Your over-concern with eating is an obstacle to Kṛṣṇa consciousness (03/26/14)

Your over-concern with eating is an obstacle to Kṛṣṇa consciousness (03/26/14)

Dear ______,

I have been thinking over numerous things and in brief it will not be good for you to come to India. I would much prefer if you just stay in _____ and try to cultivate a useful program of Kṛṣṇa consciousness there.

There are numerous reasons for my decision. Some involve you but mostly my reasons concern the mission in India itself and what is most needed.

It seems that the races, cultures and nationalities of different peoples mixing together in an āśrama always generates difficulties. Frankly speaking I am tired of these difficulties.

It doesn’t come easy for me to say but I have to express my thoughts in your regard and that is that you do not fit into āśrama communal living, especially where the Deity is concerned. I am referring here to your diet and eating habits. It is nice that you are healthy, but you do not take prasādam and when living with the Deity, it is an offense to eat separately and not to take prasādam of the Deity everyday.

I tolerated this at _____, but only because there was no Deity of Kṛṣṇa present and I was not there when the standards were set up in the first place. I have hinted to you in the past about this, but it didn’t seem to sink in.

In short your over-concern with eating is an obstacle to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and i do not want this to spread to other devotees in India.

You have mostly lived independently and offered whatever you eat to Kṛṣṇa and that is OK. But living in the āśrama with the Deity of Kṛṣṇa it is mandatory that we take the remnants of the Deity’s offering and not just in a token way. That is essential in the practice of bhakti-yoga. I have seen personally how Prabhupāda did not care for all these exaggerated health concerns and especially he did not like it at all when devotees made arrangements for their own eating.

Prabhupāda lived 82 years, Śrīdhara Mahārāja 92 years, Purī Mahārāja 102 years, Jagannātha Dāsa Bābāji 120 years, and Mahāprabhu only 48 years. They all took simple prasādam offered to the Deity. There is a vast difference in offering and eating what you want to eat and in simply accepting the remnants of what the Deity has been offered.

I do not know how you will understand this email, but unless you can conform to āśrama life at Govindaji Gardens, it is better that you develop your own independent program there in _____.

I am sorry to bring you this news but it is my duty.

Hoping you are well.

Swami Narasingha