Question 1 – During the 2nd month of Chaturmasya, why am I not allowed kadi sauce? That is not yogurt, it is cooked. Related: Why am I allowed to have yogurt with subji for taste? How often can I do that?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
As far as I know it is only dahi by itself which is prohibited and not something like kadi sauce.
Question 2 – Earlier, the first month of the Chaturmasya fast was from spinach; later it became all leafy greens. How did that change occur?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
The change in the list of restrictions arose when Jayapataka Swami explained that the word used for the restriction in the 1st month is “Shak” or “Sag.” “Shak” includes not only spinach but all varieties of green leafy vegetables like kale, Swiss chard, lettuce, Amaranthus, collard, mustard, dandelion, etc. Especially in Bengali cooking, they designate a wide variety of greens as “sag” or “shak” and not only spinach.
Question 3 – At one point fasting from urad dahl was required, but now we are required to fast from all dahls. Why does this keep changing?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
It is only urad dahl; I never heard it expanded to other dahls. Our first Vaisnava calendar software was based on a translation of the rules given by Bhanu Swami. Since then (from 2006) further research done by the Vaisnava Calendar Committee MAY have found out more details.
