SOS Non-devotees sponsoring prasadam in our Indian temples

[Guest guest]

Dear Vaisnavas,

Hare Krsna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila

Prabhupada.

 

I have put this message together in about 15 minutes so excuse my mistakes.

But this is SOS message which brings to light a particular aspect which if

taken care of will solve to a considerable extent the problems the Indian

ISKCON temples are facing.

 

In India we manytimes face the situation of some life-members who are not

devotees sponsor prasadam for the devotees but Prabhupada clearly says in

the two purports below from the Cc that Krsna & the pure devotees never

accept this kind of prasadam and one may become a materialistic man by doing

so and also that this is showbottle devotional service. So ISKCON temples

should avoid this at all costs to preserve the consciousness of the

devotees. I feel this is one of the major factors contributing to the

problems the ISKCON Indian temples are facing atpresent. Devotees get

influenced by materialist consciousness very fast by eating this kind of

food. Brahmacaries start thinking of marriage and grhastas become grhamedhis

etc. etc. They loose their taste for the Holy Name. And if the cooks are

hired materialistic people then it compounds the problem even more.

 

"Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that people who are advanced

in learning but attached to material enjoyment, who are puffed up by

material possessions, by birth in an elevated aristocratic family or by

education, may offer showbottle devotional service to the Deity and also

offer prasadam to Vaisnavas. Because of their ignorance, however, they

cannot understand that since their minds are materially polluted, neither

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, nor the Vaisnavas accept

their offerings. If one accepts money from such materialistic persons to

offer food to the Deity and Vaisnavas, a pure Vaisnava does not accept it.

This causes unhappiness for the materialists because they are fully absorbed

in the bodily conception of life. Therefore they sometimes turn against the

Vaisnavas."

 

Cc Antya 6.276

 

"Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura suggests that people who are

materialistically inclined and sahajiyas, or so-called Vaisnavas who take

everything very casually, are both visayis, or materialists. Eating food

offered by them causes contamination, and as a result of such contamination,

even a serious devotee becomes like a materialistic man."

 

Cc Antya 6.278

 

"Gaurakisora was very selective about accepting invitations for food. He

believed that partaking of food here and there could adversely affect the

spiritual life of a devotee. Once a devotee name Harenbabu partook of

prasada offered at the festival held at Bhajan-kutir at Navadvipa. For this

Gaurakisora stopped communicating with Haren for three days. On the fourth

day Gaurakisora explained that the prasada of the above festival had been

financed by a woman of questionable profession."

 

>From Srila Gaurakishore Dasa Babaji Maharaj's biography

 

Then there is the story (?) of Srila Rupa & Sanatana unknowingly eating a

feast sponsored by a prostitute and momentarily loosing sight of the

astha-kaliya-lila in their heart while other sadhus having bad dreams &

loosing semen in the night.

 

I had read more of these kind of incidences at various places but I get them

together now.

 

Now one may ask what is the solution:

 

I have meditiated upon this for a long time and I like to propose a three

point program which in my humble opinion solves this problem:

 

(1) First only those congregation devotees who are chanting 16 rounds,

following the four regulative principles and are sincere in their devotional

service should be allowed to sponsor prasadam for the devotees . Not that if

any rich man wants to sponsor a feast for the devotees we welcome him open

hands.

 

(2) Note that Prabhupada says in the second purport that the pure Vaisnava

never accepts money from materialist persons to offer food to the Deity and

the Vaisnavas. He specifically says for offering food. So the money coming

as direct donations from materialistic people in the form of LM donations,

Janmasthami, Rama Navami donations etc. can be used for any purpose other

than buying foodstuffs to feed the devotees & the Deities like temple &

devotee maintainence, construction, etc. etc.

 

(3) Special care should be taken that the money coming from selling books &

selling paraphernalia be used for buying foodstuffs for offering to the

Deities & devotees. This money is obtained by selling our books &

paraphernalia and that is why it is considered pure. That is why Prabhupada

felt great pride to say that his temples are maintained by the selling of

his books.

 

This situation may not be big problem in our temples outside India because

materialistic people in other countries don't give direct donations in the

big quantities to the temples. There the temples sell books etc. and

maintain themselves or some congregational devotee gives regular donations.

 

So I would sincerely like to request our leaders in India to take this

matter very very seriously and act immediately in this regard to protect the

spiritual lives of the devotees under their care.

 

Your servant,

Nayana-rañjana d€sa

[Guest guest]

>5. In India, when Srila Prabhupada was travelling in long distance trains

>for preaching purposes, I have heard he has permitted his disciples to

>purchase fried Poories from the Railway Platform Vendors. These poories

>were definitely not Prasadam. He permitted this because they were on

>travel for preaching purposes. He said there is no Karma for purchased

>?food, but he told his disciples to watch the frying of poories as

>otherwise the cook's cosciousness will go into the poories. He suggested

>it was better to buy fried items like poories than cooked items like Rice.

> He said in these extreme conditions devotees could eat purchased

>vegetarian without onion, garlic by saying Sri Vishnu, Sri Vishnu, Sri

>Vishnu three times.

 

Factually, Prabhupada did NOT give this instruction. It is a speculation.

The devotees in Australia had speculated (from the acamana process) that you

could say Sri Visnu three times to offer a drink. Gradually it evolved to

offering food as well. When Srila Prabhupada first heard a devotee saying

Sri Vishnu three times, he inquired what he was doing. The devotee was

shocked and explained that all the devotees did it. Prabhupada asked, "Why

not Hare Krishna mantra?" Then he explained that saying Sri Visnu three

times is only for water. So that was the end of the Sri Visnu offering.

However, it had already spread beyond Australia and before long even the

Australians began doing it again, and it lives on to this day. A speculation

that has become parampara.

 

This reminds me of when Bhaktivinoda Thakur requested Caran dasa Babaji in

Puri to tell his followers to stop chanting, (bhaja) nitai gaur radhe shyam

(japa) hare krsna hare rama, as it was not a bona fide mantra. Babaji

replied that it was too late as it had already been accepted and spread all

over.

 

In Vrindavan one time, I mentioned to Dr OBL Kapoor that this was not a bona

fide mantra and he answered that it was not a mantra, it was a song that

instructed us to worship Radha Govinda and Gaura Nitai, and to chant japa of

the maha mantra.

He stated that Lord Chaitanya taught that we should not chant the maha

mantra as kirtan. He cited the Caitanya Bhagavat as pramana. I asked him to

show me the sloka as I know Bengali. The word in question was nirbandha

which he said meant 'silently'. I suggested nirbandha meant without stopping

and I broke the word down etymologically. 'Nir' means without, and 'bandha'

means to stop. I gave the example that when there is a bandh in the city all

work stops, like a strike. He gave me a quizzical look and said nirbandha

could also mean that but in this case it meant without sound.

 

At this point I dropped the subject since Vaishnava etiquette demanded that

a junior not correct a senior (and he was very senior to me). I did further

research on the point and it was confirmed by others that nirbandha means

without cessation. If you do a Folio search, Prabhupada translated nirbandha

in many variations but never meaning 'without cessation'.

 

yours in service, vaiyasaki dasa...