Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 11.20

eta bali' mahā-prasāda karilā vandana

eka rañca lañā tāra karilā bhakṣaṇa

SYNONYMS

eta bali' — saying this; mahā-prasāda — to the mahā-prasādam; karilā vandana — he offered respect; eka rañca — one fractional part; lañā — taking; tāra karilā bhakṣaṇa — ate it.

TRANSLATION

Saying this, he offered prayers to the mahā-prasādam, took a little portion, and ate it.

PURPORT

Mahā-prasādam is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, instead of eating mahā-prasādam, one should honor it. It is said here, karilā vandana, "he offered prayers." When taking mahā-prasādam, one should not consider the food ordinary preparations. Prasāda means favor. One should consider mahā-prasādam a favor of Kṛṣṇa. As stated by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, kṛṣṇa baḍa dayāmaya karibāre jihvā jaya svaprasāda-anna dilā bhāi. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. In this material world we are all very much attached to tasting various types of food. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa eats many nice varieties of food and offers the food back to the devotees, so that not only are one's demands for various tastes satisfied, but by eating prasādam one makes advancement in spiritual life. Therefore, we should never consider ordinary food on an equal level with mahā-prasādam.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness