Govindaji's mahaprasadam - Conclusive Comments

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> * Gaurakishoradasa Babaji would sometimes refuse to eat even the temple

> prasada; implicit in this is that Krishna didn't actually eat such

> offerings, that those responsible for them were somehow impure. He may

> have even said this too, I don't remember now. But Prabhupada also made

> it clear to us that Krishna doesn't have any obligation to eat what we

> offer Him--even if we are pure--what to speak of if we aren't. Prasada

> isn't always so just because people think or claim it as such, just as it

> is with so-called gurus.

>

> I've repeatedly asked about the original source of this Jaipur story,

> because only a bonafide authority with aparoksha vision can really know

> when Krishna actually accepts offerings and eats.

 

> Often enough, it just isn't so easy even for those with the highest

> qualifications to get Krishna to eat (cf. Bhagavatam, 10.11.13). But just

> imagine if we can succeed!

 

HG Mukunda Datta Prabhu is perfectly right.

 

Only the author of the book Dr. OBL Kapoor must have known the original

source. But it is very clear from Prabhupada's purports that actually Krsna

& the Vaisnavas do not accept this kind of offerings.

 

Cc Antya 6.276 purport:

 

"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."

 

The story of the prostitute is quite consistent with this understanding

considering the fact that Govindadeva's pujari refused to accept the money

of the prostitute in the beginning knowing that Govindadevaji does not

accept such offerings. But Govindadevaji relented afterwards seeing the

determination of the devotee turned prostitute to serve Him.

 

Now the question can be raised that how after Govindadevaji accepted it how

did the sinful reactions remain in the mahaprasadam and it affected the

Vaisnavas who ate it?

 

I feel this is answered in the above purport:

 

"If one accepts money from such materialistic persons to offer food to the

Deity and Vaisnavas, a pure Vaisnava does not accept it."

 

Here Prabhupada is making this statement after saying that the Deity and

Vaisnavas don't accept it. So this statement does sound like he is talking

of the case when the Deity accepts it.

 

Let's analyse this statement:

 

"If one accepts money from such materialistic persons to offer food to the

Deity and Vaisnavas"

 

It means that assuming the money is accepted and food is offered to the

Deity already...

 

"a pure Vaisnava does not accept it"

 

It should mean that a pure Vaisnava does not accept even such mahaprasadam.

 

That's what Govindadeva told the sadhus that who had told you to eat it

without finding out the source. I just told the pujari to offer it to Me.

You should have taken a grain to honour it. Even Gaura Kishore Dasa Babaji

used to instruct his followers like this as Mukunda Datta Prabhu points out.

 

Even Lord Caitanya was hesitant in eating the feasts cooked & offered by the

greatest devotee Srila Raghunatha dasa Goswami because they were apparently

sponsored by pounds & shilling men i.e the father & uncle of RDG. Imagine

the great devotee like RDG cooking and offering it to the Lord but still the

Lord was happy when He was stopped from being invited after two years and

said visayera anna kaile malina haile mana.

 

Bhagavan Acharya, a mahabhagavata cooked for LC white rice brought by Chota

Haridasa (a renunciate) from Madhavi devi. When LC ate the rice he asked

about who has brought it and from where and then He banished Chota Haridasa

from His association.

 

Now the question is raised that aham tvam sarve papebhyo...

when Krsna accepts He takes away all the sinful reaction in the food, then

why is this happening?

 

But we have forgotten that Krsna says sarva dharman parityjya mam ekam

saranam vraja. When you abandon all your so-called religions and surrender

unto Me fully, it is then and only then that Krsna takes away all the sinful

reactions.

 

Cc Antya 6.276

 

"If one engages for the service of the Lord whatever money one has honestly

earned, that is spiritual service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the

spiritual master and the Vaisnavas."

 

Even if it is mahaprasad but Krsna accepts according to the surrender of the

person who is offering. Therefore there are different degrees of

mahaprasadam as Dvarkadhisa Prabhu points out.

 

> We have 3 persons and 3 stages (kanistha,etc) and 3 gunas influencing

> mental condition. So, looks like we can have so many varietes of prasadam.

 

There is devotional service mixed with ignorance, passion & goodness.

Similarly the offerings to the Lord or to his devotees are also mixed with

ignorance, passion & goodness depending upon the persons & the circumstances

involved.

 

I would conclude with this verse from Cc spoken by LC Himself:

 

visayira anna haya `rajasa' nimantrana

data, bhokta--dunhara malina haya mana

 

"When one accepts an invitation from a person contaminated by the material

mode of passion, the person who offers the food and the person who accepts

it are both mentally contaminated.

 

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that there are three varieties of

invitations-those in the mode of goodness, those in passion and those in

ignorance. An invitation accepted from a pure devotee is in the mode of

goodness, an invitation accepted from a person who is pious but materially

attached is in the mode of passion, and an invitation accepted from a person

who is materially very sinful is in the mode of ignorance.

 

Your servant,

Nayana-rañjana d€sa