During my interview with Cheri Dost, I referred to a cultural tradition in India where we always celebrate the beginning of something new by preparing something sweet (like a dessert) and offer it to God. I wanted to shed some light on this Indian custom and share my favorite dessert when I follow this practice!
Religion and faith are two very strong pillars of Indian society. You will find a temple, aka “puja” area in almost every home and on almost every street corner. It is quite common for people to leave offering of sweets and fruits in the temples on the street for anyone to have. Many believe that a sweet dish made with pure ingredients like sugar, milk and ghee (clarified butter) is the highest form of being ‘sattvic’ (pure) and hence is acceptable to be presented, as an offering, to God.
Doing so means getting God’s blessings and is a sign of a good omen – one that will bring prosperity and happiness in all your endeavors.
The beauty of this ritual is how simple it can be. A sweet or offering can be something as simple as a teaspoon of yogurt mixed with sugar (my favorite) or even a small dollop of honey that is offered to God before it is distributed.
There are many different variations of the story of how this tradition started, but the story that my grandmother told me is as follows.
King Dasaratha of Ayodhya (father of one of India’s most worshiped Gods, Lord Rama) performed a yajna (holy prayer) so that he would be blessed with sons who would carry on his dynasty. King Dasaratha had three wives – Kausalya, Sumithra and Kaikeyi. At the conclusion of the yajna, Agni Deva, the fire god, emerged with a vessel containing Payasam (sacred pudding).
He gave it to Dasaratha to be distributed equally among his three wives. Kausalya and Kaikeyi received their share of the sacred pudding and took it to their puja rooms. Both were very happy that their sons would be born and be heir apparentsto the throne of Ayodhya. However, Sumithra had no such desire. She carried her bowl of pudding to the terrace and placed it aside, while drying her hair in the sun. While she was busy, an eagle swooped down and carried away the bowl containing the sacred pudding. She got distraught and ran to Kausalya and Kaikeyi to inform them of what happened. The two queens consoled her and shared a little bit of their share with her. All three queens became pregnant and, in due course, they all had sons. Kausalya delivered Rama, the supreme God incarnate. Kaikeyi delivred Bharatha, and Sumithra had twins – Lakshmana and Satrughna.
This beautiful story in Indian mythology essentially started the traditional belief that having something sweet will bring auspiciousness and prosperity to all, just like it did for the three queens of Ayodhya, since Lord Rama is one of the most worshiped and revered God in Hindu tradition.
Today sweets, aka “mithai,” are extremely popular and wide spread. Countless varieties can be purchased or made at home quite easily.
But despite that, I still find myself reaching for that small teaspoon of homemade yogurt with sugar. I have had it before traveling somewhere for the first time, before going for job interviews, and have even given it to my kids before an important event. It gives me the feeling that someone or something is watching over me and the faith that everything will work out in the end.
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