Prasada: 'his kindness and grace'

[Audarya lila]

S a n g a Saturday, August 11, 2001

resanga@escribe.com

 

Re: Prasada: 'his kindness and grace'

 

Sunday, July 12, Sri Krsna Janmastami. Birth of Lord Krsna.

Monday, July 13, Sri Nandotsava. Appearance of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta

Swami Prabhupada.

 

"Prasada is the solution to all of our perceived problems. Without prasada,

we are left to create havoc in the environment, exploiting others in the

name of self-preservation. Prasada means 'kindness, grace.'"

 

Q&A discussion with Swami B.V. Tripurari.

 

Q. Why is it OK to eat plants? Don't they have emotions and feelings of

pain like animals?

A. Plants are lower down on the food chain and although they are sensitive

to pain, they are much less sensitive or conscious of pain than animals. To

live in this world one has to cause pain. Therefore we recommend that one

learn to transcend material existence even while being present in the

material world. With regard to eating. this is accomplished by offering

one's food to Krsna and partaking of the remnants (prasada).

 

Bhaktivinoda Thakura surmised that if we take that which we have in common

with other species, our primal animalistic necessity of self-preservation,

and spiritualize it, humanity can easily realize its potential for love.

Prasada, he taught, is the solution to all of our perceived problems.

Without prasada, we are left to create havoc in the environment, exploiting

others in the name of self-preservation. Prasada means 'kindness, grace.'

 

If we learn to plant, cultivate, prepare, and offer food to Krsna before

taking any ourselves, we will convert out primal animal necessity into

spiritual experience and realize the zenith of human potential. The act of

offering our food to Krsna brings our primal material necessity of

self-preservation in conjunction with our spiritual capacity for love. This

has the power to transform our entire life - to uproot our domination over

others and replace it with dependence upon God. All of the reactions for

our life of domination, our habitual consumption, can be overcome by this

practice.

 

We must grow, collect, prepare, and offer ingredients for the satisfaction

of Krsna. This is the first consideration, the substance of the

transaction. Secondarily, because our entire life is engaged in his

service, he energizes our efforts through his remnants, his kindness and

grace - prasada. Not only will no adverse reaction come to us if we conduct

our lives in this manner, but we will become true Vaisnavas - agents of

good will for others.

 

Q. Why do we find so many contradictory statements in the scriptures of

India? Sometimes Visnu is glorified as the supreme, sometimes Krsna and

sometimes the impersonal feature. It all seems very ambiguous.

 

Q. Sastra speaks directly and indirectly about one subject. Vyasa

attempted to demonstrate this in his sutras on Vedanta, Vedanta-sutra.

Therein he puts forth his logic. The book consists of numerous topics

(adhikarnana/nyaya) that lead logically from one to another each of which

consists of five elements: thesis (visaya), doubt (samsaya), antithesis

(purva-paksa), synthesis or proper conclusion (siddhanta), and consistency

(sangati) with all that proceeds and follows. This sangati is further

subdivided into consistency with the entirety of scripture (sastra

sangati), with the entirety of the book itself (adhyayaa sangati), and with

the entire chapter (pada sangati).

 

This approach was also used by Jiva Goswami in his Sat sandarbha, in which

he attempts to demonstrate the import of the scripture based on the

evidence found in Srimad Bhagavatam, his primary pramana. Great souls have

thus dealt with this issue systematically and reached a reasonable

conclusion. For the most part they all agree on the common human malady of

material attachment and the need to transcend it. However, it is true that

in doing so great souls, while finding considerable common ground with one

another, have also reached slightly different conclusions.

 

Thus we have different lineages. Insignificant persons like ourselves

should follow the lead of those particular saints who have inspired us,

while knowing that there are other logically valid ways of interpreting

scripture. In following our own saints, we should practice and acquire our

own spiritual experience as to the nature of reality.

 

Q. Why do the scriptures use a symbolic language that can be interpreted

in innumerable ways according to the intention of the interpreter?

 

A. It is not the defect of scripture that it speaks of ultimate reality in

poetic and symbolic language. What other language could come close to doing

it justice? God is beyond the words of scripture, which while indicating

something about him, implore us to reflect upon those words and thereby

know and love. The apparent ambiguity of scripture is a testament as to the

diversity of the Godhead. The gem of life has many facets.

 

Q. Could you clarify the terms suddhadvaita, visistadvaita, dvaitadvaita

and acintya bhedabheda?

A. Suddhadvaita refers to the pure monism of the Vallabaha or Visnu

Swami/Rudra sampradaya. Visistadvaita refers to the qualified monism of the

Ramanuja/Sri sampradaya. Dvaitadvaita refers to the dualism of the

Madhva/Brahma sampradaya, and acintya bhedabheda refers to Sri Jiva

Goswami's explanation of Sri Caitanya's Vedanta.

 

There are two other well know systems of Vedanta, those of Nimbarka, known

as behdabheda (not to be confused with acintya bhedabheda), and Sankara's

advaitavad monism. The first five systems are Vaisnava views of Vedanta,

while Sankara's advaita is not acceptable from the Vaisnava point of view.

The acintya bhedabhdea of Sri Caitanya acknowledges two things from each of

the other four Vaisnava sampradayas.

 

From suddhadvaita Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced raga marga and exclusive

dependence on Krsna, from bhedabheda he embraced their emphasis on Radha

and the gopi's love. From visistadvaita he embraced Vasinava seva and pure

devotion free from the influences of karma and jnana. And from dvaitadvaita

he embraced the refutation of advaitavad and the eternality of the Deity of

Krsna. Each of these schools of thought are well reasoned understandings of

reality based on sastra pramana (scripture).

 

Q. Do you have to pay the price for sins committed by the mind but not

committed in reality?

A. Sins committed in the mind generally lead to sins of the flesh.

Therefore we are advised to control our minds. While contemplating sinful

thoughts one cannot be happy. Thus one does suffer for this kind of

contemplation. As for any future ramifications of inappropriate

contemplation, Krsna instructs us that our mental preoccupation determines

our next birth. So called idle thoughts are not independent of karma. They

are active in the psychic dimensions and lead to karmic reactions. Strive

to control your mind. This is central to yoga practice.

 

Q. I have a Bala Krsna deity. Do you know any mantras for worshipping it?

I also live in a bad neighborhood. The situation is intolerable. I need a

miracle. Can you advise me?

 

A. In order to properly worship the Deity of Krsna one needs to receive

the appropriate mantras for such worship from a guru. The process of Deity

worship (arcana) is generally reserved for initiated devotees. Given your

situation, the best thing you can do for your Deity, yourself and your

neighbors is to hold Krsna kirtan in your home. Just sit or stand and sing

aloud the Hare Krsna maha mantra. Don't be concerned about the initial

reaction of others. Just go on chanting at a regular times throughout the

day and expect a miracle.

 

Q. Why is there such an uneven distribution of spiritual fortune in the

world? Why was only India chosen to be the fountainhead of spiritualism

where all the great incarnations appeared?

 

A. Wherever God manifests, that place becomes sanctified and the entire

Earth is blessed. It is also said that Bharata (India) was much larger in

the past, and many of the Puranic tales describe lands outside of India

proper. Thus the Puranas speak more of a world culture. Try to appreciate

God's descent in Bharata from a planetary viewpoint. The word 'India' is

not mentioned anywhere in the scripture.

 

Furthermore, it is quite possible that at the present time God is more

present in other parts of the world, as India either turns her back on her

spiritual heritage altogether, or misidentifies spirituality with

misunderstood Hindu culture, superstition, and religious dogma. Srila

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada expressed this at one point in his campaign.

Indeed it is the Western interest in Bharata's spirituality that is

spreading it all over the world. Wherever the interest in God is greater,

that is where he is most present.

 

As many of Caitanyadeva's eternal associates did not take birth in

Navadwipa Dhama, but rather outside of the Dhama for the sake of

distributing love of God all over the world, devotees of Sri Caitanya are

taking birth all over the world to continue this effort. In doing so they

can appreciate the spirituality of other traditions in the spirit of

essence seeking (saragrahi) Vaisnavas.

 

Questions or comments may be submitted at the Q&A Forum

http://dailysanga.com/, or email editors@dailysanga.com.