prasada to poor people

[Guest guest]

Hari Sauri wrote:

> So whether

> that goes on under the flag of ISKCON, Hare Krishna Food for Life or

> whatever, if the foodstuffs are indeed offered to the Lord and then

> distributed, that is a transcendental activity aimed at the liberation of

> the conditioned soul. As such it should always be encouraged.

 

Thank you, prabhu, for these words. As well as for the quotes

about the yagna for this age.

 

Speaking particularly about prasadam given to poor and hungry

people, such as FFL, the benefits are numerous: People in

distress gets some relief from the immediate misery such as

starving. Then, they get "best spiritual medicine" (as Prabhupada

called prasada) too that otherwise they would never have a chance

to receive. The donors of the funds get benefited for not going to

Red Cross (serving canned fish and chicken) but to Hare Krsna FFL

program, thus their money serves the better and higher purpose.

The world gets benefited by seeing the example of the best form of

performing a charitable activity. The ISKCON gets benefited becouse

it gets appreciated in the eyes of general public and officials

(I belive that the recent recognition of ISKCON in Germany as a

bona fide religion and not a sect was also backed a lot with the

facts about FFL). And the devotees engaged in such program get

benefited too, undoubtly.

 

Shut FFL program down as allegedly a guru-offense and disobeying

the order of Prabhupada... Who does benefit what?

 

Srila Prabhupada wanted that ISKCON managers make sure no person

goes hungry in 10 miles from an ISKCON center. That very clearly

indicates the compassion of Krsna's devotee. Not only so called

"spiritual" but "material" too. Compassion is always compassion.

But is this compassion limited with the numbers of miles? No.

Prabhupada was very practical person. It means -- as far as one

is able. So far the funds do allow. But at least, no less than

10 miles.

 

No truly Krsna conscious ksatriya would tolerate that anybody

goes hungry in the area under his jurisdiction. Nor no Krsna

conscious brahmana would condemn such a ksatriya going out

feeding the starving people in poor areas, helping those in

distresses. But there is no such Krsna conscious set-up yet

existing really in this world. Shall ever be?

 

Srila Prabhupada was a very practical person. If the people

there out got plenty of the funds, if these people want to

give some of it to the programs/missions as helping the people

in distress, Prabhupada would be there to take the opportunity,

to only add Krsna to it:

 

"Generally people make a plea that why are there so many

hungry and naked. So we invite all hungry and naked people

to come to us and we will give them food and clothing and

Krsna consciousness as well. This will attract the general

public and there will never be any shortage of food-stuffs,

so continue regularly. In Bombay there are many generous

persons who like food distribution programs, and actually,

our temple should be the via media for feeding the poor

with food and spiritual knowledge."

(SPL to Giriraja, April 23th, 1972)

 

"We have worked so hard for so long to get this foodstuff

donated by your government and now we are neglecting?

And if you expend this program to their satisfaction, they

will give so much of different varieties of foodstuffs and

we can expand this program widely throughout India and

become very much popular with the people as a whole."

(SPL to Bhavananda, 1st August 1972)

 

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What is very disappointing is to see a kind of blind interpretation

of some Prabhupada's statements, very narrow minded vision that

leads to absurdity. So, Prabhupada said to one disciple "Don't

go to poor areas" and that means it, the universal order. To

the other disciple, on the other hand, Prabhupada wrote:

 

"I very much liked the report of prasadam distribution at the

club for the businessmen."

(SPL to Amogha dasa, 5th August, 1974)

 

So just see. How insane it easily can turn out if one is

blindly taking particular individual instructions in particular

circumstances as universal "orders": Srila Prabhupada prohibited

his followers to go to poor areas to distribute free food (prasada)

to the hungry. But he likes that ISKCON devotees go the clubs of

businessmen to distribute prasada there. And if someone goes to

poor areas, he is of a discriminative mind and is an offender of

guru and is acting against the will of God.

 

And how about this one:

(for Mukunda Datta who is preaching so vigorously here against

discriminative distribution of free prasadam on the base of

bodily distinctions)

 

"Make many palatable things such as jhury, dal-mot, jalebis,

raita, and many other nice dishes. You can keep a nice stock

of these things, so that when a big man comes you can give

him a nice plate of free prasada. In this way, our temple will

become very popular, because everyone will know if they come

to our temple they will receive very nice prasada. For the other

guests, continue to sell the prasada daily. This is very nice

program."

(SPL to Dhananjaja and Aksayananda Swami, 18th June, 1975.)

 

Thus, big (rich and influential) men gets food (Krsna's prasada,

the spiritual medicine) for free only. Everybody else must pay.

It's the Order of Guru. Offense Nr.3 in full swing if anybody

does otherwise, i.e. gives a free prasada to the poorer and asks

the reach to pay. Or even, gives for free to everybody without

discrimination such as who is big and who is small.

 

That's how it becomes if one is a narrow-minded reader of

selected quotes.

 

 

 

- mnd