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The Significance of Mahaprasad

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The Significance of Mahaprasad
by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

The system of Mahaprasad is not only emblematic of the superior life of the Vaishnavas, but it is a part of the worship which ordinary theists cannot fully understand. The ordinary men are very much inclined to preserve the superiority of Reason over the intuitive feelings of man towards the God of Love. We must now proceed to show with healthy arguments that our intuitive feelings want us to offer everything we eat to the God of our heart.

We must first examine the arguments of the antagonists. The Rationalist holds that God is infinite and without wants, and consequently it is foolish to offer eatables to such a Being. It is a sacrilege to offer created things to the Creator and thereby degrade the Divinity of God into humanity. These are reasonable arguments indeed, and one who has heard them will certainly be inclined to declare to others, “Down with the Mahaprasad”. These conclusions, however reasonable, are dry and destructive. They tend to separate us from all connections with God in the form of worship. When you say that the Infinite wants nothing, you forbid all contemplation and prayer. The Infinite does not want your grateful expressions or, in other words, flattery. Utter a word to the Unconditioned and you are sure to degrade Him into a conditioned Being. Hymns, prayers and sermons are all over! Shut your temple door and the church gates, because our Rationalist has advised you to do so. Believe a creating principle and you have done your duty! Oh! What a shame! What a dreadful fall! Theists, beware of these degrading principles!

Now the Rationalist appears in another shape and admits prayers, sermons, psalms and church-going, saying that these things are wanted for the improvement of the soul, but God does not want them at all. We are glad that the Rationalist has come towards us and will make further approaches in the course of time.

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The solution of our life

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Srila Sachchidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakur himself said:

Many things are going on in religion in the name of the solution of our life, but what Mahaprabhu has given very soon will be detected by the intelligentsia of the world, and all will flock to the banner of Sri Chaitanyadev and will sing the glory of Mahaprabhu and Krshna.

Mercy of Lord Sri Rama

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Lord Sri Rama is so compassionate and merciful.

In Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam, Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj writes:

“If one seeks refuge in Him just once, He awards fearlessness to the person forever”

and quotes a verse from the Ramayana:

sakrd eva prapanno yas tavasmiti cha yachate
abhayam sarvada tasmai, dadamy etad vratam mama

(Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam: 9.4)

“It is my pledge that if anyone just once sincerely petitions Me for shelter, saying, ‘I am Yours,’ then I grant him courage for all time to come.”

Absolute compassion of Sri Caitanyacandra

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prema namadbhutarthah sravanapathagatah kasya namnam mahimnah
ko vetta kasya vrndavanavipina-mahamadhurisu pravesah
ko va janati radham paramrasacamatkarmadhuryasimam
ekascaitanyacandrah paramkarunayah sarvvamaviscakara

Translation:

Had anyone ever heard of something known as Prema, as the ultimate aim of mankind?
Did anyone know of the divine power of the holy name?
Had anyone entered the sweet, charming forest of Vrindavana?
Did anyone know of Sri Radha as the embodiment of the highest transcendental ecstasy, worthy of loving adoration?
Only due to the absolute compassion of Sri Caitanyacandra were these rarest gems discovered, found shimmering in the darkness of Kaliyuga, lit by the moonlight of his benevolence.

From Caitanya Candramritam

Srimad Bhagavatam 10.82.48

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Srimad Bhagavatam 10.82.48

आहुश्च ते नलिननाभ पदारविन्दं
योगेश्वरैर्हृदि विचिन्त्यमगाधबोधै: ।
संसारकूपपतितोत्तरणावलम्बं
गेहं जुषामपि मनस्युदियात् सदा न: ॥ ४८ ॥

āhuś ca te nalina-nābha padāravindaṁ
yogeśvarair hṛdi vicintyam agādha-bodhaiḥ saṁsāra-kūpa-patitottaraṇāvalambaṁ
gehaṁ juṣām api manasy udiyāt sadā naḥ

Translation:

The gopīs spoke thus: Dear Lord, whose navel is just like a lotus flower, Your lotus feet are the only shelter for those who have fallen into the deep well of material existence. Your feet are worshiped and meditated upon by great mystic yogīs and highly learned philosophers. We wish that these lotus feet may also be awakened within our hearts, although we are only ordinary persons engaged in household affairs.

Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.1

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Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.1


सूत उवाच
यं ब्रह्मा वरुणेन्द्ररुद्रमरुत: स्तुन्वन्ति दिव्यै: स्तवै-
र्वेदै: साङ्गपदक्रमोपनिषदैर्गायन्ति यं सामगा: ।
ध्यानावस्थिततद्गतेन मनसा पश्यन्ति यं योगिनो
यस्यान्तं न विदु: सुरासुरगणा देवाय तस्मै नम: ॥ १ ॥

sūta uvāca
yaṁ brahmā varuṇendra-rudra-marutaḥ stunvanti divyaiḥ stavair
vedaiḥ sāṅga-pada-kramopaniṣadair gāyanti yaṁ sāma-gāḥ
dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yogino
yasyāntaṁ na viduḥ surāsura-gaṇā devāya tasmai namaḥ

Translation:

Sūta Gosvāmī said: Unto that personality whom Brahmā, Varuṇa, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts praise by chanting transcendental hymns and reciting the Vedas with all their corollaries, pada-kramas and Upaniṣads, to whom the chanters of the Sāma Veda always sing, whom the perfected yogīs see within their minds after fixing themselves in trance and absorbing themselves within Him, and whose limit can never be found by any demigod or demon — unto that Supreme Personality of Godhead I offer my humble obeisances.

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.19.27–45

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An excerpt from Srimad Bhagavatam (11.19.27–45) in which Lord Krishna answers Uddhava’s questions about seeing the world in the proper way.

Srimad Bhagavatam

Q: What is dharma?

A: That which produces devotion to Me.

Q: What is knowledge (jnan)?

A: Seeing the presence of the Supersoul.

Q: What is detachment (vairagya)?

A: Disinterest in the sense objects.

Q: What is equanimity (sama)?

A: Being intent upon Me (not simply peace of mind).

Q: What is discipline (dama)?

A: Control of the senses (not control over others).

Q: What is tolerance (titiksa)?

A: Enduring suffering (as prescribed by the scriptures or as inflicted by disrespectful persons; not a foolish self-induced attempt to endure heat or cold).

Q: What is steadiness (dhrti)?

A: Mastery of the tongue and genitals (other types of steadiness are useless without this).

Q: What is the greatest charity (dana)?

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The Three-fold Miseries of life

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Adhyatmika: miseries coming from one’s own body and mind

( aching bones, rotting teeth, headaches, worry and stress.)

Adhibahutika: miseries coming from other living beings

( mosquitoes, envious people, vicious dogs, etc. )

Adhidaivika: miseries coming from nature / demigods

( earthquake, famine, extreme weather conditions, etc. )

Seeing how these four limiting factors of the material world create suffering for the living entity is an item of knowledge listed in Bhagavad-gita 13.8-12

It takes a little contemplation and discussion to grasp. We usually forget the suffering of birth, and while we are young and healthy, old age, disease, and death seem distant and irrelevant.

 

 

Birth, Disease, Old age and Death
Therefore the Vedas ( Bhagavatam ) attempts to awaken us.

  • * Consider the suffering the child goes through at birth.
  • * The disease is a misery that repeatedly arises throughout life. See how many different kinds of disease and affliction you can think of.
  • * Consider also the disturbing symptoms of old age.
  • * Lord Kapila describes ( SB 3.30 ) the typical miseries surrounding the death.
  • * Old age, severe disease, and death are bad enough in themselves but they also cause pain to loved ones who see the suffering condition.

Hmmmmmmm.. something to think about..

The material nature provides the living entity with much more opportunity to suffer than to enjoy. For example, how many ways can you give pain to your foot compared with how many ways you can give it pleasure?

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Oh, when will that day come?

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Srila Bhaktivionda Thakur

Srila Bhaktivionda Thakur

Oh, for that day when the fortunate English, French, Russian, German and American people will take up banners, mrdangas, and kartalas and raise kirtana through their streets and towns.

When will that day come?

Oh for the day when the fair-skinned men from their side will raise up the chanting of

‘jaya sacinandana, jaya sacinandana, kijaya’

and join with the Bengali devotees.

When will that day be?

On such a day they will say, “Our dear Brothers, we have taken shelter of the ocean of Lord Caitanya’s Love; kindly embrace us”.
that day will witness the holy transcendental ecstasy of the Vaisnava dharma to be the only dharma, and all sects and religions will flow like rivers into the ocean of Vaisnava dharma.

Oh, when will that day come?

Oh, when will that day come, when pure and transcendental Vaisnava prema will be the only religion of all souls and all tiny sectarian religions will meet in the unlimited and universal religion of Vaisnavism as rivers merge into the great ocean?
O when will that day come?

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur