Mahaprasada by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

[Guest guest]

What is the need for offering foodstuffs to the Lord? What is the purpose of

honouring mahaprasada?

 

Honouring mahaprasada is not only symbplic of the superior life of the

Vaisnavas, but it is a part of worship, which ordinary theists cannot fully

understand. Ordinary men are very much inclined to preserve the superiority

of reason over the intuitive feelings of man toward the God of love. We must

now precede to show with healthy arguments that our intuitive feelings want

us to offer everything we eat to the Lord of our heart. We must first

examine the arguments of the antagonists.

 

The rationalist states that God is infinite and without wants, and

consequently it is foolish to offer eatables to such a being. It is

sacrilege to offer created things to the creator and thereby degrade the

divinty of God, treating Him as a human being. These are reasonable

arguments indeed, and one who has heard them will certainly be inclined to

tell others, "down with mahaprasada." These conclusions, which may appear

reasonable, are dry and destructive. They tend to seperate us from all

connection in worshipping God. When you say that the Infinite wants nothing,

you forbid all contemplation and prayer. The infinite does not want your

grateful expression or flattery. Utter a word to the unconditioned Lord and

you are sure to degrade Him into a conditioned being. Hymns, prayers and

sermons are all over! Shut your temple door and church gates because our

rationalist has advised you to do so. Believe a creative principle and you

have done your duty! Oh! What a shame! What a dreadful fall! Theists, beware

of these degrading principles!

 

Now the rationalist appears in another form and allows prayers, sermons,

psalms, and church going, saying that these things are wanted for the

improvement of the soul, but God does not want them at all. We are glad that

the rationalist has come toward us and will make further approaches in the

course of time.

 

Yes, the progressive rationalist has admitted a very broad principle in

theology: whatever we do toward God is for our own benefit and not for the

benefit of God, who is not in want of anything. However, the rationalist is

a rationalist still and will continue to be so as long as he seeks

self-interest. We know for certain that religion promises to give eternal

happiness to man and it is impossible to conceive of any religion, which is

not based on self-interest. This view, however, smells of utilitarianism and

can never be theism. We must love God for God's sake even if our actions

appear unreasonable. Our love must be without any goal concerning ourselves.

This love must be natural emotion to the deity, as our well-wisher, without

inference or experience. Salvation, dear as it is, should not be the object

of this love. What then about other forms of happiness? Love of God is it's

own reward. Salvation, as a concomitant consequence, must be a servant of

love, but we must not look on it as the main goal. If a rationalist is

prepared to believe this, he becomes a theist of the Vaisnava class, but the

mere assuming of a name is of no consequence.

 

Though fully aware that the Lord is completely unconditioned, our holy and

sweet principle of love takes a different view to that of the rationalist.

Reason says one thing but love prescribes the opposite. Reason tells me that

God has no sorrow, but love sees God in tears for His sons who are misled to

evil. Reason tells me that the strict laws of God reward and punish me in a

cold manner, but love reveals that God slackens His laws to the repentant

soul. Reason tells me that, with all his improvements, man will never touch

God, but love preaches that on the conversion of the soul into a state of

spiritual womanhood, God, unconditioned as He is accepts an eternal marriage

with the liberated soul. Reason tells me that God is in infinite space and

time, but love describes that the all-beautifull Lord is sitting before us

like a respected relative and enjoying the pleasures of society. As a father

in his amusements with his young children, God is spreading all sorts of

delicious food all over the earth and expecting His sons to gather them for

their own benefit. But the loving children, out of their holy and unmixed

love, gather all the scattered blessings and with strong feelings of love,

regardless of reason, offer all the blessings to the Father whom they love

more than their lives.

 

The Father again, in reply to their kind feelings, gives back the offering

to the children and kindly tells them, "O My children! These blessings are

intended for you! Out of your natural love, your bring them to Me for My

enjoyment, but naturally I have no wants for you to supply. I have, however,

accepted that part of your offering which is for Me: your unmixed love and

unbiased affections, for which I am exceedingly anxious. Take back these

sweet things and enjoy them."

 

This process of unbiased love, which dry reason can never approach,

sanctifies the food we take and brings us harmless enjoyment every day of

our natural life! This is a system of sincere worship, which theists of a

higher class alone can act upon. We cannot express the joy often felt when

we took the mahaprasada in the temple! The holiness we attach to it is its

sweetness and often we pray that all men may enjoy it.

 

(The Temple of Jagannatha at Puri)