Srila Prabhupada distributes prasada

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Srila Prabhupada regularly gave out cookies from the vyasasana, but on a

visit to New Vrindaban he once gave out an entire meal of prasadam right off

the Deities' plate. Radhanatha dasa had a strong desire to approach Srila

Prabhupada with the Deities' plate, immediately after offering it to

Radha-Vrndavanacandra, so he rather boldly approached Srila Prabhupada's

secretary, Pusta Krsna, who asked, "Where are the cookies?" Radhanatha said

they had none, only this full Deity plate.

 

"Forget it," said Pusta Krsna. "You can't give out that kind of

stuff." But Radhanatha managed to approach Prabhupada from a different

direction. When Srila Prabhupada saw the plate, he smiled, took it up,, and

began sampling each preparation with a spoon. He took a spoonful of sweet

rice, tasted it, and then began handing out spoonfuls. Over a hundred

devotees were present, and they rushed forward, unlike their usual, formal

lines for receiving a cookie. Prabhupada went from preparation to

preparation, eating a few spoonfuls of sabji and then distributing it to the

urgent, outstretched hands of the surrounding devotees. After finishing

each preparation, he also gave away the silver bowl. Finally all that was

left were two large gulabjamuns.

 

Children began to cry out, "Prabhupada, give it to me!" And the

adults, "Prabhupada, give it to me!" Srila Prabhupada took his time, and at

last he shook his head no. He took the gulabjamun up himself and bit into

it. At the first bite, the gulabjamun juice squirted out, wetting several

nearby devotees, who began dancing and shouting. After two bites, Srila

Prabhupada gave out the remnants of the gulabjamun. His first bite of the

second gulabjamun also produced a stream of juice, and by now the whole

temple room was turned into a state of happy pandemonium. The whole episode

lasted about fifteen minutes, and Srila Prabhupada was obviously feeling

great enjoyment, laughing and watching everyone trying to get the

maha-prasadam from his hand.