Vegetarian cooking lesson 10, Stir Fry Vegetables
A stir-fry is cooked quickly at high heat, not slowly. Heat the wok thoroughly first. Use ghee or a generous amount of oil. Cut vegetables into small pieces for fast cooking. We are adding Āyurvedic spices: asafoetida for digestion and coriander seeds. Fry spices first, then add vegetables like spring onions, carrots, and peppers. Start with harder vegetables, adding softer ones later. Do not add salt immediately, as it draws out water and causes steaming instead of frying. Stir constantly. Add salt when vegetables soften. You can finish with soy sauce or tomatoes. The dish should be soft but not overcooked, served with noodles or grains.
"For stir-fried vegetables, it’s good to use a bit extra oil or grease, as it helps the vegetables fry properly."
"It’s important not to add salt immediately, as salt draws water out of the vegetables, causing them to steam rather than fry."
Filming location: Vép, Hungary
Up next
Love never compares
Love never compares. Awareness plus patience equals peace. Conquer yourself, not others. You have the right to action, not the fruit. Balance is essential. Spiritual ego is the worst mask. Lord Śiva is Mahādev because his whole family is worshipped. The divine family lives in unity despite natural conflicts. Yet even gods debate who is greater. The trinity of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva resides within. The guru lights the inner jyoti to spread. Bring others to experience the nectar of bhakti, karma, kriyā, rāja, and jñāna yoga.
"Talk with awareness and listen with patience. Awareness plus patience equals peace."
"Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān never asked Arjuna to win a battle. He just taught Arjuna how to conquer himself."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Prana and spirituality
The human form is a rare opportunity among countless creatures, created from the five elements and endowed with special abilities. Prāṇa is the vital energy that binds the five bodies—physical, energetic, mental, intellectual, and causal—into a single being. This causal body is born from desire, perpetuating the wheel of action and reaction. Prāṇa and Apāna are opposing forces; Prāṇa draws energy in, while Apāna expels waste. Their meeting point is the navel at the Maṇipūra Cakra. Impure Apāna, caused by consuming foods like meat, garlic, and beans, creates imbalance and disease, blocking spiritual ascent. Purity of body and thought is essential. Quality attracts quality; an impure mind is repelled by spiritual company. The essence of life is to realize its temporary nature and focus on the divine name.
"Prāṇa is that energy which keeps together all the five bodies."
"The joy is in the name of God. All your other works and business, everything is unreal."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
DVD 221
Healing of humanity
Healing arises from sound, respect, and living naturally. Mental illness creates imbalance in all aspects of life. Mass media reaches many, but true influence requires positive thinking and respect, not ego. Self-respect is social education reflected in clean appearance and considerate behavior to honor others; this is not ego. True healing returns to natural origins through mantra, yajña, and the resonance of sound described in the Vedas. Harmonious sound, or nāda, connects all hearts and heals nature, animals, and humans. Discordant modern noise causes suffering and disharmony. Sustainability requires ancient, natural systems. Positive thinking and truth dispel inner darkness. Each person must awaken their human qualities through good society and education. Begin each day affirming your humanity and the wish for all to be happy.
"Self-respect is that social education. You give others good behavior so that you are respecting."
"Nāda is that resonance... when it is a resonance which is uniting, connecting heart to heart... that sound is called Brahman."
Filming location: London, UK
The Law of Karma and the Sanctity of All Life
The law of karma demands reverence for all life. Killing an animal creates severe karmic debt, as it inflicts suffering on an innocent being and interrupts the life given by God. For every creature you consume, you must be reborn as that creature and suffer the same death. This cycle is a long and certain justice. Spiritual practice is nullified by eating meat. The only path to purify such karma is through satsaṅg and the guidance of a true master. A master is one who loves all entities as oneself and would give his own life rather than take another's. Practice diligently and never miss satsaṅg, for it is the means to cleanse past actions and awaken consciousness. The Svādhiṣṭhāna Chakra, associated with water and the color of dawn, represents flowing energy and the hope for awakening. Its six petals symbolize the obstacles of anger, hate, greed, jealousy, cruelty, and laziness which must be purified.
"How many fish you ate, that many times you have to be born as a fish and caught by a hook."
"If you miss the satsaṅg, you have missed a big chance."
Filming location: Vancouver, Canada
