*Sunshine Sunday *Keep Smiling *God *Ego - Swami Chinmayananda.

18/07/2018

In 1988, when Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda was giving a Yagna in Melbourne, a devotee had the chance to make an afternoon snack and she planned to cook spinach pastries for him.

She washed the spinach six times to avoid any grit, bought the finest olive oil, the freshest filo pastry and ricotta cheese, and fresh herbs. She sweated over every detail and watched the pastry triangles bake until they were perfectly golden brown.

Swamiji came out from his afternoon nap in the best of spirits. With a mischievous grin on his face, he watched her as she fussed over arranging the little pastries and stirring his tea.

“What’s this?” he asked as he peered interestedly at the snacks.
“Spinach triangles, Swamiji. It’s a Greek recipe,” she replied, heart in her mouth.
 He ate one. “Mmmm,” he said. He ate another and then another. “Not bad delicious! You made these?”
By this time, she was quite rosy with pleasure. “Yes, Swamiji.” He looked at her intently, “What’s in there?”
 “Greek pastry, Swamiji — and ricotta cheese, spinach, and herbs.” “You really made them?” he asked.
 By this time, she was getting a little put off by his questioning: “Yes, Swamiji!”
 “You made the pastry dough?”
 “Oh no, Swamiji, I bought that ready-made.” She replied
“Hmm. You made the cheese?”
 “No, Swamiji, I bought that cheese.”
 “The spinach . . . ?”
 “I got it at the market, Swamiji.”
 “So you made them?” He looked at her with that penetrating, loving, teasing gaze that strips away all the illusions and defences of the ego, which has the habit of appropriating God’s #creation for its own glory

“They’re very good,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

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