The value of Prasad

[Guest guest]

>From The Razor's edge by Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri

 

The Value of Prasad

 

I remember an incident that took place many years ago when Amma

visited the house of a devotee. I was still working in a bank at that

time. When I finished work that evening, I went straight to the house

Amma was visiting. I arrived at about nine o'clock.

 

In those days, Amma often visited the houses of devotees, many of

whom were very poor. Amma would lovingly accept bhiksha (offering)

they placed before Her. As fish was much cheaper than vegetables,

rice and fish were usually the main staples in the diet of the poor

in that area. Amma, Herself, was a strict vegetarian; but out of

compassion, She would eat whatever food these people offered Her,

because She didn't want to hurt them or trouble them in any way.

 

When I arrived at the house that evening, Amma had just started

eating with the devotees. As soon as She saw me, She gave me a

handful of food. I took it respectfully, but when I looked at it, I

saw a big chunk of fish!

 

I was born and brought up in a family that adhered to a strict

vegetarian diet. So, when I saw the piece of fish, I immediately

dropped it. I felt disgusted. Amma asked,"Why did you throw that

away? It is prasad."

 

I said, "I don't want it because it's fish!" Although I was bothered

by the smell of the fish, somehow I sat there until Amma finished

eating.

 

Because of my loathing for the smell of fish, I threw up a few

minutes later. After I finished vomiting, I reached for a bowl of

water that was next to Amma. I didn't know that after eating the

fish, She had washed Her hands in that water. Finding no other source

of water, I just grabbed the bowl and started washing my face and

rinsing my mouth. When Amma saw this, She smiled mischeviously. I

didn't know why She was smiling. A few others sitting around Amma

started laughing, thinking that I was about to have a nightmarish

experiene from tasting fishy water and washing my face with it.

 

I used all the water, and as I rinsed with it, I discovered that the

water smelled like pure rosewater. The fragrance was lovely - a great

relief to me after the smell of that fish!

 

By that time everyone had finished eating, and the dishes were

removed. But still I felt that there was a smell of fish coming from

somewhere. I then noticed, to my surprise, that the fishy smell was

coming from the stuff I had vomited. I couldn't believe it because I

hadn't eaten any fish. So I understood there was something "fishy"

about the whole situation!

 

One would have expected that the water in the bowl in which Amma had

washed Her hands would smell like fish. Instead, it emitted the most

wonderful fragrance of roses, while the stuff vomitted by me, a

strict vegetarian, smelled of fish, even though I hadn't eaten any

fish. I then realized this was a lesson for me about disrespecting

the Guru's prasad. When I threw the prasad away, I had forgotten to

think of Amma as the Goddess. I looked upon Amma as an ordinary

person and didn't consider the food given by Her as prasad. Whatever

food the Guru gives is prasad. We should accept it wholeheartedly.

 

At that time, I had already been worshipping Amma for some time and

had even had a vision of Her as the Goddess. This vision was

elevating for a while and certainly reinforced my faith in Her, but I

was still not able to sustain the conviction, at all times and in all

circumstances, that Amma is one with the Divine Mother. If we can

sustain this conviction continuously, we can perform all our actions

with more love and dedication. Amma says that when we develop the

attitude of dedication, one by one our negative tendencies will fade

away.

 

Amme Sharanam,

ota

[Guest guest]

Ammachi, "one_tiny_atom" <one_tiny_atom>

wrote:

>

> From The Razor's edge by Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri

 

 

Atom:

 

LOL. Thanks for this "fishy" story.

 

-yogaman