Krishna Talk: More on Prasadam

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

More on Prasadam

by

Swami BG Narasingha

 

Devotee: In a recent Krsna Talk you mentioned that we should appreciate

prasadam more deeply, but I have also heard you say that everything

called 'prasadam' may not actually be prasadam. This seems to be

inconsistent, so can you please explain this more clearly?

 

Swami Narasingha: There are gradations in all things, prasadam

included. There are many things to consider. It is easy to say it is prasadam

because it comes from a 'temple,' but in fact the offering may not have

been accepted by Krsna.

 

In the Hyderbad temple it so happened that Srila Prabhupada once asked

to taste the prasadam that was being distributed to the guests. When he

tasted the prasadam he was upset and he called for the leaders of the

temple. He asked them, "What is this?" To which they replied, "It is

prasadam Srila Prabhupada." Then to everyone's dismay Srila Prabhupada

said, "This is not prasadam, this is garbage! You cannot offer just

anything to Krsna. Krsna is not a garbage disposal."

 

It was discovered that the cook was not a qualified Vaishnava and he

was then removed from that service. Srila Prabhupada did not forget about

that incident for a long time. A few days later while taking prasadam

in the home of Sri Bogilal Patel, a prominent life member, Srila

Prabhupada commented to Bogilal that, "These boys eat garbage. Before I came

they ate all garbage."

 

There had been a controversy in the Hyderbad temple for some time and

some of the devotees were saying that the 'prasadam' was not actually

prasadam. Something was wrong and some devotees could sense that. But,

whoever said that was called an offender. Later when Srila Prabhupada

gave his opinion they were of course vindicated. [Editors Note: The

devotee who had pointed out to the temple president that the offerings were

improper was Swami B. G. Narasingha]

 

The offerings in the Hyderbad temple had not been prepared properly and

therefore the offerings were not accepted by Krsna. Many things are

required for the preparation of an offering to Krsna. The consciousness of

the cook is very important in preparing an offering. The consciousness

of the one who makes the offering is also important and also the

consciousness of the person distributing the prasadam and also the

consciousness of the person taking the prasadam is important.

 

If one takes prasadam of the Deity but does so in the mood of enjoyment

then he does not get the full benefit of prasadam, but rather he falls

victim to his senses. This has been explained by Srila Prabhupada as

follows:

 

"However, if one accepts prasada only because of its palatable taste

and thus eats too much, he also falls prey to trying to satisfy the

demands of the tongue. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us to avoid very

palatable dishes even while eating prasadam. If we offer palatable dishes to

the Deity with the intention of eating such nice food, we are involved

in trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue. In Caitanya-caritamrta

(Antya 6.227) it is stated:

 

jihavara lalase yei iti-uti dhaya

sisnodara-parayana krsna nahi paya

 

'That person who runs here and there seeking to gratify his palate and

who is always attached to the desires of his stomach and genitals is

unable to attain Krsna.'"

 

Even the selling of bona-fide prasadam may be an offense against

prasadam. The accepted tradition is that a temple may sell maha-prasadam to

the temple visitors and the revenues from those sales are to be directly

utilized in the service of the Deity. However, if the prasadam is sold

to a third party who in turn sells the prasadam for a profit and uses

that revenue for material sense gratification then an offense to

prasadam is created.

 

The power of prasadam and maha-prasadam is always transcendental, but

if allowed to be exploited by anyone for material purposes then an

offense is created.

 

There is a story in this regard that once Ramanujacarya fed a fish the

maha-prasadam of the Deity. The fish jumped out of the water to grab

the prasadam in its mouth and before it could enter the water again the

fish assumed a Vaikuntha form and entered the Vaikuntha planets. The

disciples of Ramanuja saw this and inquired from their guru as to why they

had not yet received a Vaikuntha form since they had received

maha-prasadam many times. Ramanuja replied that his disciples were trying to

enjoy the prasadam, which is an aparadha, offense. The fish he said made

no such aparadha and therefore he attained Vaikuntha.

 

There was also once an incident wherein some devotees came to Srila

Sridhar Maharaja to ask him about the "prasadam cookie distribution" in

Los Angles. They informed Srila Sridhar Maharaja that thousands of people

were taking the 'prasadam cookies' and they wanted to know if by taking

such prasadam the people were guaranteed at least a human body in their

next life? Srila Sridhara Maharaja said that would depend on what type

of prasadam it actually was. He commented that there is gradation in

all things and that there are considerations about the prasadam, such as

who cooked it, who offered it, who distributed it, and in what

consciousness it was honored, etc. Srila Sridhara Maharaja did not simply

accept that anything in the name of 'prasadam' was actually prasadam or that

all 'prasadam' was the same.

 

Sridhara Maharaja spoke the following in regard to this issue:

"The current must be there. Only wiring has no value. Do you follow?

Connecting wiring, but no current. So Vaikuntha nama grahane, the

Vaikuntha connection, transcendental connection must be there. Otherwise form

is form, useless. But the spirit must be within the form. Form is also

necessary, wiring also necessary to utilize the electric current. But

mere wiring has got no utility. The current must be there. So prasad

distribution, all these external exhibition. But if the real connection

with divinity otherwise all trade. Otherwise ulterior motive may be there

as a business. Yati Goswami, the Bhagavata reading, taking money and

reading Bhagavata is a class of trade. That may be trade but if the man

who is at the back he has got sincere connection with the Lord then the

connection coming and pervades everywhere, that is prasadam. Otherwise

imitation. Imitation is not a real thing. So Bhaktivinode Thakura's

congregation sankirtana. At least one man, the leader of the party must be

suddha bhakta, pure devotee, the kirtana party guided under the pure

devotee. Then we shall otherwise we will be dancing and jumping in the

mundane plane. Connection must be there the electric connection."

 

"One may perceive that connection who has got eye. For that we have to

get eye, om ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya. Our own

realization will be the guarantee, our own knowledge. We see that sort of eye,

that is given by gurudeva. The cataract is removed by gurudeva, gives

the divya darsana, divine eye. Divya caksu diksa, diksa means

transcendental knowledge imparted."

 

Similarly, we try to maintain that same discrimination, at least as far

as our disciples are concerned. This is the prerogative of a bona-fide

guru in teaching his disciples proper discrimination. Sometimes the

guru may advise his disciples not to associate with a certain group of

devotees or even to accept so-called prasadam from them if he thinks that

such association is not good for their Krsna consciousness. We have

seen similar instructions from Srila Prabhupada, instructions which he

changed according to different circumstances. Of course a neophyte

disciple may reject the order of his guru thinking that he knows more than his

guru. Such disciples are usually attached to the society of guru-bhogis

(enjoyers of the gurus property and mission), friendship, and mundane

love, but such a guru-tyagi (one who has rejected his guru) has no real

access to the realms of pure devotion.

 

There was once an incident wherein one of my disciples informed me that

he was attending a temple in which all varieties of apasiddhanta were

being preached from the Vyasa-asana. He informed me that there were

varieties of strange things happening in the temple, such as punk-rock

kirtans, excessive womens-lib, different types of mentally imbalanced

persons living in the temple and many other improper activities. He even

once informed me how on Nrsimha Caturdasi a Deity of Lord Nrsimha Deva was

placed in the fire with firecrackers in it's belly. The firecrackers

ignited and the Deity was blown to pieces. This was stopped upon our

pointing out it's offensiveness, but reveals a total lack of

discrimination. After some time I instructed this disciple to stop attending that

temple and stop associating with those devotees, at which he showed me his

guru-tyaga, revealing his deep attachments to social life and desiring

to be the guru himself, rather than to take instruction from his guru.

 

If one is an offender to the pure devotees of Krsna then we do not

accept their so-called prasadam. One may not directly be an offender, but

if he resides in an institution wherein grievous offenses have been

committed to the Lord's dear-most servants, then to a certain extent even

the innocent devotees will be affected by the offenses. This is called

institutionalized aparadha. We may then consider their so-called

prasadam and association as undesirable.

 

It is mentioned in chapter thirteen of Caitanya-bhagavat as follows:

 

"Such company, where Vaishnavas are offended may consist of highly

pious persons, still all their mercy is depleted. If Vaishnavas are

offended even by an assembly of sannyasis, such an assembly is more

irreligious than a group of drunkards. For the drunks there is still a chance for

salvation but for those who are critical of Vaishnavas there is no hope

for liberation."

 

The Deity also may withdraw from the association of the offenders.

Krsna may not accept to be present or remain where the pure devotee has

been offended.

 

It has been mentioned in Bhaktiratnakara that whenever Sri Abhirama

Thakura offered his dandavats before a Deity that was being worshipped by

an offender that the Deity would burst into pieces. This is of course

an extreme example, but the lesson is universal - Krsna does not reside

where the Lord or his pure devotees have been offended.

 

Of course there are many original Deities in Vrindavana and elsewhere

that are no longer being worshipped by pure devotees, some are even

being worshipped by offenders. However, when going to such temples on a

holy pilgrimage we may honor the prasadam of such Deities remembering that

these were the Deities of Sri Rupa Goswami, Sri Sanatana Goswami, Srila

Prabhupada and so forth. That is a special case.

 

In the case where, for example, a 'ritvik' (one who has rejected the

guru-parampara) establishes a temple to worship the Deity, accepting only

the previous Acharya - that too is not authorized. Even if that temple

cost millions of dollars we do not regard that Krsna is present there

in His Deity form. Krsna is only present where his pure devotee and the

parampara are in full regard. Simply following rules and regulations

and reading books of the previous Acharya does not constitute pure

devotional serve or even an honest attempt to follow in the line of pure

devotion.

 

There was an incident during the time of Srila Prabhupada wherein the

Deity of Subhadra in San Diego burned on the altar leaving only a pile

of ashes behind. On the left and right stood Krsna and Baladeva but They

were unaffected by the fire. When the news of this incident reached

Srila Prabhupada he commented that Subhadra has departed due to aparadha,

offenses being committed in the temple. Again this is an extreme case

and we should not think that such is the only proof that Krsna has

withdrawn.

 

For example there are many references in the sastra to offenders being

stricken down with leprosy etc. Yet we should not think that just

because an offender has not contacted leprosy that he is not an offender.

The main punishment for the offenders of pure devotees is that they are

deprived of the association of a Mahabhagavat or pure devotee of Krsna.

There are some temples in the world wherein not even a single person in

those temples has ever come in proper connection with a Mahabhagavat

other than by reading books. Thus a bona fide guru, considering the

neophyte nature or offensive nature of persons in such temples, might

instruct his disciples to avoid that type of association.

 

Another example of the Deity withdrawing from a temple due to offenses

made against the Lord's pure devotee can be cited in relation to the

Mayapur temple wherein the Radha Krsna Deities (worshiped by Srila

Prabhupada in his childhood) and the main Deity of Srimati Radharani left the

altar under the plea of being carried away by the dacoits and never

returned. This unpleasant event took place during the height of offenses

being committed against Srila Sridhar Maharaja. This was indeed an

extreme example of the Lord's dissatisfaction, but historically the blame

was placed on the dacoits and the members of that institution never

considered a deeper meaning behind that most unfortunate and unprecedented

event.

 

Without proper discrimination a devotee will fall from the path of pure

devotional service and become a hodge-podge devotee, like so many

Hindus. We are to honor prasadam, maha-prasadam and the association of real

Vaishnavas, but in doing so we must accept the instruction of our

spiritual master. If he tells us to avoid a particular association we should

accept that and always remain humble and obedient to his order. The

presence of the Deity, the Holy Name, the potency of prasadam and some

many things in Krsna consciousness always depend on the dispensation of

the director, the good will of the higher Vaishnava.

 

[karmic_desires]

Hare Krishna,

 

I liked the way you presented the argument - complete with quotations and references, but I would like to differ on the points of "presence of their Lordships" that you have discussed at length towards the end of your essay.

 

Of course, this is entirely my opinion and you may reject it in its entirety if you disagree.

 

I believe that the Lord is present everywhere - He is manifested in everything (yet maintaining His personality). Also, he is extremely merciful.

I think even if a fallen down person offers the Lord vegetarian food with love, He will accept it - even if the person is a ritvik, or worse. In fact, I believe the Lord will be especially merciful and create situations for the person whereby the person will develop greater love and etiquette towards proper worship.

 

I also believe that while it is necessary to state the proper way to worship the Lord, it is quite intimidating to hear about the consequences of faulty worship at initial stages of devotion or for that matter of fact even non-devotion. I would rather that my meat-eating mother offer vegetarian food to the Lord, one day a month, than be too intimidated and scared to offer food to the Lord for fear of the Lord's rejection or wrath.

 

I think the Lord is merciful enough to accept and guide even the most fallen of souls if they want to serve Him in any capacity they can. And yes, He is manifested everywhere.

 

As I mentioned - just my opinion.

 

Hare Krishna,

kd.