Bread

[Guest guest]

> On the subject of offering and eating bread made by non-devotees, Chaturatma

> Prabhu wrote:

>

> > It is important that we remember the difference between home puja and

> > temple puja. Even in Hari Bhakti Vilas, Sanatana Goswami makes a

> > distiction betweeen the two types of worship and the different standards

> > for them.

> >

> > How can it be wrong to offer foodstuffs, free from sinful ingredients,

> > that are required for the family use, to your household deities?

 

PAMHO AGTSP, In the ingredients and cooking of bhoga for offering to the Deity

whether it be in the house or the temple I am not aware of any shastric

difference in the standard, as stated above. In HBV the Lord says that in

either place one should offer those foodstufs that are liked by the devotee

and He will accept them. However that does not mean that things can be offered

which are considered impure. This point is specifically mentioned. I do not

know of any traditional temple or household in India where yeast is allowed to

be used in bhoga preparation. (Of course yeasted bread is not a very common

food in India, and even now it is considered a western thing.) However it

seems that this has become acceptable in ISKCON since Srila Prabhupada's

disappearance.

 

So there are two points to this thread.

 

1. Orthodox Vaisnavas (in the ashram or in the grha) eat only food offered to

Krsna (Bhagavat Prasadam).

 

2. The ingredients and method of preparing and offering these foodstuffs

should be acceptable in terms of instructions from Guru, Sadhu and Shastra.

 

There are not many books written by ancient authorities on the second subject

that speak of modern vegetables and cooking methods or ingredients like yeast.

Therefore in India you will see a wide variety of opinions and practices on

this subject. Many ancient temples or orthodox vaisnavas don't use western

vegetables like, tomatoes, potatoes, etc, what to speak of yeast.

 

There is also a wide variety of practice concerning the first point. Most

orthodox vaisnavas I know eat only in a temple or a house of another vaisnava

(brahmin) as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did Himself. (Note Mahaprabhu took

prasadam at non-brahmins houses but it was only mahaprasadam brought from a

temple like in Puri, not food cooked by non-brahmins, even though they might

be vaisnavas. This was the varnashram ettiquite.) Some will only eat in the

houses of relatives, and I have even met persons, who would not drink water

from outside their own house, or eat their grownup childrens cooking because

they considered them to not be strict enough.Then again some of the head

priests of very ancient and orthodox temples will eat yeasted bread or cake

that has been prepared in so-called Ayyangar Bakeries (Ayyangar means

Vaisnava) where NO EGGS are used in any of the preparations and the cooking is

done by brahmins (though the food is not offered to my knowledge). (When

travelling in India don't assume just because the sign says Ayyangar that they

don't use eggs though). However this practice is definitely looked down upon

as not very strict. There are some restaurants even in Los Angeles what to

speak of India where the cooks are all vaisnava brahmins and the food is all

offered.In general therefore the rule is to eat only pure food cooked in a

pure way which has been first offered. However in unusual circumstances this

might not be possible and in the west so many products we use are processed,

but the ingredients of these processed foods should be acertained before use

in preparing bhoga. I would welcome a list of questionable items (and

practices) such as yeast being studied and some determination being made.

 

ys

 

Gaura Keshava das

[Guest guest]

On 01 May 1998, Gaura Keshava wrote:

 

> PAMHO AGTSP, I have been reading this thread and I would like to ask the

> obvious question. Are yeasted foods offereable?

 

Sorry to answer so late, I haven't had much time to check the com lately. I

didn't see this answer in the list, maybe I missed it.

When yeast causes the bread to rise the fermentation gives off alcohol, which

is later evaporated in the cooking, so you don't taste it. We all know the

example of anything touched by alcohol is contaminated, and therefore bread

isn't offerable to the Deities, even if we cook it ourselves.

At least that is my understanding.

Ys, Madhuryalilananda dasi

[Guest guest]

> On 18 May 1998, Balarama das wrote:

>

> > > >When yeast causes the bread to rise the fermentation gives off

> > > >alcohol...

>

> > Also what about yogurt?

>

> Yogurt isn't made by yeast but by a bacteria.

 

What is the difference between the way yeast acts on bread and the way this

bacteria acts on yogurt? I know that when I hang yogurt there is a

pronounced yeasty smell. What's the difference between yeast, a tiny

once-celled organism whose excretions cause bread to rise, and the unnamed

yogurt bacillus, a tiny one-celled organism whose excretions cause milk to

become yogurt? I really want to know -- does anyone out there have an anwer?

An authoritative one? Please post it if you do.

 

Hare Krishna --

 

your servant, Balarama Dasa