(6/7) Giving and Taking Prasad

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, noon festival class
Sri Nityananda-Trayodasi, 7 February 2020, part 6
Translated from Bengali

We will not stay in this world for long. We have crossed innumerable lifetimes—even if we live for one hundred years, what is one hundred years compared to eternity? If you spend your time laughing and playing, gossiping and talking nonsense, then such a life is useless.

I am telling to you all with folded palms: please come every year for Sri Ekachakra Dham parikrama and Sri Nabadwip Dham parikrama. There is no certainty—you cannot place your trust in anything because you can leave at any moment. But for as long as your legs can walk, you must do parikrama.

Keep Tulasi at home and do parikrama at home also. Tulasi is the Mistress of Vrindavan (Vrindavaner Adiswari). Circumambulate Tulasi four times every morning and evening. Only giving water and incense is not enough. If you circumambulate Tulasi, you will get relief from the circumambulation of this material world (samsara-parikrama). Always do Tulasi parikrama, always live following Gurudev's instruction and Leave everything to the Lord. "What will I eat?", "What will I wear?"—do not worry about anything.

[To the crowds gathered outside and inside the nat mandir.] Please sit outside, we will start giving prasad a little later. To all those standing and waiting out there: we will give prasad a little later, do not worry. Please wait outside the nat mandir, or you can sit here. Everyone will get prasad, do not worry. Those who can distribute prasad, all the ladies and children, please help distribute—many thousands of people will take prasad today. If you help distributing prasad, you will get benefit, too.

Everyone can do some service according to their capacity. You can do prasad-seva. Prasad-seva is not pleasure and enjoyment for senses. If you say during prasad distribution, "Oh, they did not give me paneer; they have only put potato on my plate," then this is not prasad-seva—it is eating paneer and potato. Do you understand what I am saying? You must remember this. One time, at some temple, I was upstairs in a room, and I watched how they were distributing prasad downstairs. The sweets were kept in a dark, cool place, and the devotees would take them in buckets to distribute. At some point, I saw how the person who was giving sweets went inside that place and put four sweets into his mouth! With the same hand, he continued distributing prasad again. This is seva-aparadh. If you do this, it does not bring any benefit. If you feel hungry, you can sit down, take prasad and then again go to distribute. There is no problem with that. But distributing prasad and putting sweets into your mouth is a bad offence. Eating something before the bhoga to the Lord is offered, casting a glance at the bhoga—there are many different offences to service. That is why it is said that you must serve Deities with faith (sraddhaya sri-murtira sevana). Always be alert and conscious of it.

If you take some prasad, it is sufficient. Those who distribute prasad must also do it attentively. "Attentively" does not mean that you give more paneer to those who you like or know and give only potato to those who you do not get on well; it means you must make sure everyone takes prasad and everyone receives all preparations. Guru Maharaj said that you must look at the person's face when you are distributing prasad—it means you must see that if there is a child sitting next to a lady, you should give the child's mother a little more (so that it is enough for the mother and the child). If somebody wants more sweets, you should give them more sweets, and if somebody is diabetic, you should not give them any sweets. This is the rule. But the reality is that they give four sweets to those who have diabetes and none to those who like sweets. People give many sweets to me also—they do not know that their Gurudev has not been taking sweets for twenty years; they do not have a relationship with their Guru. I wonder if they give me sweets because they think I will die sooner then... I have also seen that those who served prasad to Gurudev would put many sweets on his plate, but those who loved Gurudev would quickly remove sweets from the plate. Gurudev would be unpleased, saying, "I wanted to have those sweets so much, but they are not giving me any!" But the devotee who took the sweets away would get angry, "They are giving what doctors prohibited!" They would chastise strictly like this, and that is why Gurudev loved that servitor so much.

Everyone will get prasad today. Please take prasad attentively. We have a festival tomorrow too, stay. Many are thinking, "When is the train? I should take prasad quickly and leave." Prasad has not started yet, but they are thinking about their trains. [A devotee: the courtyard is full already.] Full? Very good. Do not worry, everyone will get prasad.

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Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Life in Sadhu-Sanga
2) Immerse Yourself in Kirtan
3) Path to Promotion
4) Service Is Not Formality
5) Eternal Service Consciousness
6) Giving and Taking Prasad
7) Control Your Urges