Serving Prasādam is a High Service (06/28/19)
Dear _____,
Śrī Śrī Guru Gaurāṅga jayate.
Actually, Prabhupāda’s standard was that if you are uninitiated then you are not allowed to to cook and offer to Kṛṣṇa in the temple. At home, of course you can do, but not in the temple.
In my āśramas we follow that system. Even the uninitiated are not allowed to serve prasādam. Serving prasādam is a very high service, it is not for the uninitiated to serve prasādam (Kṛṣṇa’s mercy) to the initiated devotees. That is to be done by senior devotees and supervised by a sannyāsī whenever possible.
Once, Prabhupāda wrote us a letter in which he explained that those with hari–nāma initiation should not take the remnants of prasādam left behind by the uninitiated. He should only take the remnants of those with hari–nāma initiation, the brāhmaṇas, the sannyāsīs and the guru. A brāhmaṇa should not take the remnants of anyone except another brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsī or the guru. And a sannyāsī should only take the remnants of the guru.
There are many standards in Gaudiya-sampradaya that ISKCON never learned. They barely understand that one should not touch prasādam with the left hand. There is not a single tattva in which they have a proper or complete understanding.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja told in the early 80s that, “ISKCON is cracked at the foundation. I fear in future they will become an apa-sampradaya”. Now almost 40 years has passed since then and as far as I can see ISKCON has become an apa–sampradāya.
Personally, even when offered, we do not take so-called ISKCON prasādam. Sadly you are in a difficult situation and dependent on association, but there isn’t any. There is plenty of social life in ISKCON but very, very little Kṛṣṇa consciousness. At least no Krishna consciousness of the higher standard.
Service to the institution is not service to Kṛṣṇa or even to our ācāryas. ISKCON likes to think that simply by serving ISKCON and being in ISKCON that they will automatically go back to Godhead. At the end they are going to be very surprised and very disappointed.
Basically you have not taken the first step, surrender to guru, and therefore your problems will simply drag on and on while at the same time you try to be Kṛṣṇa conscious, try to engage in service and try to find some decent association. How you are going to come to the right position in the company of ISKCON, I have no idea.
So please don’t ask me anymore questions about ISKCON, it is like beating a dead donkey.
Vaiṣṇava-sevaite,
Swami Narasiṅgha
