gurus and prasadam

[Guest guest]

Camp: Mathura-desa Nama Hattas, Arabian Gulf Area, Middle East, Arabian Sea.

 

My Dear Spiritual Nephew Vyenkata Bhatta das,

 

Please accept my best wishes. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Thankyou for your letter cited below with my comments. I have noted the

contents carefully.

 

> Dandavats Jayapataka Maharaj,

>

> Please accept my prostrated obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

> and to your inspiring preaching.

>

> Maharaj, i was wondering about a somewhat "touchy" problem. Sometimes we

> are still close to certain devotees who are worshipping or following a

> guru who is no longer in good standing with ISKCON. Speaking with such

> devotees while keping with Vaisnava etiquette is itself a source of many

> questions. One more practical concern i have is about prasadam. If such

> devotees invite you to their home for a programme or for association, and

> you are given prasadam (which you know has been offered by invoking the

> pranamas of the "fallen" guru) what should you do? Does Prabhupada (and

> then Lord Caitanya and Radha-Krsna) accept the offering anyway,

> appreciating the sincerity of the devotees offering the bhoga? If not, and

> the food is not accepted, is it offensive or improper to (before anyone

> has taken it) mentally offer it to *your* guru (in good standing with

> ISKCON) and through him Srila Prabhupada? Or perhaps should the Sri Visnu

> Sri Visnu Sri Visnu mantra and Hare Krsna maha-mantra be chanted over it

> as an alternative? Should this all be done "secretly" so as not to offend

> your host?

 

> Needless to say this is a very delicate matter, especially in cases where

> the host is likely to be offended or hurt. What is to be done in such

> situations.

 

Usually in issues like this one would privately ask ones diksa or siksa guru

for some specific guidance since each case might be different. In general

if someone who is following vaisnava rules and regulations offers prasadam

to Krishna Deities then out of respect for the Deities we don't refuse the

prasadam and we don't usually go into the details of how they offered it if

the gurus are in generally in our line. As I said, specific situations can

be specificly inquired upon.

 

> I am eagrly awaiting your learned response. Thank you so much for

> providing this wonderful service.

 

Sorry for the delay. In replying for some reason your question along with

many others was in a lost downdump which only recently was discovered.

 

> begging to be:

> your servants' servant,

> vyenkata bhatta dasa

 

 

I hope that this finds you in good health.

 

Your well wisher,

 

Jayapataka Swami