20 jun 2026, amritapuri
recently we were served mangoes. after two or three days, they started ripening nicely. each brahmachari got three or four mangoes. they had come from our agricultural land in kambam, tamil nadu.
i made a simple recipe with them.
cut the mangoes into pieces, add salt, chilli powder, and pure coconut oil. close the lid and shake well while chanting the mantra.
the taste is awesome.
“omg!”, “wow!”, “adipoli!” — these were the usual comments after people tasted it.
then something interesting happened.
everyone who tasted it started bringing their share of mangoes to me to prepare the same recipe!
the thing i wanted to tell you is this…
i had kept some leftover chilli powder in a plastic container. the next day, i noticed ants all over it.
there is a malayalam saying: “കരിക്കട്ട ഉറുമ്പരിക്കും, തീക്കട്ട ഉറുമ്പരിക്കുമോ? karikkatta urumparikkum, theekkatta urumbu arikkumo?” literally: “Ants will scroll on a piece of charcoal, but will ants ever scroll on a burning ember?
meaning: some things are so unlikely that they should never happen.
so why were the ants there?
maybe when i closed the lid, there was a little coconut oil on my hand.
or perhaps…
they too felt,
ye dil maange more… 😄