Food For Life or Food For Death? (Part Two)

[Guest guest]

Dear Ram Lakshman prabhu,

 

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

 

I appreciated your research and presentation very much, and want to thank

you for posting this, especially these writings by Bhaktivinode Thakur and

Bhakitsiddhanta Saraswati. Some might complain that the texts were "too

long," but I guess that's another symptom of living in an age where snipping

a quote from VedaBase and presenting it as the solution to everything has

become commonplace, and in many cases, has replaced reading Srila

Prabhupada's books and understanding his mission in its entirety.

 

I particularly appreciated this paragraph below, and think you've perhaps

hit a nail right on its rather sensitive head. It won't make you popular,

but I've noticed in the last few years that the truth is often the last

thing the 'leaders' in the movement want to hear, and have watched them go

to extraordinary lengths to defeat, avoid, change, or ignore [it]. Like it

or not, your paragraph below sums up one of the greatest problems that faces

this rather woeful form of leadership that we are blessed with at present:

>

> Those making these absurd claims against giving prasadam to the poor live

> a far too sheltered life. They are no longer in touch with reality. Anyone

> who has luxurious food prepared for them by private cooks, who have

> private servants to wash their clothes and clean their rooms, who travel

> around the world by first class flight and A/C cars, who have the latest

> electronic gadgets and computers, and who live off the donations of their

> disciples (all while claiming to be a renunciate), has no right to speak

> against helping the poor - neither the work of spiritual nor material

> institutions. As Prabhupada said, it is far better to be a sweeper in the

> street than to be a charlatan meditator. The armchair theorizing against

> helping relieve other's sufferings in a spiritual manner while oneself

> enjoying a luxurious material lifestyle is hypocritical.

 

Thank you again for pointing out below the discrepancies in some of the

statements we have heard. I appreciate seeing the balance of quotes from

Srila Prabhupada.

 

Your servant

Braja Sevaki dd ¾

>

> "You write that members of the Gujarat community would like to contribute

> $10,000.00 toward a temple there, but at this time I think the money could

> be better spent by contributing to shipping grains to India for

> distribution. If they wish to donate for this noble project they can send

> money directly to the following account: 'ISKCON Mayapur-Vrindaban Trust',

> account no 668, the Punjab National Bank, Vrindaban, Mathura, U.P.,

> India."

>

>

> >We are not interested in cheap popularity

> >by doing poor feeding.

>

> "Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated June

> 25, 1975 and have noted the contents. The Gurukula and poor feeding

> programs should be developed and it will make us very popular."

>

> 4) Other Arguments

>

> >Prasadam distribution must be accompanied

> >by preaching or it is a mundane activity.

>

> Regarding the argument that prasadam distribution must be accompanied by

> preaching of philosophy, Srila Prabhupada disagrees:

>

> "Lord Caitanya never spoke philosophy in public. When he met big scholars

> like Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya he spoke philosophy, otherwise for the mass

> of people, kirtana and prasadam distribution. So continue this program, it

> is very pleasing to Lord Caitanya."

>

> 5) Other Arguments

>

> >The devotees don't waste valuable time on

> >less important activities such as prasadam

> >distribution. We must therefore focus only

> >on college preaching, book distribution and

> >Harinama.

>

> "This prasadam distribution item is very, very important, and it is so

> much pleasing to me that in the beginning so many children are coming for

> taking prasadam, and that supply of rice has come automatically. Please

> continue this program rigidly. By prasadam distribution you will do

> service to the Lord, and the public will be pleased upon you as well."

>

> ----

>

> Lessons in Vedic culture from the writings of Bhaktivinoda Thakur:

>

> "Those who think that devotion to God and kindness to the jivas are

> mutually different from each other, and perform accordingly in their life,

> such persons will not be able to follow the devotional culture. Their

> performance is only a semblance of devotion. Therefore, all the types of

> beneficence to others, like kindness, friendliness, forgiveness, charity,

> respect, etc. are included in Bhakti. Charity of medicines, clothes, food,

> water, etc. shelter during adversities, teaching of academic and spiritual

> education, etc. are the activities included in the devotional culture."

>

> "Assistance to others is of two kinds: relieving others of distress and

> helping others make progress. should help others as much as possible

> without distinguishing whether they are relatives or not. The same

> distress that befalls ourselves also comes to others. When a person is in

> difficulty, he thinks that others should give him relief. Thus one should

> try to relieve distress as if it were ones own. A person must attempt to

> relieve distress by putting aside ones own self interest, which may

> prevent one from acting. One should try to remove other peoples' bodily,

> mental, social and spiritual difficulties. Examples of bodily distress

> are sickness and hunger. Examples of mental distress are anxiety, envy,

> lamentation, and fear. Examples of social distress are inability to

> support the family, inability to give education to ones children,

> inability to get them married, and lack of resources for cremation.

> Examples of spiritual distress are lack of faith, atheism, and desire for

> sinful acts. Just as one must relieve a person of distress, one should

> also try to elevate him. One should help people progress physically,

> mentally socially and spiritually by offering monetary, physical, and

> verbal assistance, and by engaging that person's relatives as well."

>

> "Charity (dana) refers to giving money or materials to a suitable person.

> Giving to an undeserving person is a worthless expense, and is considered

> a sin. There are twelve varieties of charity: making water bodies or

> wells, planting trees to give shade and air, supplying lights, dispensing

> medicines, giving education, giving food, building roads, building ghatas,

> building houses, giving materials, giving the first portion of a meal,

> giving a daughter in marriage."

>

> "One should give water to those who are thirsty. If a thirsty person

> comes to ones house, one is obliged to give him drinking water. Digging

> wells and ponds for drinking water, after selecting a suitable place, is

> also an act of punya.6 Wherever water is necessary, for instance at

> tirthas where there is no river or water body, wells should be dug.

> One should plant huge trees such as asvattha on the sides of the road or

> river or at places of relaxation. One should also plant tulasi and other

> holy trees in ones own house and at pure places. These trees assist in

> bodily and spiritual health. Lights should be installed at ghatas, on

> roads and narrow paths to assist night travelers when there is no

> moonlight. By giving light in charity a person earns heaps of punya.

> Raising lights during Kartika month is for beauty but does not aid the

> traveler, as they are too high to light the path."

>

> "In giving medical relief, a person can go to the house and distribute

> medicine, or can have the sick persons come to a designated shop and

> receive free medicine. A person should perform this punya with sincerity.

> Students may be given education at ones expense. Educating children is a

> very important service. Food distribution may be done at ones home or

> at designated place for the public. Roads should be constructed to

> places difficult to approach or to places which are inaccessible. Ghatas

> should be constructed on river banks or the banks of other water bodies

> for use by the general public. If a person also constructs resting place

> at the ghata, or plants gardens, roof coverings or temples, he gains

> addition merit. Building a house for a person who has no money and nowhere

> to live is a punya karma. Giving materials should be done to qualified or

> deserving persons. Before taking ones own food in the house one should

> offer the first portion to another person. One should give ones daughter

> along with ornaments to a suitable person of the same varna."

>

> "A person should show hospitality towards his guests and society as a

> whole. The householder should take care to serve guests when they arrive

> at his house. In the scriptures it is directed that after preparing food

> the householder should go to his door and call out three times for persons

> who have not eaten. If anyone appears, he should feed that person first,

> and later eat along with his family. There is a rule that one should call

> out about an hour after noon, but in modern times it is difficult to

> remain without food till then. Therefore whenever the food is ready, the

> householder should call out for hungry persons. This does not refer to

> feeding professional beggars. Social hospitality is performed by acts

> beneficial to society in general."

>

> "Selfishness is a great sin. Though all endeavors for gaining material

> assets in this life or the next are for ones own benefit, there is no

> injunction forbidding pursuit of those interests, for God has sanctioned

> personal and universal benefit to occur simultaneously. But if we ignore

> God's interest, we can do no good to the world. That self-interest which

> lives at the expense of others' welfare is condemned. From such

> selfishness arises undue miserliness towards ones family members,

> reluctance to do charity, argument, theft, frustration, egotism, envy,

> violence, lust and extravagance. According to the degree of selfishness in

> a person, one can measure his disservice to himself and the world. If no

> attempt is made to remove selfishness form the heart, the human being can

> not perform any beneficial activity."

>

> "Every householder should give in charity according to his capacity. To

> give a huge charity at a time is beyond the capacity of many householders,

> therefore the householders are aversed to such a form of charity. If a

> householder desires to give in charity and if it is impossible for him to

> give that charity at a time then he should give charity in installments

> and easily attain the result of his previously desired charity. If the

> householders become habituated to give in charity in this way then by the

> combine charity of the householders a great auspicious activity can be

> performed. Yet the householders will not have to suffer the distress of

> giving a huge charity. If they want to act like this then the householders

> should form a charitable committee in their respective villages or cities

> and with the accumulated money with that committee they should help the

> poor householders, fallen and poor people. If need arise they can also

> execute other auspicious activities without any obstacles. The committee

> belongs to ordinary mass of people, therefore it is the duty of everyone

> to keep an eye on the committee so that its activities can be carried out

> properly."

>

> "Giving charity and performing yoga, when connected to devotional service,

> are activities that lead to devotional service."

>

> "It is an utmost duty of every householder to honor his guests, help the

> poor and fallen, and try to associate with saintly persons. Due to the

> lack of proper education and training nowadays people do not consider

> honoring guests and helping the poor as a duty. One cannot say that no

> human being honor any guest or help the poor. Even today there is no

> scarcity of kind-hearted persons, but the fact is that they are very rare.

> A householder has so many duties, but generally people often neglect those

> three above-mentioned duties."

>

> "It is a duty of every householder to serve the guest who has no shelter

> and help the fallen and poor according to their capacity. One cannot

> estimate how many people take shelter of the householders for help due to

> so many reasons. To help the poor, fallen, and guests according to one's

> ability is the desire of the auspicious creator. If you exhibit

> indifference in such activities, then you will certainly incur sin. The

> thoughtful sages have ascertained this as the duty of the householder. If

> a householder fails to execute these duties, he commits grave sin."

>

> ---

>

> Instructions from the life of Bhaktisiddhanta:

>

> Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada was traveling trough Orissa with his

> disciples. On one day as he was coming back from Saksi Gopal temple, some

> people on the way asked for alms from the married men who accompanied

> Srila Prabhupada, but none of them gave anything. Srila Prabhupada, in

> seeing this, stopped, sat down and started to talk about the duties of

> married men. During his chat he said:

>

> "If married men think: 'I must not give any of my money, which I consider

> reserved for Krishna, to the poor and deprived', then they are really

> showing symptoms of wretchedness, cruelty and lack of compassion for

> others. They should not consider that giving charity to the poor is a

> fruitful activity. This kind of mentality shall make their hearts hard and

> they will suffer of greed. As a result of this they shall not want to

> spend their money, not even on the devotional service to the Supreme Lord,

> which is the ultimate goal in life. This will invite offenses in the

> service. To save ourselves of this kind of deceit and sinful concept, Sri

> Gaurasundara used to give money and things like that to the poor people

> during His pastimes as a married man."