Mustard oil cooking
Srutakirti: While staying at the Calcutta Temple in 1973, I became aware of Srila Prabhupada's fondness for Bengali cooking. Amazingly during my tenure of personal service to my beloved Srila Prabhupada, His Divine Grace didn't eat Bengali-style prasadam very often. Even when he stayed at the Calcutta and Mayapur temples, he regularly honored prasadam prepared by his western disciples. The difficulty with the wonderful Bengali preparations, although quite tasty was, that they often contained mustard oil. "It is difficult for me to digest," Srila Prabhupada would comment.
One day at the Calcutta temple, Tamala Krishna Maharaja entered Srila Prabhupada's room and offered his obeisances. Sitting comfortably behind his desk, Srila Prabhupada looked as effulgent as ever. 'Haven't you said that mustard oil is for the outside of the body, and ghee is for the inside?' Tamala Krishna inquired. "Yes," Srila Prabhupada said, smiling. 'Then doesn't that mean that we shouldn't use mustard oil in our cooking?' Tamala Krishna Maharaja continued. 'Sometimes, some of the devotees are using mustard oil in their cooking. I don't think it is a good idea.' "Well, it is true," Srila Prabhupada said. "But mustard oil is very tasty. It makes the vegetables taste first-class. Therefore in Bengal, everyone uses mustard oil in their cooking. It is very palatable."
One day at the Calcutta temple, Tamala Krishna Maharaja entered Srila Prabhupada's room and offered his obeisances. Sitting comfortably behind his desk, Srila Prabhupada looked as effulgent as ever. 'Haven't you said that mustard oil is for the outside of the body, and ghee is for the inside?' Tamala Krishna inquired. "Yes," Srila Prabhupada said, smiling. 'Then doesn't that mean that we shouldn't use mustard oil in our cooking?' Tamala Krishna Maharaja continued. 'Sometimes, some of the devotees are using mustard oil in their cooking. I don't think it is a good idea.' "Well, it is true," Srila Prabhupada said. "But mustard oil is very tasty. It makes the vegetables taste first-class. Therefore in Bengal, everyone uses mustard oil in their cooking. It is very palatable."
When Srila Prabhupada stayed in Bengal, his sister would sometimes come to the temple and cook for him. This was a mixed blessing. It was known by many that Srila Prabhupada's sister, Pishima, would smuggle mustard oil into the temple kitchen under her sari to use in her cooking for her beloved brother. Like Srila Prabhupada, Pishima had a way of listening to what we had to say, and then doing whatever she wanted.
Srila Prabhupada ate whatever she cooked, and occasionally would complain afterwards saying, "Her cooking has made me ill." Using deadpan humor, he continued, "I think she is trying to kill me." Sometimes I would chastise him like a parent saying, 'Prabhupada, you are not getting sick when you eat from your cooker, but when you eat what your sister cooks then you get sick.' "Yes! Don't give me anything else," he replied with conviction. "Let me eat what you cook. If my sister gives me something, you eat it if you like. I don't want to eat it." I became very enlivened by his determination to follow my instructions. Of course when it came to eating, he never followed anyone's instructions for long. He always did what he liked.
Once one of Srila Prabhupada's godnephews, a Bengali brahmacari, visited Srila Prabhupada at his Juhu flat. He was a very good cook, and offered to cook Srila Prabhupada shukta, a bitter vegetable stew. I watched the young devotee as he expertly deep-fried large slices of vegetable, including bitter melon. When he finished, there was a large pot of very bitter and very oily soup.
Once one of Srila Prabhupada's godnephews, a Bengali brahmacari, visited Srila Prabhupada at his Juhu flat. He was a very good cook, and offered to cook Srila Prabhupada shukta, a bitter vegetable stew. I watched the young devotee as he expertly deep-fried large slices of vegetable, including bitter melon. When he finished, there was a large pot of very bitter and very oily soup.
Srila Prabhupada relished every bite. "This is the most wonderful thing," he commented. "Srutakirti, you should learn. Make it like this. This is very first-class." I was never able to come close to duplicating the wet vegetable that Srila Prabhupada savored that day. Fortunately for me, Srila Prabhupada accepted the much simpler cooking I regularly prepared. I was delighted hearing him say that my cooking didn't make him sick. Srila Prabhupada, I always marvel at your depth of compassion. You regularly accepted service from everyone, regardless of the consequences to you. No one knows this better than I. You never gave up on me. I know that as long as I have a sincere desire to serve you, you will never turn your back on me. Please give me a taste for the shukta you ate, and a taste for devotional service. Both are too bitter for me to enjoy, because my senses are deadened by lifetimes of a demoniac diet.
Reference: Srila Prabhupada Uvacha by Srtuakirti Dasa
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