Thandai is a drink of celebration in India, drunk by hundreds of millions on major holidays.
It is a drink of honey, milk and nut milks, with spices and bhang, or cannabis. The recipes can get creative, and even include floating fruits.
It can be very potent with the right amount of fresh bhang. Interestingly, a potent drink can be made from simply powdered leaf (especially when fresh), which most Americans won't even bother with as being weaker than buds. It is a powerful psychedelic at the right dose, but usually is weak enough for the family to enjoy and offer to friends.
But on MahaShivratri, the holy night of Shiva, a thandai sanctified by ritual and sometimes by satguru, called mahaprasad, is drunk by Shaivas (devotees of Shiva). The Mahaprasad is often given mantra, or also a charged mercury shivling, or small Shiva lingam (symbol of universal being), is dipped in the brew.
After ritually performing mass chanting and abhishek, or the bathing of a temple shivling with pure water, and the placing thereon of mystic signs and fragrant garlands, leaves and fruits, many Shaivas stay up all night in devotion, and yogis meditate, holding sacred space in the temples.
It is understood that the mahaprasad relaxes and opens certain circuits, allowing communion with Shiva to be deeper on his sacred night than at other times of the year.
Most people in the Americas experience pot in terms of a smoking culture, myself no exception. I actually have little experience with ingested cannabis. Until I drank some mahaprasad in India in February, I had only ever eaten a few small doses of brownies etc. The effects were much like euphoric smoking. I usually vaporize my daily meds.
But drinking mahaprasad twice, once at an ashram temple and once ten days later in the Himalayas, I now understand that fresh thandai can be a major psychedelic. Very spiritual, OEV renders companions as flaming spirits, along with intense, meaningful, telepathic, rich, refined and quick CEVs. I really had no idea, oddly enough I had never really heard much about this aspect of cannabis use. I'm amazed, actually.
Since visiting this Himalayan land of Shiva, the Gangotri Range, on a yoga tour, I get the impression that many yogis and local mountain folk drink thandai with some regularity, at least for part of their lives. It was interesting to witness the roadsides and open fields of wild cannabis on the Ganges plains, and in the grounds surrounding Shiva temples in the high country.
I may explore the proper preparation tek for mahaprasad. Thandai is simple enough to make, but the spiritual preparation makes a difference I am sure.
What is the recipe for this bhang mixture you are talking about? How long do they boil it on a fire for? What type of pot pan do they boil it is? I would be very interested on how they make this bhang drink. Thank you.
Jamison Schuetz
http://www.geocities.com/jsheetz20012005/ (http://www.geocities.com/jsheetz20012005/) :mrgreen: