Pranam 1. Nala
Nala, the ruler of the Nishadas was a splendid cook and a master in managing steeds and driving chariots. He was in a disguise in the court of King Rituparna. His story was narrated to Yudhishtira by sage Brihadashwa during his exile. It can be found in the Nalopakhyana parva of Vana Parva of the Mahabharata. The narration of the story begins in the chapter 53 <http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03053.htm> and continued for several chapters. King Nala was living in a disguised form as Bahuka. He introduces himself as Bahuka, a culinary expert and master in managing steeds. He introduces himself as following. 'After the snake had vanquished, Nala, the ruler of the Nishadhas, proceeded, and on the tenth day entered the city of Rituparna. And he approached the king, saying, 'My name is Vahuka. There is no one in this world equal to me in managing steeds. My counsel also should be sought in matters of difficulty and in all affairs of skill. *I also surpass others in the art of cooking*. In all those arts that exists in this world, and also in every thing difficult of accomplishment, I will strive to attain success, O Rituparna, do thou maintain me.' 2. Bhimasena Bhimasena, the second Pandava was also skilful in culinary art. It is widely known that when each of the Pandavas chose to live in a disguise during their one year exile, Bhima lived as a cook in Virata's Kitchen by the name Vallabha. This can be found in the chapter 2 <http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m04/m04002.htm> of Virata Parva. Before entering into the Kingdom of Virata, all the Pandavas discuss how they should live in the palace. Bhima says about his skills in cooking. Bhima said, "I intend to present myself before the lord of Virata as a cook bearing the name of Vallabha. *I am skilled in culinary art, and I shall prepare curries for the king, and excelling all those skilful cooks that had hitherto dressed his food I shall gratify the monarch*. And I shall carry mighty loads of wood. And witnessing that mighty feat, the monarch will be pleased. And, O Bharata, beholding such superhuman feats of mine, the servants of the royal household will honour me as a king. And I shall have entire control over all kinds of viands and drinks. And commanded to subdue powerful elephants and mighty bulls, I will do as bidden. And if any combatants will fight with me in the lists, then will I vanquish them, and thereby entertain the monarch. But I shall not take the life of any of them. I shall only bring them down in such way that they may not be killed. And on being asked as regards my antecedent I shall say that--Formerly I was the wrestler and cook of Yudhishthira. Thus shall I, O king, maintain myself." Just as he planned earlier, he enters the Virata delivers what was planned. >From chapter 8 <http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m04/m04008.htm> of Virata Parva, Then the high-souled son of Pandu, approaching Virata, addressed him in words that were not unsuited to his object, saying, 'O foremost of kings, I am a cook, *Vallava by name. I am skilled in dressing dishes. Do thou employ me in the kitchen!*'" Vaisampayana continued, "Thus appointed in the kitchen, Bhima soon became the favourite of king Virata. And, O king, he continued to live there unrecognised by the other servants of Virata as also by other people!" Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Great kitchen masters: 1 *SECTION LIII 53 tro 56 Vana Parva Mahabharatham* Vrihadaswa said, "There was a king named Nala, the son of Virasena. And he was strong, and handsome, and well-versed in (the knowledge of) horses, and possessed of every desirable accomplishment. And he was at the head of all the kings, even like the lord of the celestials. And exalted over all, he resembled the sun in glory. And he was the king of the Nishadhas, intent on the welfare of the Brahmanas, versed in the Vedas, and possessed of heroism. And he was truth-telling, fond of dice, and the master of a mighty army. And he was the beloved of men and women, and of great soul and subdued passions. And he was the protector (of all), and the foremost of bowmen, and like unto Manu himself. And like him, there was among the Vidarbhas (a king named) Bhima, of terrible prowess, heroic and well-disposed towards his subjects and possessed of every virtue. (But withal) he was childless. And with a fixed mind, he tried his utmost for obtaining issue. And. O Bharata there came unto him (once) a *Brahmarshi* named Damana. And, O king of kings, desirous of having offspring, Bhima, versed in morality, with his queen gratified that illustrious Rishi by a respectful reception. And Damana, well-pleased, granted unto the king and his consort a boon in the form of a jewel of a daughter, and three sons possessed of lofty souls and great fame. (And they were called respectively) Damayanti, and Dama and Danta, and illustrious Damana. And the three sons were possessed of every accomplishment and terrible mien and fierce prowess. And the slender-waisted Damayanti, in beauty and brightness, in good name and grace and luck, became celebrated all over the world. And on her attaining to age, hundreds of handmaids, and female slaves, decked in ornaments, waited upon her like *Sachi* herself. And Bhima's daughter of faultless features, decked in every ornament, shone in the midst of her handmaids, like the luminous lightning of the clouds. And the large-eyed damsel was possessed of great beauty like that of *Sree* herself. And neither among celestials, nor among Yakshas, nor among men was anybody possessed of such beauty, seen or heard of before. And the beautiful maiden filled with gladness the hearts of even the gods. And that tiger among men, Nala also had not his peer in the (three) worlds: for in beauty he was like *Kandarpa* himself in his embodied form. And moved by admiration, the heralds again and again celebrated the praises of Nala before Damayanti and those of Damayanti before the ruler of the Nishadhas. And repeatedly hearing of each other's virtues they conceived an attachment towards each other not begot of sight, and that attachment, O son of Kunti began to grow in strength. And then Nala was unable to control the love that was in his bosom. And he began to pass much of his time in solitude in the gardens adjoining the inner apartment (of his palace). And there he saw a number of swans furnished with golden wings, wandering in those woods. And from among them he caught one with his hands. And thereupon the sky-ranging one said unto Nala. 'Deserve I not to be slain by thee. O king. I will do something that is agreeable to thee. O king of the Nishadhas. I will speak of thee before Damayanti in such a way that she will not ever desire to have any other person (for her lord).' Thus addressed, the king liberated that swan. And those swans then rose on their wings and went to the country of the Vidarbhas. And on arriving at the city of the Vidarbhas the birds alighted before Damayanti, who beheld them all. And Damayanti in the midst of her maids, beholding those birds of extraordinary appearance was filled with delight, and strove without loss of time to catch those coursers of the skies. And the swans at this, before that bevy of beauties, fled in all directions. And those maidens there pursued the birds, each (running) after one. And the swan after which Damayanti ran, having led her to a secluded spot, addressed her in human speech, saying, O Damayanti, there is a king amongst the Nishadhas named Nala. He is equal unto the Aswins in beauty, not having his peer among men. Indeed, in comeliness, he is like *Kandarpa* himself in his embodied form. O fair-complexioned one, O thou of slender waist, if thou becomest his wife, thy existence and this thy beauty may be of purpose. We have, indeed, beheld celestials and Gandharvas, and Nagas, and Rakshasas, and men, but never saw we before any one like Nala. Thou also art a jewel among thy sex, as Nala is the prime among men. The union of the best with the best is happy.' Thus addressed by the swan. Damayanti, O monarch, replied unto him there, saying, 'Do thou speak thus unto Nala also, 'Saying *So be it*, to the daughter of Vidarbha, the oviparous one, O king, returned to the country of the Nishadhas, and related everything unto Nala." Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx *Virata parva Mahabhartham SECTION II* Bhima said, "I intend to present myself before the lord of Virata as a cook bearing the name of Vallabha. I am skilled in culinary art, and I shall prepare curries for the king, and excelling all those skilful cooks that had hitherto dressed his food I shall gratify the monarch. And I shall carry mighty loads of wood. And witnessing that mighty feat, the monarch will be pleased. And, O Bharata, beholding such superhuman feats of mine, the servants of the royal household will honour me as a king. And I shall have entire control over all kinds of viands and drinks. And commanded to subdue powerful elephants and mighty bulls, I will do as bidden. And if any combatants will fight with me in the lists, thenll I vanquish them, and thereby entertain the monarch. But I shall not take the life of any of them. I shall only bring them down in such way that they may not be killed. And on being asked as regards my antecedent I shall say that--*Formerly I was the wrestler and cook of Yudhishthira.* Thus shall I, O king, maintain myself." Yudhishthira said, "And what office will be performed by that mighty descendant of the Kurus, Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, that foremost of men possessed of long arms, invincible in fight, and before whom, while he was staying with Krishna, the divine Agni himself desirous of consuming the forest of Khandava had formerly appeared in the guise of a Brahmana? What office will be performed by that best of warriors, Arjuna, who proceeded to that forest and gratified Agni, vanquishing on a single car and slaying huge *Nagas* and *Rakshasas*, and who married the sister of Vasuki himself, the king of the *Nagas?* Even as the sun is the foremost of all heat-giving bodies, as the Brahmana is the best of all bipeds, as the cobra is the foremost of all serpents, as Fire is the first of all things possessed of energy, as the thunderbolt is the foremost of all weapons, as the humped bull is the foremost of all animals of the bovine breed, as the ocean is the foremost of all watery expanses, as clouds charged with rain are the foremost of all clouds, as Ananta is the first of all *Nagas*, as Airavata is the foremost of all elephants, as the son is the foremost of all beloved objects, and lastly, as the wife is the best of all friends, so, O Vrikodara, is the youthful Gudakesa, the foremost of all bowmen. And O Bharata, what office will be performed by Vibhatsu, the wielder of *Gandiva*, whose car is drawn by white horses, and who is not inferior to Indra or Vasudeva Himself? What office will be performed by Arjuna who, dwelling for five years in the abode of the thousand-eyed Deity (Indra) shining in celestial lustre, acquired by his own energy the science of superhuman arms with all celestial weapons, and whom I regard as the tenth *Rudra*, the thirteenth *Aditya*, the ninth *Vasu*, and the tenth *Graha*, whose arms, symmetrical and long, have the skin hardened by constant strokes of the bowstring and cicatrices which resemble those on the humps of bulls,--that foremost of warriors who is as Himavat among mountains, the ocean among expanses of water, Sakra among the celestial, Havya-vaha (fire) among the Vasus, the tiger among beasts, and Garuda among feathery tribes!" Arjuna replied, "O lord of the Earth, I will declare myself as one of the neuter sex. O monarch, it is, indeed difficult to hide the marks of the bowstring on my arms. I will, however, cover both my cicatrized arms with bangles. Wearing brilliant rings on my ears and conch-bangles on my wrists and causing a braid to hang down from my head, I shall, O king, appear as one of the third sex, Brihannala by name. And living as a female I shall (always) entertain the king and the inmates of the inner apartments by reciting stories. And, O king, I shall also instruct the women of Virata's palace in singing and delightful modes of dancing and in musical instruments of diverse kinds. And I shall also recite the various excellent acts of men and thus conceal myself, O son of Kunti, by feigning disguise. And, O Bharata should the king enquire, I will say that, *I lived as a waiting maid of Draupadi in Yudhishthira's palace*. And, O foremost of kings, concealing myself by this means, as fire is concealed by ashes, I shall pass my days agreeably in the palace of Virata." Vaisampayana continued, "Having said this, Arjuna, that best of men and foremost of virtuous persons, became silent. Then the king addressed another brother of his." xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx *SECTION VIII* Vaisampayana said, "Then another endued with the dreadful strength and blazing in beauty, approached king Virata, with the playful gait of the lion. And holding in hand a cooking ladle and a spoon, as also an unsheathed sword of sable hue and without a spot on the blade, he came in the guise of a cook illumining all around him by his splendour like the sun discovering the whole world. And attired in black and possessed of the strength of the king of mountains, he approached the king of the Matsyas and stood before him. And beholding that king-like person before him, Virata addressed his assembled subjects saying, 'Who is that youth, that bull among men, with shoulders broad like those of a lion, and so exceedingly beautiful? That person, never seen before, is like the sun. Revolving the matter in my mind, I cannot ascertain who he is, nor can I with even serious thoughts guess the intention of that bull among men (in coming here). Beholding him, it seems to me that he is either the king of the Gandharvas, or Purandara himself. Do ye ascertain who it is that standeth before my eyes. Let him have quickly what he seeks.' Thus commanded by king Virata, his swift-footed messengers went up to the son of Kunti and informed that younger brother of Yudhishthira of everything the king had said. Then the high-souled son of Pandu, approaching Virata, addressed him in words that were not unsuited to his object, saying, 'O foremost of kings, I am a cook, Vallava by name. I am skilled in dressing dishes. Do thou employ me in the kitchen!'" Virata said, "I do not believe, O Vallava, that cooking is thy office. Thou resemblest the deity of a thousand eyes; and in grace and beauty and prowess, thou shinest among these all as a king!" Bhima replied, "O king of kings, I am thy cook and servant in the first place. It is not curries only of which I have knowledge, O monarch, although king Yudhishthira always used in days gone by to taste my dishes. O lord of earth, I am also a wrestler. Nor is there one that is equal to me in strength. And engaging in fight with lions and elephants, I shall, O sinless one, always contribute to thy entertainment." Virata said, "I will even grant thee boons. Thou wilt do what thou wishest, as thou describest thyself skilled in it. I do not, however, think, that this office is worthy of thee, for thou deservest this (entire) earth girt round by the sea. But do as thou likest. Be thou the superintendent of my kitchen, and thou art placed at the head of those who have been appointed there before by me." Vaisampayana continued, "Thus appointed in the kitchen, Bhima soon became the favourite of king Virata. And, O king, he continued to live there unrecognised by the other servants of Virata as also by other people!" KR IRS 1222 On Tue, 1 Feb 2022 at 06:03, 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 < [email protected]> wrote: > *KITCHEN* > > Dear Friends, > > In any restaurant we are not permitted to enter kitchen area. Only > exception is for food inspectors. If we peep we can observe the kitchen is > not neat with a lot of item kept in a clumsy manner and many items spilt on > working area. > > In homes also a busy kitchen may not look 100% perfect even with > modernisation. Kitchen and work area can be kept neat after works are over. > However due to modernisation with interior design home kitchens are always > 50% neat. Many new items have come to kitchen. > > It is said that Mahalakshmi resides in Kitchen. So every day during > evening before lighting Lamp one has to ensure kitchen is made neat. > Similarly in the night after meals. Vessels for cleaning has to be given > hand wash and next day full cleaning can be done. This posting is about > present day kitchens in *middleclass* homes. Other than an interesting > reading, nothing more in this posting > > Sincerely, > > Gopalakrishnan 31-1-2022. > > *1. Furnishing kitchen (Kitchen interior work)* > > LPG stove is kept on a platform in most homes. Over RCC finish earlier > kadappa stone prepared as slab was laid over the RCC work. Now thin granite > slab is laid on the platform. Below the platform shelves are provided > except where LPG gas is kept. Either the door is not closed permanently or > holes are provided on the shutter where LPG cylinder is kept. These > shutters give a good appearance to kitchen. > > Above the oven chimney is provided. More number of power sockets is fixed > for easy working of new electrical gadgets. In addition to shelves wall > fitted cupboard is also provided in the kitchen. This cup board is to keep > provision items taken from store room. One sink is provided with water tap > over it. Loft is provided over the cupboard to keep vessels used during > special occasions. Special design fan is provided in kitchen to ensure > flame is not put off in the stove when fan is switched on. In some homes > the LPG is kept in the level of granite. Proper cutting is made for it. > Some stoves work with electric spark. For that a switch is provided to > provide spark. Mostly a lighter is used which is most safe. > > *2. Furnishing work area.* > > Normally in work area also a platform is provided with granite or kadappa > stone slab over RCC work. Below this shelves are provided to keep cleaned > vessels after drying. All vessel cleaning items are kept in a side > shelf. A sink is provided for washing vessels. Below this some kitchen > tools like arumamanai, cutting plate, chappathi plank and roller, mouse > trap etc. are kept in shelf. Spare LPG cylinder is kept in work area. > Cleaning clothes are kept in a container and a closed dustbin is kept on > the platform. Second dustbin is kept below sink. > > Though sink is there, mostly vessels are cleaned outside and kept on the > slab in a framed vessel holder. When lady servant is absent, this sink is > used for emergent washing by home maker. After water has dried, vessels are > kept in shelf .Normally these shelves are not closed. Exhaust fan is > provided in work area. During construction itself most of the interior > is done. Old kitchens are now modified by interior people for best > arrangement. > > *3 Refrigerator* > > Refrigerator is provided at specified distance from LPG stove. > > *4 Knife holder* > > For keeping knives either an ordinary knife holder or magnetic knife > holder is provided. Sometimes both. Present day’s knife holder comes with > provision for 3-4 knives and a scissor and it can be kept in a corner of > the platform. > > *5 Vegetable cutting plank* > > Now we get plank for vegetable cutting either in wood or fibre. Vegetable > cutting plank is also provided with interior. But periodically it has to be > taken out, clean and fix. So most do not use it. > > *6. Keeping thavas, meals plates and glass tumblers.* > > In the interior work drawer is provided to keep thavas, spoons etc. with > proper separation. Similarly for glass tumblers and tiffin plates. For > meals plate separate provision is given. Other items are kept in shelves. > Below the sink in some homes provision is made to keep brooms with a > shutter for closing. In many homes wet grinder is kept in work area. > Mixer is kept in kitchen. ROS is installed either in work area or in > kitchen. Some homes have two ROS systems so that if one goes faulty the > other can be used. > > 7. Cleaning kitchen floor. > > It can be done in the morning and after cooking, in the night cleaning > kitchen floor is prohibited. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "iyer123" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/605061934.2892295.1643675601118%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/605061934.2892295.1643675601118%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZoqa7sPfo%2B4_MnfK-5LHMrKyJLH6ZQZ2%2BkQrtN%3DYkiP5%3Dw%40mail.gmail.com.
