prasada to poor people; some relevant quotes

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

>The mahatmas have shown the perfect path of charity: devotional service to

>..."If anyone ignores this path and instead builds hospitals, his

>effort to help humanity is a mere pretense. Humanity can never reap any

>permanent advantage from such activities."...

 

This is an interesting quote, but in connection with the title it seems

rather meaningless and nonrelevant. Distribution of Krishna in the form of

prasadam is devotional service, i.e. the perfect path of charity mentioned

above. It does reap permanent advantage for the distributor and the receiver

of the prasadam, as well as the whole human society. It puts a conditioned

soul back on the path of devotional service, and protects him from the

greatest fear, while simultaneously purifying his heart and fulfilling his

material needs. What's the point in offering such quotes as evidence against

the distribution of prasadam to the poor?

 

In any society there are different departments that focus on different

activities. We have departments that focus on cultivating the rich donors

and life members. For them there is special free prasadam, often brought to

their house or shop. No one has objected to this discrimination. Prabhupada

himself has said we may give special free prasadam to the "big men". For the

devotees there is prasadam distributed in the temple regularly, and as many

of us have seen, there too we have discrimination. "Where is your prasadam

coupon?" If a poor stinking dirty man comes, will you have him sit next to

you and eat prasadam? To be honest, I doubt I could even sit next to you,

nor could I sit next to the majority of the ISKCON gurus. In other words

there is discrimination, and I personally don't see anything wrong with it.

 

Just as there is a department that gives special prasadam to the rich

(donors) and special prasadam to the devotees, why shouldn't there be a

department that distributes prasadam to the poor - those people whom

wouldn't be allowed in our temples anyway. In this way we touch all areas of

society, not just the devotees, the rich, and those living next door.

 

What is wrong in using discrimination (i.e. "this prasadam is for the

poor")? Is it wrong to go out and preach? And in preaching we should give

them the form of Krishna they will appreciate the most. We should give the

conditioned souls that form of the Lord which they can understand and relate

to. For an educated person, he will be attracted to the philosophy in our

books. For an artistic person, he will be attracted to the chanting of the

mahamantra. For a hungry person, he will be attracted to Krishna in the form

of prasadam. Isn't it proper intelligence to give them that form which they

will appreciate and therefore increase their devotional service. Is this not

also preaching?

 

When we sell books to the public, we look for people who will buy the book.

We discriminate. We don't ask every Tom, Dick and Harry to buy the book. Do

we go to the poor and homeless to sell our books? No, we go to the rich,

because they can pay us better for the book. This is also discrimination.

Intelligent discrimination must be there to properly direct our efforts to

where they will be most beneficially received.

 

Who is more qualified to receive prasadam then someone who will appreciate

it? In the Sunday feasts our trashes are full of Krishna prasadam, but when

we distribute to the poor villagers in India, they will even eat the plain

rice that is left, without any subji or dahl! Some have said the poor may

confuse the prasadam for mundane food, but what have the devotees done? Do

they actually understand that prasadam is Krishna, or do they eat to remove

their mundane hunger?

 

In the Upanishads we find the following statement:

 

ahara-shudhau sattva shudhi sattva shuddhau dhruva-smritih

smriti-lambhe sarva granthinam vipramokshah

 

"By eating sanctified foods, one's existence becomes purified. By the

purification of one's existence finer tissues in the memory become

sanctified. When the finer tissues of remembrance become sanctified, all the

knots within become untied."

 

Can anyone say that giving Krishna prasadam to people is a mundane activity?

If it is not a mundane activity, then why should it be stopped? Shouldn't

transcendental activities be encouraged and increased? Lord Krishna states

that sacrifice, charity and penance should not be given up. In commentary to

this Srila Prabhupada writes, "The Lord says here that any sacrifice which

is meant for human welfare should never be given up."

 

If someone said, "Let's go perform harinama in the poor slum." Will there be

any objection? No. But if someone says "Let us distribute prasadam in the

poor slum." There is objection. So who is seeing Krishna as mundane? It is

the devotees who object to this distribution. They see the prasadam as food,

not as Krishna, and therefore they confuse it for a mundane activity.

 

Your servant,

Jahnava Nitai Das