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Hare krsna

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada


If one eats too austerely, or if in the name of selflessness one accepts impure food, surely one loses control of the mind.

On the other hand, if one eats food that is excessively fatty or rich there will be an unwanted increase in sleep and semen, and thus the mind and speech will be overwhelmed by the modes of passion and ignorance.

SB 11.7.39

If we can practice accepting only remnants of food offered to Krsna, it is possible to get free from maya’s victimization. Vegetables, grains, fruits, milk products and water are proper foods to offer to the Lord, as Lord Krsna Himself prescribes. However, if one accepts prasada only because of its palatable taste and thus eats too much, he also falls prey to trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us to avoid very palatable dishes even while eating prasada. If we offer palatable dishes to the Deity with the intention of eating such nice food, we are involved in trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue. If we accept the invitation of a rich man with the idea of receiving palatable food, we are also trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue.

NoI: verse 1

Krsna proclaims that yoga cannot be properly performed by one who eats too much or eats too little. One who starves himself cannot properly perform yoga. Nor can the person who eats more than required. The eating process should be moderate, just enough to keep body and soul together; it should not be for the enjoyment of the tongue. When palatable dishes come before us, we are accustomed to take not just one of the preparations but two, three and four — and upwards. Our tongue is never satisfied. But it is not unusual in India to see a yogi take only a small spoonful of rice a day and nothing more.

Yoga as Body and Mind Control


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  • Volunteer

    Hare Krishna!

    >> Is Eating too much Prasadam is also sense Gratification?

    Don't make habit!!!

    Basically, we don't eat Prasadam but HONOR it!

    Lord Caitanya and His devotees sometimes also took large quantities of prasada.

    According to Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s philosophy, prasada should be taken up to the neck, akantha. In Jagannatha Puri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's only occupation was holding sankirtana at least four hours every day and distributing prasada to the devotees. It is stated in the Caitanya Caritamrta that the Lord was so liberal that He would give to every man prasada quite sufficient for being eaten by two or three men. Letter to: Dr. Y.G. Naik, 7 August, 1975

    Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu was not accustomed to taking prasäda in small quantities. He therefore put on each plate what at least five men could eat. CC Antya 11.82 verse

    Everyone was filled up to the neck because Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu kept telling the distributors, "Give them more! Give them more!" CC Antya 11.88 verse

    Especially on festival days, Vaisnavas foster the mood of jubilantly sharing large quantities of prasada. On most days, however, devotees should eat modestly, following Lord Caitanya’s example.

    But since prasada is transcendental and purifying, and honoring prasada is a form of devotional service, how is it possible that one could honor too much? Srila Prabhupada answered this by saying that only if one sees prasada as nondifferent from Krsna, then he can honor large amounts. But Srila Prabhupada humbly considered himself unqualified to see prasada in such a transcendental way—what to speak of us!

    Vipramukhya: When we prepare a feast we should give and give and give, and when no one wants any more then...

    Prabhupäda: Up until he comes to this point. Not only this point, but up to this point [up to the neck]. Eat as much as you like. We are not misers. You eat. As much you want I shall supply. But don’t waste. Eat. Don’t waste.

    Hari-çauri: This morning you were saying that fasting is very good. (laughter)

    Prabhupäda: No. Not prasädam. I never said. One who has not developed Kåñëa consciousness—for him fasting. And one who takes pleasure, "Oh, it is Kåñëa’s pleasure, or Kåñëa’s food. I’ll take." This is the idea. So we are not devotees, therefore we should first fast. And those who are devotees, they’ll take as much as they like. I was telling fasting because I am not a devotee. [laughs] For me fasting is good. If I eat more—atyähäraù. Atyähäraù prayäsaç ca, ñaòbhir bhaktir praëaçyati. 760906gc.vrn

    Regarding the attitude for taking prasada, if you think it is something palatable, so let me take more and more, then that is sense gratification. But, still it is prasada so it will act. Prasada is transcendental, but one should not take too much. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was taking, but on principle he was avoiding. Letter to: Vedavyasa, 4 August, 1975

    Vaiñëavas are thus enjoined to control their intake of prasada, yet especially on festivals and feasts, may sometimes take large quantities in a joyful mood of Kåñëa consciousness.Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu was not accustomed to taking prasädam in small quantities. He therefore put on each plate what at least five men could eat.

    According to Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s philosophy, prasadam should be taken up to the neck, äkaëöha.

    However, unless a devotee can digest large quantities, it is best not to eat "up to the neck" on a daily basis. On the whole, the best advice is,Better eat less than eat more.

     

    Hare Krishna...

  • Hare Krishna....All glories to Srila Praphupada...please hear the audio

    https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2017/03/cant-stop-overeating-...

    We should find our happiness and comfort in Bhakti and cultivate that....by doing so naturally the comfort in eating would subside....Krishna provides us with deeper and richer pleasure for a mucher longer time than the pleasure of eating for some time...hare krishna

    If we can't stop overeating, how can we control ourselves?
    Anwser Podcast https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/03-17%20QA/If%20we%20can't%20stop%20overeating,%20how%20can%20we%20con…
  • Volunteer

    Eating too much of prasadam (more than necessary) is considered aathyaahar. When we are over eaten, we feel very lazy in doing the service for Lord and that is the whole idea behind controlling the senses to engage them better for the service of Krishna. One of the devotee was saying that when we are eating we need to divide our capacity of stomach into 3 parts. Fill one with water(before eating food), fill the second part with the food and leave the third part empty for air circulation. But what we usually do is, fill entire stomach with food and then try to drink some water or some juice and no place for air. This will result in consumption of all the energy for digesting the food we have eaten and very less blood flows to brain which results in laziness and sleepiness.

    If some one is hankering to eat something very palatable, it is better to prepare at home and offer it to Krishna and then accept his remnants rather than going out and eating. But while eating the prasadam, have a watch on the quantity also.

    Talking about the Govindas, I dont see any problem in eating from there. See we have to accept the reality that we just dont have the control on our tongue like the six goswamies of Vrindavan. We need to eat out something that we like very much say sweets or chats etc. So, its better we eat in limit from Govindas rather than meditating on that and not able to concentrate on any thing including Japa!!!!

    Hari bol!!

  • Sevak

    i heard in a lecture that first 2 years of our devotional life we can eat nice prasadam and recieve it as Krishna's mercy but after that we must even be strict with prasadam.

    Your Servant. 

    Hari Bol! 

    • Volunteer

      Hare krsna 

      Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

      thank u pr ji


      your servant 

      vinay

  • Volunteer
    yes, only Prasadam and once a week! :D
    • Volunteer

      Hare krsna mata ji

      Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

      thank u mata  ji

      your servant

      vinay

  • Volunteer

    Hare krsna

    Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

    its my opinion pr ji eating too much prasadam is sense gartification....in  scripture & krsna also says control ur tongue is most imp. for control sense gartification..

    your servant

    vinay


    • Volunteer

      Hare Krishna Vinay Prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances! all glories to Srila Prabhupada!

      If we love to eat nicely and used to a life of over eating then to stop it will be very difficult.

      Sometimes we will feel so much depression (because of austerity) then our mind will become so agitated that we can eat even food cooked by non devotees.

      Because of that even Ayurveda says at least give some peace to mind by feeding it nicely with nice Prasadam. Eating as much as one wants and those things which he wants: like sweets, pizza or whatever is there one loves (but of course Prasadam). And forget about food.

      Then by the time such like desire for food will be decreased. And if one progresses in spiritual life for that person time will become very important thing. In this way knowing that by eating too much he will sleep too much one won't eat too much. One wants to get up early and eat the Holy Names :)

      -----------------------------

      But if we eat regularly, and nicely prepared Prasadam then there won't be any problem with over eating. When we eat according to timetable mind will be peaceful.

      ----------------------------------

      Our eating habits also depend on our association. If we do not associate with Devotees who are attached to the Holy Names then we won't get love and satisfaction from life and will try to find it from food.

      Your servant, 

       

       

      • Volunteer

        i forgot to mention we can eat nicely only once a week. Not everyday. Nicely means as much as we want and opulent Prasadam like sweets etc.

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