How did ‘Bhagavad Gita’ transform the life of an International Chef ?

The author addressing business leaders at an international event organized by the Government of India.

Surendra Kumar Bansal, International Chef and Founder Director — ‘Namaste’ chain of restaurants.

Though I had always been deeply spiritual, But, somehow like most people, did not have much clarity in this matter. I considered myself a seeker of truth and God. So, I delved into reading whatever seemed ‘spiritual’ and heard from whomever I thought could enlighten me on this path.

So, prior to reading “Bhagvad Gita- As it is” I had been reading various spiritual books by random authors including the popular Bhagvad Gita version, printed from Gorakhpur in North India. However, while all this literature was comforting for that short moment, it rarely had a lasting impact on my mind and my deep-rooted behavioral patterns. I struggled to differentiate between right and wrong, as I tried to fulfill my professional and domestic responsibilities in most ideal ways. This was very counter-productive and misleading for me as a novice on the path of self-realization.

A copy of “Bhagavad Gita-As It Is’ , the book that transformed the author, along with chanting beads.

Once I started reading ‘Bhagavad Gita-As It Is’ by ISKCON Founder Acarya — Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, in the beginning, I could not understand much due to which my motivation to continue kept on diminishing. However, I had heard many unique benefits of reading ‘Bhagavad Gita -As It Is’, therefore I kept going, reading one page after another. To my surprise, answers to my questions started revealing in the form of conversation (Gitopadesha) between Arjun and Lord Krishna. As I continued reading further, my acts automatically started getting self- correct.

Some of the mention-worthy habits & queries that BG-As it is helped me fixing and addressing are the :

1. Clarity on the exact identity of Supreme God.
2. Clarity on the relationship between God (Krishna) and man
3. Hierarchy of various spiritual paths and their respective destinations
4. Position of demigods(devatas) and their limitations
5. Cessation of self-limiting thoughts
6. Craving for Sensory Pleasures
7. Principle of God Conscious family life
8. Clarity on life after death
9. and counting…

The aforementioned clarifications are a rocket shoot for someone like me, who had been carrying the burden of these very fundamental questions. They posed as a huge stumbling boulder on my spiritual progress. Despite the fact that I am yet to have fully applied the knowledge learned from “Bhagavad Gita -As it is” in my own life, but I am more than happy to have my doubts cleared before taking off to the next level of my spiritual journey.

A view of one of the restaurants of ‘Namaste’ chain, of which the author is Founder Director.

I am now applying Bhagavad Gita principles in my profession as a Chef and Founder of an International Chain of Restaurants. I am halfway through a course in Ayurvedic Nutrition, which will help me prepare sattvik and healthy meals for our international guests. These will be offered to Lord Krishna and served as prasad. Thus, they will get not only get physically nourished but will also get spiritually enlivened.

I am thankful to Srila Prabhupad for writing such a masterpiece and also to the devotee who gave me the ‘book’ that got me ‘hooked’ to Lord Krishna.

“HARE KRISHNA”