When Miss M. came to the temple yesterday afternoon, we cats were just finishing our lunch. When I greeted her, she asked me whether cats pray before eating, like the Christians say Grace before each meal. I answered no, we're all usually so hungry we gobble up our food without much ado.
Miss M. laughed and asked whether I would like to learn a food mantra. I had developed a passion for mantras since coming to the temple and am still trying to perfect the Great Compassionate Mantra but Miss M. said this new one is in Sanskrit and is very beneficial for everyone. Sanskrit! Oh boy, that's going to be another tough one, I thought to myself but I'm always ready to take up another challenge.
Miss M. gave me the words of the mantra and recited it for me to hear. She also left a CD with a nun and asked her to play it for me whenever I wanted to listen to it. Here it is:
Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir
Brahmagnau Brahmana Hutam
Brahmaiva Tena Ghantavyam
Brahmakarma Samadhinaha
The act of offering is God, the oblation is God
By God it is offered into the Fire of God
God is That which is to be attained by him who sees God in all
Aham Vaishvanaro Bhutva
Praninaam Dehamaa Ashritaha
Prana Pana Samayuktah
Pachamyannam Chaturvidham
Becoming the life-fire in the bodies of living beings mingling with the upward and downward breaths, I digest the four kinds of food.
Miss M. said prayer cleanses the food of the three impurities caused by the absence of cleanliness of the vessel, cleanliness of the food stuff and cleanliness in the process of cooking. As many thoughts rage through the mind of the person doing the cooking, all the vibes, positive or negative are passed to the food. It is necessary to get rid of these three impurities to purify the food, for pure food goes into the making of a pure mind.
I have observed that very often the temple cook relates stories she has seen over telly to the nuns while she's cooking. These stories are mostly sad soap operas with tragic endings or ghost stories. No wonder I get nightmares every now and then! To tell the cook to shut up and just cook could mean no meals for me for the rest of my life, so I figured it would be good to learn the mantra.
After weeks of painful practice, I finally mastered it. It was even more difficult than the Great Compassionate Mantra. My ear and tongue had never worked so hard before. I had difficulty in pronouncing the B's and P's and most of the time they turned out sounding like M's (as in "meow"). Sometimes I wonder why God made us cats with such limited power of speech while humans can say anything from A to Z.
Come breakfast time this Sunday, I gathered Ning and the other two cats together and told them I was going to recite a food prayer to purify our food. They listened disinterestedly and said, "Alright, if you have to do it, but be quick about it." It didn't turn out that easy. The prayer was quite a mouthful and I forgot a few words here and there and had to start all over again several times. By then, the cats were getting impatient. I could hear their stomachs growling.
"Alright, alright," I said. "One last try and if that doesn't work, we forget it - for this time."
It didn't work out and the cats dived into their food. "I just need a little bit more practice, guys," I told them. I practised the rest of the afternoon and when dinner time came, I was ready - at least I thought I was. All three cats were looking daggers at me. "You'd better get it right this time, pal, or we'll have you for dinner," growled one of them. Ning was more tolerant. "Give the guy a chance, after all he's doing us a favour."
Well, call me a coward but with three hungry cats ready to pounce on me and cut me up for dinner, I decided it was wiser to forget the whole thing. "Er ...I seem to have a sudden sore throat ... I think we'll skip the prayer this evening. Sorry, guys!" I mumbled, trying to sound as apologetic as possible.
I can only conclude that this food prayer is not meant for us cats. If you want to listen to it, go to the video below. Bon appetit!
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