6.2: Serving and Honouring Prasadam
Serving and Honouring Prasadam
Prasadam = The Lord’s Mercy: Food prepared in pure consciousness with pure products and offered with love to the Lord
The glories of prasadam
-
Prasadam is spiritual, not
different from Krishna - Purifies the heart (different levels of potency)
- Frees one from sinful reactions
- Anyone who eats some eventually gets liberation
- We can simply eat our way back to Godhead
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Krishna become very pleased when we cook nicely for Them.
- Krishna actually eats the offering
- By eating prasadam, the devotee becomes Krishna-ised
- Connects our eating process to Krishna
- Helps control the tongue
- Protects one from falling into illusion, as opposed to food cooked by non-devotees
- The offering contains love and devotion
- We get benefit through offering, serving and eating it.
- We are not dry renouncers; we can prepare wonderful feasts
- The Lord likes to see His devotees enjoy in a spiritual way.
Prasada sevaya
Recited before taking prasadam
O Lord, this material body is a place of ignorance, and the senses are a network of paths to death. Somehow, we have fallen into this ocean of material sense enjoyment, and of all the senses the tongue is most voracious and uncontrollable; it is very difficult to conquer the tongue in this world. But You, dear Krishna, are very kind to us and have given us such nice prasada, just to control the tongue. Now we take this prasada to our full satisfaction and glorify You Lord — Radha and Krishna — and in love call for the help of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda. (from Saranagati)
Cultural Background
Preparing, serving, and eating prasadam in the association of devotees are integral to devotional service with roots based in the ancient Vedic culture and the Lord’s pastimes.
- A part of Deity worship (arcanam): Cooking for Krishna is an exact science. Various dishes are prepared in certain ways because experts in the art have determined that these preparations are most pleasing to Krishna.
- Trains us for the spiritual world in the correct service attitude of taking pleasure in eating Krishna’s remnants. The cowherd boys enjoy eating in Krishna’s company and sharing His remnants.
- In the spiritual world, Radha cooks for Krishna and She never cooks the same preparation twice. The temple kitchen is understood to belong to Radharani. She is the controller there.
- In Lord Caitanya’s pastimes, the devotees would make kirtana until they were exhausted and then eat a big feast together with great joy. The Caitanya-caritamrta contains many descriptions of the food preparations and feasts the devotees used to make. Look in the Caitanya-caritamrta and find a section where such a feast is described.
Regulations in Serving and Honoring Prasadam
- Serving
- Cleanliness and etiquette – use the right hand only when handling utensils
- Be sensitive: give what is wanted
- Be quick: others may be waiting
- Don’t give more than requested
- No mixing: keep the preparations separate
- Honouring:
- Should be respected (remember: prasadam is nondifferent from Krishna)
- Don’t criticise prasadam
- Shouldn't be wasted (not one grain)
- Your consciousness also affects how much benefit you get from eating it.
- Srila Prabhupada hardly spoke while eating
- Prayer to spiritual master — start and finish
- Don’t steal from others
- Don’t grab for yourself: serve and be served
- Don’t eat while walking (like an ass)
- Don’t horde prasadam
Be wise
- Take a short walk afterwards or sleep 10 minutes on the left side
- Don’t eat too much
- Take the right balance
- Don’t eat too much in the evening
- Consider regulation and health
< Previous || Next >