Honoring Prasadam in Goloka Vrindavana

[Guest guest]

> I've been trying to envision something about life in Goloka Vrindavana,

> and wonder if any of the advanced and realised devotees in this conference

> can throw some light on my questions:

>

> 1) I presume that everyone in Goloka has prasadam only for tasting the

> rasa of Krsna Prema in the prasadam, as one does not need food for bodily

> maintenance. Right?

 

Right, the spiritual body is sac-cid-ananda and so is the prasadam. So there

is no question of bodily maintainence. It is just for the sake of increasing

the bliss of the variegated pastimes.

 

> 2) I also assume that bhoga is prepared in all households. While

> Radharani's bhoga is taken and offered to Krsna by His mother, in the case

> of the other households, does He personally appear in all their homes by

> multiple expansions, in order to accept it as and when offered: after all

> there should be no need to use Deity pictures or other deity forms in

> Goloka, since He is always present there, and also seems to be

> individually present with each devotee?

 

According to Govinda-lilamrta, even in Nanda Maharaja's house, bhoga is

offered to Lord Visnu or saligrama, atleast for the evening prasadam.

Because the Vrajavasis due to their intense love for Krsna, do not see Krsna

as the SPG and the source of the Visnu-tattvas.

 

So in the other houses, either they may offer to some Visnu deity or they

may not offer at all. Because when the elderly and young gopis cook in their

respective houses, they are so fully Krsna conscious and absorbed in pure

love for Krsna that whatever they cook is automatically prasadam i.e.

accepted by Krsna. It is also said in Urdhvamnaya Tantra that any food

prepared in Navadvipa-dhama is prasadam. The same is applicable for

Vrindavan and surely for the spiritual world also. Also we find that very

exalted devotees sometimes offer bhoga to the Lord mentally like Jhadu

Thakura offering mangoes in the Cc. Since every breath of the gopies is an

offering to Krsna's lotus feet, whatever they cook is immediately accepted

by Krsna even though it may not be officially offered.

 

Ofcourse Krsna directly relished the bhoga in each house when He expanded

Himself as the cowherd boys during the one year of the brahma-vimohana-lila.

Also He directly relishes the bhoga from each house daily when He sits with

the cowherd boys on the banks of the Yamuna for enjoying snacks or lunch.

Also He does so during festivals like Govardhana-puja, Janmastami,

Radhastami etc.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Your aspiring servant, Bhaktiratna Sadhu Swami