SOS Non-devotees sponsoring prasadam in our Indian temples

01-12-2000, 09:03 AM

Dear Vaisnavas,
Hare Krsna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila
Prabhupada.

I have put this message together in about 15 minutes so excuse my mistakes.
But this is SOS message which brings to light a particular aspect which if
taken care of will solve to a considerable extent the problems the Indian
ISKCON temples are facing.

In India we manytimes face the situation of some life-members who are not
devotees sponsor prasadam for the devotees but Prabhupada clearly says in
the two purports below from the Cc that Krsna & the pure devotees never
accept this kind of prasadam and one may become a materialistic man by doing
so and also that this is showbottle devotional service. So ISKCON temples
should avoid this at all costs to preserve the consciousness of the
devotees. I feel this is one of the major factors contributing to the
problems the ISKCON Indian temples are facing atpresent. Devotees get
influenced by materialist consciousness very fast by eating this kind of
food. Brahmacaries start thinking of marriage and grhastas become grhamedhis
etc. etc. They loose their taste for the Holy Name. And if the cooks are
hired materialistic people then it compounds the problem even more.

"Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that people who are advanced
in learning but attached to material enjoyment, who are puffed up by
material possessions, by birth in an elevated aristocratic family or by
education, may offer showbottle devotional service to the Deity and also
offer prasadam to Vaisnavas. Because of their ignorance, however, they
cannot understand that since their minds are materially polluted, neither
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, nor the Vaisnavas accept
their offerings. If one accepts money from such materialistic persons to
offer food to the Deity and Vaisnavas, a pure Vaisnava does not accept it.
This causes unhappiness for the materialists because they are fully absorbed
in the bodily conception of life. Therefore they sometimes turn against the
Vaisnavas."

Cc Antya 6.276

"Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura suggests that people who are
materialistically inclined and sahajiyas, or so-called Vaisnavas who take
everything very casually, are both visayis, or materialists. Eating food
offered by them causes contamination, and as a result of such contamination,
even a serious devotee becomes like a materialistic man."

Cc Antya 6.278

"Gaurakisora was very selective about accepting invitations for food. He
believed that partaking of food here and there could adversely affect the
spiritual life of a devotee. Once a devotee name Harenbabu partook of
prasada offered at the festival held at Bhajan-kutir at Navadvipa. For this
Gaurakisora stopped communicating with Haren for three days. On the fourth
day Gaurakisora explained that the prasada of the above festival had been
financed by a woman of questionable profession."

>From Srila Gaurakishore Dasa Babaji Maharaj's biography

Then there is the story (?) of Srila Rupa & Sanatana unknowingly eating a
feast sponsored by a prostitute and momentarily loosing sight of the
astha-kaliya-lila in their heart while other sadhus having bad dreams &
loosing semen in the night.

I had read more of these kind of incidences at various places but I get them
together now.

Now one may ask what is the solution:

I have meditiated upon this for a long time and I like to propose a three
point program which in my humble opinion solves this problem:

(1) First only those congregation devotees who are chanting 16 rounds,
following the four regulative principles and are sincere in their devotional
service should be allowed to sponsor prasadam for the devotees . Not that if
any rich man wants to sponsor a feast for the devotees we welcome him open
hands.

(2) Note that Prabhupada says in the second purport that the pure Vaisnava
never accepts money from materialist persons to offer food to the Deity and
the Vaisnavas. He specifically says for offering food. So the money coming
as direct donations from materialistic people in the form of LM donations,
Janmasthami, Rama Navami donations etc. can be used for any purpose other
than buying foodstuffs to feed the devotees & the Deities like temple &
devotee maintainence, construction, etc. etc.

(3) Special care should be taken that the money coming from selling books &
selling paraphernalia be used for buying foodstuffs for offering to the
Deities & devotees. This money is obtained by selling our books &
paraphernalia and that is why it is considered pure. That is why Prabhupada
felt great pride to say that his temples are maintained by the selling of
his books.

This situation may not be big problem in our temples outside India because
materialistic people in other countries don't give direct donations in the
big quantities to the temples. There the temples sell books etc. and
maintain themselves or some congregational devotee gives regular donations.

So I would sincerely like to request our leaders in India to take this
matter very very seriously and act immediately in this regard to protect the
spiritual lives of the devotees under their care.

Your servant,
Nayana-rañjana d€sa