HKC 7: Chutneys, Raitas & Curries

Chutneys and raitas are accompaniments or side dishes served with rice, vegetables, bread and savories. Generally, chutneys are made with fruits and are hot and sweet. Raitas usually consist of a vegetable prepared with yoghurt and salt; they are similar to salads and are simple to prepare.

With a little experience, it is easy to determine which chutney or raita will be most palatable with each offering. For instance, peach chutney is very tasty with cauliflower pakora, and cucumber raita goes well with steamed rice, plain cuddy and plain pakora. Tomato chutney is excellent with potato kachoris, Radhaballabha kachoris, samosas, baras and so on. Raitas and chutneys should also be chosen for their colors and arranged very nicely on the offering plate.

As it is said, "Variety is the spice of life." The Supreme Personality of Godhead, being the reservoir of all bliss, cannot be impersonal. The idea of impersonal oneness is monotonous and dull, whereas the unlimited spiritual varieties which are present within Krsna are an eternal source of transcendental pleasure for His devotees.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has prescribed a very simple program by which anyone can easily make progress in the spiritual life of Krsna consciousness even in the present age of quarrel and hypocrisy. It is simply to hear about Krsna's philosophy and activities from authorized scriptures like Bhagavad-gita As it Is and Srimad-Bhagavatam, to chant the Hare Krsna mantra and dance in ecstasy, and, when one feels tired after chanting and dancing, to rest and enjoy sumptuous krsna-prasadam. When Lord Caitanya was propagating this sahkirtana movement in the holy city of Jagannatha Puri, there were standing orders to the managers of the Jagannatha temple that Lord Caitanya's devotees should have as much prasadam as they wanted. Every evening there would be chanting and dancing with thousands of devotees, and then there would be profuse distribution of krsna-prasadam. Therefore this sahkirtana movement of Lord Caitanya is simply transcendentally pleasing, and every living entity can take part in it and relish the essence of all bliss.