What is really prasadam

Respected Swamiji and all devotees

    Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!

Jaya Visnupada Srila Prabhupada!

Jaya Swami Gaurangpada!

All glories to the guru parampara!

All glories to the Vaisnavas!

   I found this article on prasada over the net and thought it might be useful.

Devotee:  In a recent Krsna Talk you mentioned that we should appreciate  prasadam more deeply, but I have also heard you say that  everything called 'prasadam' may not actually be prasadam. This  seems to be inconsistent, so can you please explain this more clearly?

Swami Narasingha:  There are gradations in all things, prasadam included. There are  many things to consider. It is easy to say it is prasadam because it  comes from a 'temple,' but in fact the offering may not have been accepted by  Krsna.

In the Hyderbad temple it  so happened that Srila Prabhupada once asked to taste the prasadam that  was being distributed to the guests. When he tasted the prasadam he was  upset and he called for the leaders of the temple. He asked them, "What is  this?" To which they replied, "It is prasadam Srila Prabhupada." Then to  everyone's dismay Srila Prabhupada said, "This is not prasadam, this is  garbage! You cannot offer just anything to Krsna. Krsna is not a garbage  disposal."

It was discovered that the  cook was not a qualified Vaishnava and he was then removed from that service.  Srila Prabhupada did not forget about that incident for a long time. A few days  later while taking prasadam in the home of Sri Bogilal Patel, a prominent  life member, Srila Prabhupada commented to Bogilal that, "These boys eat  garbage. Before I came they ate all garbage."

There had been a  controversy in the Hyderbad temple for some time and some of the devotees were  saying that the 'prasadam' was not actually prasadam. Something was wrong and  some devotees could sense that. But, whoever said that was called an offender.  Later when Srila Prabhupada gave his opinion they were of course vindicated.  [Editors Note: The devotee who had pointed out to the temple president that the  offerings were improper was Swami B. G. Narasingha]

The offerings in the  Hyderbad temple had not been prepared properly and therefore the offerings were  not accepted by Krsna. Many things are required for the preparation of an  offering to Krsna. The consciousness of the cook is very important in preparing  an offering. The consciousness of the one who makes the offering is also  important and also the consciousness of the person distributing the  prasadam and also the consciousness of the person taking the  prasadam is important.

If one takes  prasadam of the Deity but does so in the mood of enjoyment then he does  not get the full benefit of prasadam, but rather he falls victim to his  senses. This has been explained by Srila Prabhupada as follows:

"However, if one accepts  prasada only because of its palatable taste and thus eats too much, he also  falls prey to trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue. Sri Caitanya  Mahaprabhu taught us to avoid very palatable dishes even while eating  prasadam. If we offer palatable dishes to the Deity with the intention of  eating such nice food, we are involved in trying to satisfy the demands of the  tongue. In Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya 6.227) it is stated:

jihavara lalase yei  iti-uti dhaya

sisnodara-parayana krsna  nahi paya

'That person who runs here  and there seeking to gratify his palate and who is always attached to the  desires of his stomach and genitals is unable to attain Krsna.'"

Even the selling of bona  fide prasadam may be an offense against prasadam. The accepted  tradition is that a temple may sell maha-prasadam to the temple visitors  and the revenues from those sales are to be directly utilized in the service of  the Deity. However, if the prasadam is sold to a third party who in turn  sells the prasadam for a profit and uses that revenue for material sense  gratification then an offense to prasadam is created.

The power of  prasadam and maha-prasadam is always transcendental, but if  allowed to be exploited by anyone for material purposes then an offense is  created.

There is a story in this  regard that once Ramanujacarya fed a fish the maha-prasadam of the Deity.  The fish jumped out of the water to grab the prasadam in its mouth and  before it could enter the water again the fish assumed a Vaikuntha form and  entered the Vaikuntha planets. The disciples of Ramanuja saw this and inquired  from their guru as to why they had not yet received a Vaikuntha form since they  had received maha-prasadam many times. Ramanuja replied that his  disciples were trying to enjoy the prasadam which is an aparadha,  offense. The fish he said made no such aparadha and therefore he attained  Vaikuntha.

There was also once an  incident wherein some devotees came to Srila Sridhar Maharaja to ask him about  the "prasadam cookie distribution" in Los Angles. They informed Srila  Sridhar Maharaja that thousands of people were taking the 'prasadam  cookies' and they wanted to know if by taking such prasadam the people  were guaranteed at least a human body in their next life? Srila Sridhara  Maharaja said that would depend on what type of prasadam it actually was.  He commented that there is gradation in all things and that there are  considerations about the prasadam, such as who cooked it, who offered it,  who distributed it, and in what consciousness it was honored, etc. Srila  Sridhara Maharaja did not simply accept that anything in the name of  'prasadam' was actually prasadam or that all 'prasadam' was  the same.

Sridhara Maharaja spoke  the following in regard to this issue:

"The current must be  there. Only wiring has no value. Do you follow? Connecting wiring but no  current. So Vaikuntha nama grahane, the Vaikuntha connection, transcendental  connection must be there. Otherwise form is form, useless. But the spirit must  be within the form. Form is also necessary, wiring also necessary to utilize the  electric current. But mere wiring has got no utility. The current must be there.  So prasad distribution, all these external exhibition. But if the real  connection with divinity otherwise all trade. Otherwise ulterior motive may be  there as a business. Yati Goswami, the Bhagavata reading, taking money and  reading Bhagavata is a class of trade. That may be trade but if the man who is  at the back he has got sincere connection with the Lord then the connection  coming and pervades everywhere, that is prasadam. Otherwise imitation.  Imitation is not a real thing. So Bhaktivinode Thakura's congregation  sankirtana. At least one man, the leader of the party must be suddha bhakta,  pure devotee, the kirtana party guided under the pure devotee. Then we shall  otherwise we will be dancing and jumping in the mundane plane. Connection must  be there the electric connection."

 

 

In your service

Srinath

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