Prasadam distribution as the duty of a sannyasi

[Guest guest]

Sanny€sa Initiation Lecture

—

Calcutta, January 26, 1973

 

....Just like in our temples, everywhere, we are daily feeding so many

daridras. So many. In Los Angeles, in New York, and M€y€pur also, daily we

are feeding five hundred to one thousand people. They are daridras. So that

is the duty of every temple. There we're feeding not only Hindus and, only,

but Muslims also. Anyone. Anyone come here and take pras€dam. And the whole

village is so satisfied with these activities. Temple means there must be

sufficient foodstuff. Anyone who comes for foodstuff, he should be given. So

by worshiping KŠa, these things automatically done. There is no need of

extra endeavor. Par€tma-ni˜h€. This is called par€tma-ni˜h€. Et€ˆ sa

€sth€ya par€tma-ni˜h€. Not only now. From time immemorial, all the temples

in India, they have got sufficient foodstuff. Even at N€tha-dv€ra, if you

pay them only one anna or four annas, they'll give you so much nice

pras€dam. The two annas, four annas, the priestly order, they take.

Otherwise, pras€da is distributed. So by worshiping KŠa... KŠa is not

hungry. He's fully satisfied. He doesn't require to eat. Temple worship

means to distribute the pras€dam to the poor. That is temple worship. Temple

worship does not mean that you, you bring some rice from the neighborers and

cook it and eat yourself and sit, sleep down, nice. No. Temple worship means

you must distribute pras€dam... You should... To the poor. Everyone is poor.

Not that the rich man is not poor. Actually I have seen one rich man, he was

coming for asking some pras€dam. In my, before when I taking, when I was

ghastha, I was going in so many temples, asking for some pras€dam. That's a

long history. So there is no question of, if one is financially poor, he

should come to the temple. Everyone should come to the temple and ask for

pras€da. That is required.

 

So par€tma-ni˜h€m. The sanny€s… should worship the Deity in the temple and

feed the poor. Poor does not mean that one who has no legs, no ears, or

no... Poor... Everyone who is spiritually poor, he should be given pras€dam.

By eating, pras€de sarva-duƒkh€n€ˆ h€nir asyopaj€yate. That is called

param€tma-ni˜h€m. Yajña. It is called yajña-i˜€ino santo mucyante

sarva-kilbiaiƒ. It is not poor-feeding. It is distributing the resultant

action of yajña. This worship is yajña. So yajña-i˜€ino... If you feed

some men, not the so-called poor, everyone, then they'll be freed from their

sinful activities. Yajña-i˜€ino santaƒ mucyante sarva-kilbiaiƒ.

Kilbiaiƒ means sinful activities. Therefore pras€da distribution...