spirit did not Guru Teg Bahadur face death when he was beheaded, reciting the Japji under the banyan tree which, I believe, still stands a witness to the heroic spirit of the martyred Guru. Gobind was in his revered father’s Anandpur, when the news reached him of the passing of Guru Teg Bahadur. Others mourned, but Gobind

“I have greatly sinned and know not what torments of hell await me.”

asked them all not to weep but to give glory to God and bless His Name. Gobind said to them: Say not he is dead!

Listen to what the angels sing: “He cometh home: The Victor cometh home!” In our love for the beloved Is our freedom for ever!

Gobind, as a boy, cheerfully offers the life of his father as a sacrifice to God for the freedom of the people. The same Gobind, in the maturity of his years, offers his two sons as a sacrifice to the Akal Purukh for the sake of the people. The Guru dresses his little boy, Ajit, as a soldier and says to him: “My child! go forth! The Akal Purukh so wills it!” With the same spirit the Guru fills the Khalsa Brotherhood that he organises for the service of his country.

The Khalsa was a Brotherhood of soldiers who aspired to be servants of saints. Every one of the Khalsa’s took the vow in words which I have read, again and again, with tears in my eyes. The Khalsa said: I own nothing: All belongs to Him, the Lord— My money, my home the breath of my life! My religion is to serve and die for others!

Not in aloofness from my countrymen, But on the battle-field I fain would die,

For the glory of the Akal Purukh!

The Khalsa called himself “akali,” the soldier who feared not death but lived in the Akal, the Eternal. And to Him he gave all credit, crying, “Wah guru!”

Thrilling is the story of the deeds of Guru Gobind Singh and his disciples, the Khalsa. They stood up heroically against the imperial power of Aurangzeb. Many were killed, but they would not surrender. Pursued was the Guru by imperial forces: he faced them. Then, overcome by tremendous odds, he ran from place to place: he never surrendered. Separated was he from his beloved disciples, but they remembered him and loved him to the last.

The Guru finds himself, one day, in the solitude of the Lakhi Jungle. Some of his disciples come to know that their beloved Leader is in the Forest, cut off from his people. The disciples hear in their hearts the call of the beloved, saying: “Come!” And they come: they speed on: they come quickly, crying to him. To quote from a moving little song the Guru had composed: They heard the call of the beloved: And they came running, running, They came crying to the Master!

Even as runs the scattered herd of buffaloes,

Dropping the half-chewn grass from their mouths —

So, ran to him his disciples, On hearing his voice — The enchanting voice of the beloved! *

The last brief period of his brief life — he was but fortytwo when he passed away — he spent in loving communion with God. He began his life as a contemplative on the Hem Kanta mountain: he closed his life in deep communion with the Akal Purukh on the banks of the Godavari at Nader. There he stayed and a few gathered around him: and this Community of the contemplatives he called, “Abchal Nagar” — words which literally mean, “The City of the Eternal.” The Community spent much of their time in worshipping Nama and in manual work. They sang of Nama. In Nama — the Name, the Holy Spirit — they lived and moved and had their being. In this Community lived one devout Muslim: Said Khan was his name.

In the presence of the Guru is sitting, one day, this Muslim, Said Khan of blessed memory: and a letter comes to him from his sister. She, too, is devoted to the Guru. Her name is Nasiran. She has been separated from her brother, but still is she persecuted by Aurangzeb. In the

letter to her brother, she speaks of the treatment Aurangzeb has given to a number of men and women still devoted to the Guru. One of them is the saint, Buddha Shah. “They have gone,” she writes. “Now, brother, comes my turn!” She adds the following words which are so touching that I would rather not read them again. “These eyes,” she writes, “have not seen the beloved (referring here to Guru Gobind Singh): but they have drunk of his beauty in meditation (dhyana)!” Yes — Nasiran never saw the “beloved,” face to face: but she has become his disciple and daily she meditates on him and his teaching. Daily she dwells in thought and love on the beauty of his face. She sees him, his image, flowing into her heart, every day. Nasiran’s bhakti is of a transcendent order. She concludes her letter thus: “Brother! my turn cometh now, but there is no sorrow in my heart. In joy I invoke the Name of the Akal Purukh! In joy I bow to the beloved! And in joy I accept death! I am even now dressed as a soldier disciple. I am glad to die such a death. And now, brother, farewell! Have we not met in the beloved forever?” The Guru closes his eyes and blesses “Nasiran, my daughter.”

Miracles Can Happen In Your Life

DADA J. P. VASWANI

A steamer, sailing over the sea was, one night, suddenly caught in a squall. The ship tossed violently, awakening the passengers. They became nervous and were terribly afraid of the storm. Some of them shrieked, a few prayed.

On board the steamer was the captain’s 8-year-old daughter. The noise awakened her out of sleep and she asked: “Mamma, what is the matter?”

Her mother told her that a sudden storm had struck the ship.

“Is Papa at the helm?” asked the frightened child.

“Yes, Papa is at the helm,” answered the mother.

Hearing this, the little girl snuggled back into her bed and, in a few minutes, was fast asleep. The winds still blew and the waves still rolled and the ship still tossed, but she was no longer frightened because her father was at the helm.

The Heavenly Father is always at the helm, and though storms may blow and thunders strike, He is in control of our life and we have naught to fear or worry. If only we trust Him, He will either quieten the waves or else give peace to our hearts.

As we proceed on the pathways of life, we face different types of weather — stormy and smooth, wild and mild. There are times when we have to face

difficulty and danger, ignominy and insult, disease and death. Not unoften, we feel frightened. We must not forget that such experiences come to us, not without a purpose. One great lesson which they teach us is to turn to God, to depend upon Him for everything. “Thou art at the helm, O Lord! And I have naught to fear. Thou wilt take care of Thy child!”

Calling upon God for help in times of trial and tribulation may appear to be a selfish act. All our acts, in the beginning, have to be selfish — until we grow in the spirit of detachment and learn to watch, as spectators, the ever-unfolding drama of life. If to rely upon God is to be selfish, it is far better to be “selfish” than to be “egoistic” and rely upon one’s own limited powers. This “selfishness” is a necessary step in our spiritual progress and will, at the right time, drop off on its own accord — even as the flower drops when the fruit is born.

The one lesson we all need to learn is — utter dependence upon God. Everything else will follow. We must turn to God for every little thing we need — until, one blessed day, we find that we need nothing: our one and only need is God! Then we make the great discovery that all that we need is already provided for. Before a need arises, it is already fulfilled. Everything comes to pass at the right time in

the right way. Then one lives like a king.

When a king moves out, everything is prepared for him well in advance: he does not have to ask for anything.

All his needs are anticipated and provided for. Ye are kings! Why wander ye like the king’s children, who starved and were clothed in rags, because they were unaware of their royal parentage?

It was the year 1910. Beloved Sadhu Vaswani was in Europe. He visited several places and addressed eager audiences on the message of India’s Rishis and Saints. His address at the WeltCongress, the World Congress of Religions, at Berlin and his subsequent lectures in different parts of Europe aroused, deep interest in Indian thought and religion, and awakened in many hearts love for God and the suffering children of God. When his work in Europe was over and he was ready to return to India, he found he did not have money to purchase a ticket. He did not worry: he knew that a ticket would be provided at the right time.

A day before the steamer was to set sail for India, he was invited by the Maharani of Cooch Behar to take tea with her. She was in England on a holidaytrip. In the course of her talk, the Maharani said to Sadhu Vaswani: “May I make a request?”

Sadhu Vaswani smiled.

The Maharani said: “I understand you have finished your work in Europe and are returning to India. Permit me to get for you a ticket.”

Dada was not surprised. The life of a man who completely trusts in God is filled with many such “miracles”. They are not miracles: they are normal, natural workings of the Divine Mother who anticipates the needs of Her trusting children and provides for them. Wondrous are Her ways! Blessed be Her Name!

In a beautiful sloka in the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord makes a tremendous promise. “If a man meditates on Me and Me alone, and worships Me always and everywhere,” He says, “to him I supply with whatever he does not possess and preserve whatever he already possesses.”

It was the sacred Janmashtami Day — the Birthday of the Lord Sri Krishna. A poor woman, whose husband had been paralysed, had promised her three little starving children a Janmashtami feast. She believed in the Lord: she was a devotee of the Lord: she felt sure the Lord would send her enough and more to provide her children the promised feast. She entered a grocery store and asked for enough food for a feast for her children. When the owner asked how much

she could afford, she answered, “My husband has been sick for many months. Truthfully, I have nothing to offer but a little prayer.”

The man, an unbeliever, said sarcastically, “Write your prayer on a piece of paper and you can have its weight in groceries.”

Without hesitation, the woman took out of her pocket a folded note and handed it to him. “Here is my little prayer I wrote down during the night while I was watching over my ailing husband,” she said. On the small piece of paper were written the words: “Thou art my Refuge, Lord! Thou wilt provide all the things I need for tomorrow’s feast: and more so that I can share it with other poor children on the sacred day of Thy birth!” The man read those words, laughed, and put the piece of paper on one side of his scales. “Now, let us see how much food this is worth,” he said.

To his deep astonishment and dismay, he found that nothing happened when he put a packet of flour on the other side. He was greatly upset when he added other things and still the scales would not move. Finally, he said to the poor woman, “1 do not understand what is happening today. But I will be true to my promise. Take from the shop whatever you need, for it appears that your little slip of

paper weighs more than all the things my shop holds.”

The woman only took the things she needed for the feast. With tear-touched eyes, she thanked the grocer and silently sang the praises of the Lord who provides for every need of His devotees.

The grocer later discovered that the scale was out of order. “But why at that very time?” he asked himself, again and again. And why had the woman written out the prayer before she came to his shop? His heart was converted and he, too, became a bhakta of the Lord.

We, too, have learnt to trust, but our trust is misplaced. We lay our trust in things which cannot trust themselves — banks which fail and bonds whose values fluctuate and children and friends who do not hesitate to betray our trust, when it suits them. We lay our trust in earthly power and dominion, in abundance of worldly goods which are perishable and pass away. We do this with a view to build up the security of an uncertain life in an uncertain future. We sacrifice the security of a certain life in the certain present, which would be ours if only we placed our trust in God!

When we lay our trust outside God, we bind ourselves to a Life of ceaseless struggle. Struggle means uncertainty: struggle means worry and anxiety. We

are tossed hither and thither like a storm-beaten boat. Much of our time is spent in providing for some untoward happening which may not occur at all. Our time is spent in making preparations for living, so that we really never live at all. Little wonder, our lives are bereft of the joy of living. Believe in God! Trust in Him completely! Know that He will always do the very best for you! Therefore, cooperate with His Will. Become a willing instrument in the Hands of God.

In this connection, the following may be found helpful:

1. Greet difficulties with a smile and meet dangers with love. Never forget that the Mother Divine is ever with you — protecting you, guiding you, guarding you. In times of crises feel the thrill of protection. Whisper to yourself: “The Mother is holding me by the hand: I feel safe and secure!” The Mother never fails. Let us not fail Her. Trust in Her till the breakingpoint, and the breaking-point will never come!

2. Let prayer become a habit with you. Pray, pray and continue to pray. So many of our prayers remain unanswered because we give up praying. We become impatient and lose faith. We feel that, as God is not going to act for us, we must act for ourselves. We forget that God acts at the right time. if He

has not yet acted, it only means that the right time is not yet. This applies not only to material requirements but, also, to mental and spiritual needs.

3. Pray for more and more faith. He who has faith has everything. For, verily, “faith moves mountains”. Pray for faith as a famished person prays for food and a thirsty person for water. What is it to have faith? It is to feel sure that whatever God does is always for the best. It is to grow in the realisation that when God denies His child some good, He designs to give him something better.

4. The cure of all ills — physical, mental, spiritual — is contact with God. From time to time; detach yourself from your surroundings and enter within. In silence wait upon God, conscious of His presence. From time to time, engage yourself in loving converse with God. Offer all your work to Him: pray to Him for help and blessing, before beginning any work: and give gratitude to Him when it is over.

5. Accept whatever comes to you. Do not seek the “pleasant”: do not shun the “unpleasant”. Rejoice in everything that happens. All that has happened, all that is happening and is yet to happen — all, all is for the best! Turn out all thoughts of fear and doubt and anxiety. Close the windows and doors of your minds against them as you

would against plague-germs. Face each trial and tribulation with love and laughter. Meet every situation in life with the favourite prayer of St. Francis de Sales — the prayer of which I am never tired, the prayer than which I know of no more effective formula for inner peace: “Yes, Father! Yes, and always yes!”

He who lives thus knows what it is to feel the thrill of protection and safety — now and forever. No storm can upset him: no news can shock him. In the midst of the most furious gale, he is composed as a safely-anchored boat.

Such an one has controlled his passions. He has eliminated his “self” and entered into a life of holiness and harmony — the life of true freedom which is the birth right of every child of God. He owns nothing, yet is rich beyond measure. He is attached to no one, yet all creatures — men and birds and animals — are his friends. He thinks of no one as an alien. All, all are his, his very own. He breathes out benedictions to all — rich and poor, saints and sinners, thieves and profligates, the forsaken and fallen ones. To all he gives the service of love, beholding in them broken images of the Beloved.

WHO STANDETH AT MY DOOR?

SADHU VASWANI

Jesus asked: Who standeth at my door?

I said: Thy humble slave!

He asked: What dost thou here?

I said: I come to greet Thee, Lord!

He asked: How long wilt thou stand?

I said: Until Thou call me in!

He asked: Why dost thou stand?

I said: I lay claim to Thy love!

He asked: What hast thou done for me?

I said: For Thee, I have renounced wealth and power!

He asked: Where is the proof of what thou dost claim?

I said: My eyes, my pale face, are my proof. Behold my tears!

He asked: What doth thou ask of me?

I said: Thy constancy and Thy friendship, Beloved!

*December 25 is the sacred Chritsmas.

RECIPES FOR THE

GAJAR HALWA SPRING ROLLS SERVED WITH RABDI

Ingredients for gajar halwa:

Red carrots ................................................. 500 gms Milk................................................................ 1 litre Sugar ................... ½ cup less or more to your taste Milk powder ................................................... 1 tbsp

Clarified butter ................................................ 2 tsp Chopped dry fruits handful

To make rabdi: Milk.............................................................. 500 ml Sugar .............................................................¼ cup

To make spring rolls: Spring roll sheets readymade ............................. 12 Maida slurry...................................................¼ cup Oil .......................................................... to deep fry

Method To make Gajar halwa:

1. Grate 500 gms of peeled red carrots.

2. In a deep non-stick pan add one litre of milk.

3. As milk comes to a rolling boil, add the grated carrots and cook on low heat. Continue to stir it at regular intervals.

4. After nearly 15 minutes when milk almost dries up and fully absorbed in carrots, add 2 tsp ghee.

5. Mix and cook for few more minutes.

6. Add sugar and cook till water from the sugar dries up completely. Add 1 tbsp milk powder so that remaining moisture will be absorbed by it.

7. Transfer this cooked gajar halwa into a bowl. Add handful of chopped nuts. Cool it.

MONTH

For making Rabdi:

8. Boil 500 ml milk. Add ¼ Cup sugar, stir continuously and keep scrapping the sides of the pan.

9. Stir and cook till thick, then take off the heat.

10. Keep to cool

To make spring rolls:

11. Take out the spring roll sheets from the freezer.

12. Unpack and keep the required number of spring roll sheets covered in wet cloth.

13. Pack and return the excess sheets back in the freezer for later use.

Make slurry:

14. To seal the edges of spring rolls, make slurry.

15. Mix 2 tbsp water+ 2 tbsp of Maida. Make a thick paste.

16. Place cooked gajar halwa on one corner of the sheet, start rolling it by tucking in the corners. Roll it tight.

17. Apply slurry on the corners to seal the edges.

18. Deep fry on low heat till it turns golden brown and crisp. You can bake them too if you wish to.

19. Drain on kitchen towel.

20. Serve hot with chilled/warm Rabdi.

CHEESE CORN CANAPES / WHITE SAUCE VEGETABLE CANAPES

Ingredients for the Canapes: Monita canapes ...................................................

For making white sauce: Butter

Oats powder................................................... 2 tbsp Milk 1 cup

Salt ..............................................................to taste

Processed cheese, grated ............... 3/4 cup or more Cream cheese ...................................... 1 small pack

Oregano........................................................... 1 tsp

Red chilli flakes 1 tsp

Black pepper powder 1 tsp

Mixed herbs seasoning .................................. 1 tbsp Fresh Basil/Tulsi leaves ...................................... 3-4

Tomato ketchup ................................................ 1tsp

Chopped vegetables like boiled American corn kernels red yellow and green peppers 1 cup

Method:

Prepare the vegetables:

1. In a pan add oil. Once heated, on a high flame sauté bell peppers for few minutes then add the boiled corn kernels and cook it for a minute.

2. Do not overcook, it shouldn’t lose its colour and texture. Once sautéed vegetables are ready, keep it aside.

Make white sauce:

3. Heat butter in a large pan on a low flame. Once it starts melting add oats powder and stir it continuously for around 2 minutes.

4. Cook it until it’s fragrant, but doesn’t changes its colour and immediately add milk. Keep stirring continuously with whisk to avoid lump formation.

5. Now add salt to taste, black pepper powder, chilli flakes, mixed herbs and grated processed cheese. Stir the mixture and let cheese melt completely in the white sauce.

6. To this sauce, add the previously sautéed vegetables, basil leaves and mix it well. Cook it for 2-3 minutes.

7. Add cream cheese. In the last add tomato ketchup.

8. The cheesy white sauce is ready!

9. Please note that you want a thick, creamy mixture rather than a runny sauce, so that it is convenient to bite into and also a runny sauce would make the canapes soggy.

Prepare the Canapes:

10. You can use the canapes as it is from the box, but we prefer to crisp them up in oven.

Just put the canapes in the oven on Toast mode for about 5 mins. or deep fry it.

Assembling the Canapes:

11. Fill each canape with the white sauce and vegies mixture. Serve as is or top with more ketchup / oregano / chili flakes / hot sauce as per your and your family's taste.

KACHHI GULAB PAAK RECIPE

Ingredients:

Mawa/khoya ................................................... 1 cup

Dried rose petals ............................................ 1 cup

Milk................................................................½ cup

Semolina rava ¼ cup

Sugar .............................................................½ cup

Pistachio almonds and cashews, slivered ......¼ cup Cardamom elaichi powder 1/2 tsp

Desi ghee/clarified butter .......................3 to 4 tbsp

Method:

1. To begin with let's first roast the rava/sooji/ semolina. For that in a non-stick pan put around 3 tbsp of ghee.

2. Once heated add rava and roast it on low flame by continuously stirring it. Take care that it shouldn't change the colour. Once it turns fragrant, take out in a bowl.

3. In the same pan add milk and sugar. Stir continuously so that sugar dissolve well and on low flame let it turn a little thick and sticky.

4. After that add mawa to it. Stir the mawa and let it becomes soft and incorporated well in milk sugar mixture.

5. Add roasted sooji to it and mix well. Add dry rose petals, chopped mix dry fruits and cardamom powder. Mix it well.

6. Switch off the flame and keep it aside.

7. Now grease a mold/baking tin/thali with ghee and pour the ready gulab pak mixture.

8. Allow this to set well for 2 to 3 hours or you can keep in the fridge to speed up the process.

9. Remove and cut into pieces. Garnish with slivered kaju, badam and fresh/dry rose petals.

10. This sweet has a shelf life of 3 to 4 days at room temperature or store in the fridge. 

LAUGH

YOUR WAY TO HEALTH

An executive came home and slumped in his favourite chair with a discouraged look. His wife asked what was wrong.

“You know these aptitude tests we’re giving at the office? Well, I took one today for fun. It’s a good thing I own the company!”

***

Jai: What’s so unusual about your girlfriend?

Mohan: She chews on her nails.

Jai: Lots of girls chew on their nails.

Mohan: Toenails?

***

She: Look at my engagement ring.

He: That’s a lovely ring. It’s nice to know you’re not marrying a spendthrift.

***

“How long can a man live without brains?”

“I don’t know. How old are you?”

***

Judge: I’ve decided to give you a suspended sentence.

Prisoner: Thank you, Your Honour.

Judge: For what? You’re going to be hanged.

***

Mother to fussy son: Twentyyears from now you’ll be telling some girl what a great cook your mother was…. Now eat your dinner.

***

“My mother-in-law passed away last week.”

“What was the complaint?”

“There was no complaint. Everybody was satisfied.”

***

“How is the pain in your neck?”

“He’s out playing golf.”

***

Son: Here’s my report card, Dad, along with one of your old ones I found in the attic.

Father: Well, Son you’re right. This old report card of mine you found isn’t any better than yours. I guess the only fair thing to do is give you what my father gave me.

***

The personnel manager in one big organization keeps a bowl of goldfish on his desk. No, he wasn’t particularly

interested in fish culture, he explained to a friend. “It’s just that it’s nice to have something around here that opens its mouth without asking for a raise.”

***

The small-town grocer was not in very good spirits. It was a rainy day and he suspected he was due for a touch of the old arthritis. So he was not too pleased when the three small boys entered.

“I’ll have a dime’s worth of lemon drops,” announced the first.

The old man climbed the ladder, took down the candy jar, filled a small bag and returned the jar to the shelf.

“And what will you have?” he asked the second boy.

“A dime’s worth of lemon drops,” was the answer.

“Why didn’t you say so before?” asked the irritated proprietor. Turning to the third boy he said, “Do you want a dime’s worth of ‘em, too?”

“No, sir,” said the latter.

The old man climbed up and went painstakingly through the whole procedure once more. As he sighed and dusted his hands on a cloth he demanded of the third boy: “Well, what is it you want?”

“A nickel’s worth of lemon drops,” came the answer.

***

An American industrialist met an Israeli official during a visit to Tel Aviv.

“I’m very much impressed with what I’ve seen here and I’d like to make some investments. But tell me, how can I best make a small fortune here?”

“The only safe way to end up with a small fortune here,” replied the Israeli, “is to come with a large one.”

***

“Hey, you! Pull over!” shouted the traffic cop. The lady complied, and the judge the next day fined her twentyfive dollars. She went home in great anxiety, lest her husband, who always examined her chequebook, should learn of the incident. Then inspiration struck, and she marked the cheque stub, “One pullover, $25.”

***

“It’s high time,” said the reformer, “that we had a moral awakening. Let us rise in our might. Let us gird our loins. Let us take off our coats. Let us bare our arms. Let us…”

“Hold on!” exclaimed a tall, thin woman near the platform. If this is to be a moral awakening, don’t you dare take off another thing!”

CHILDRENS’ CORNER

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FROM THE BHAGAVAD GITA

1. In which book and chapters of Mahabharata did the Bhagavad Gita appear?

2. What is the literary meaning of Bhagavad Gita?

3. What is the name of rhyming meter used in this song?

4. How many syllables does Anustup contain in each verse?

5. Who is the main speaker of the Bhagavad Gita?

6. Who had the sacred knowledge of the Gita before Arjuna?

7. Who besides Arjuna listened to the Gita?

8. How many chapters are there in the Gita? 9. How much time did Sri Krishna take in completing the Gita?

10. How many verses are there in the Bhagavad Gita?

11. How many years ago did Sri Krishna give the teachings of the Gita? 12. What was the day when Sri Krishna spoke the Gita?

13. Who is the writer of the Bhagavad Gita?

14. Which day, according to the Hindu Calendar, did Sri Krishna Speak the Gita?

15. Name the chapter of the Mahabharata where the Gita appears?

16. What is the second name of the Gita?

17. Which great Indian leader had called the Gita as his Spiritual Dictionary?

18. At what place did Sri Krishna proclaim the Gita?

19. What is the language of the Gita?

20. In which scriptures is the Gita included?

21. Who was narrating the Gita to Dhritrashtra?

22. Who was Sanjaya?

15. Chapter Bhishma Parva, 16. Gitopanishad, 17. Mahatma Gandhi, 18. At the battleground of Kurukshetra, 19. Sanskrit, 20. Upanishads, 21. Sanjaya, 22. King Dhritrashtra’s advisor and charioteer.

Song of the Lord, 3. Anustup, 4. 32 Syllables, 5. Sri Krishna, 6. The Lord of the Sun [Surya Dev], 7. Dhritrashtra and Sanjaya, 8. 18 Chapters, 9. Around 45 minutes, 10. 701 verses (Sri Krishna - 574, Arjuna - 85, Dhritrashtra - 01, Sanjaya - 40), 11. Around 7,000 years ago., 12. Sunday (According to English Calendar), 13. Sage Vyasa, 14. Ekadashi,

ANSWERS: 1. Chapters 25-42 in the 6th book of Mahabharata, 2. The

SIMPLE RULES OF HEALTH

LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

“Lactose intolerance varies from person to person, so there’s no clear-cut advice on how to treat it,” “You can find your limits by experimenting with differing amounts of dairy products.”

Whether you’re severely lactose-intolerant or just merely “annoyed” by dairy products, it’s because your small intestine doesn’t produce enough lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose, the natural sugar found in milk.

Still, there are ways to have your dairy and eat it, too — without having to rely on milk substitutes. And here they Be a cocoa nut. Early research suggests that cocoa may reduce symptoms of lactose intolerance — one reason why many lactoseintolerant people get no severe reactions when drinking chocolate milk. “I suspect that the cocoa helps slow stomach emptying, which reduces the rate at which lactose reaches the colon,” says Dr. Savaiano. “If you must have milk, one of the easiest things to do is to make it chocolate milk.” But use powdered cocoa, which has no

fat, instead of chocolate syrup, which is high in fat.

Put some enzymes in your milk. You don’t necessarily have to drink chocolate milk, though. You can simply use enzyme tablets like Lactaid, sold in most drugstores and health food stores. “Just sprinkle powdered Lactaid into a glass of milk the night before, and the next morning, half the lactose in the milk is gone — and that’s enough to prevent any symptoms. Besides, the milk will taste sweeter, because the lactose, which isn’t sweet, will break down to glucose, which is.”

Combine dining with dairy. “Some people find their symptoms disappear if they take their dairy products with meals,” says Theodore Bayless, M.D., director of clinical gastroenterology. That’s because one of the key factors in lactose intolerance is the rate at which the stomach empties. “If you can slow the stomach’s emptying, you can reduce or prevent symptoms,” adds Dr. Savaiano. “And having a complete meal slows the rate at which your stomach empties.”

Feed On fermented fare. Not only are fermented dairy products such as yogurt, buttermilk and hard cheese calcium-packed (the real reason for eating dairy in the first place), they don’t carry the punch of regular milk for the lactose-intolerant. For instance, the organisms that make yogurt what it is also produce lactase to digest the lactose — which is why most lactose-intolerant people can eat yogurt with no problem, says Naresh Jain, M.D., a gastroenterologist.

But one cautionary note: Frozen yogurt will produce the reaction as ice cream or ice milk. That’s because once yogurt is frozen, it loses its “helpful” bacteria. Buttermilk is also “pretty tolerable,” adds Dr. Jain (and despite its name, it usually has less fat and cholesterol than 2 percent milk). And calciumrich hard cheeses have less lactose than milk. “Swiss and extra-sharp Cheddar contain only trace amounts of lactose and are thus less likely to produce digestive upset,” says Seymour Sabesin, M.D., a gastroenterologist and director of the Section of Digestive Diseases.

Try These Alternatives for Calcium

The best reason for consuming dairy products in the

first place is to get calcium — essential for building strong bones and preventing diseases such as osteoporosis. But that’s about the only reason.

After all, whole milk, cheese and ice cream are high in fat. And because they originate from cows, all dairy foods contain cholesterol.

But what about that calcium? Well, you don’t necessarily need dairy to get it. In many cultures (the Chinese and Eskimos, for instance), people rarely (if ever) drink milk yet have surprisingly low rates of osteoporosis. How can you get the calcium you need without dairy?

Eat your greens. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach are rich in calcium, says Manfred Kroger, Ph.D., professor of food science. “And you’ll benefit from vegetables even more if you have them with orange juice. That’s because your body absorbs calcium better when there are acid conditions in your intestines.” He recommends three glasses of orange juice each day for optimum intestinal acidity.

Try antacids... now and then. Tums and other antacids are rich in calcium. But don’t rely on them as your primary source, since excessive use can interfere with your stomach’s natural acidity.