Swami Shivapadananda

Prasad prep guidelines

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]

DAILY READINGS

Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.

Day 809

   

If you can think of Sri Ramakrishna as the nearest to your heart then you will understand how great devotees see their deities.

Sri Ramakrishna and Devi Sarada Ma were so very particular about Jagannath Puri prasad [sacramental food], they never ever missed the opportunity of having it. It is said that eating this prasad, drinking Ganga [Ganges] water and touching the dust of Vrindavan ['birthplace' of Lord Krishna] is like heaven itself.

What tremendous faith they had. But what do we do? We just take a plate and put a lot of prasad on it and if anything is left over, we see if we can give it to some poor people. If no poor people are available well then of course the greatest thing is the cats and the dogs. They must have their share too, but a limited amount.

When a devotee of God cooks prasad he makes sure that he is clean in body, mind and soul - clean in thought, word and deed. Gurudev [Swami Nischalananda Puri, Swamiji's beloved Guru] used to tell us that if you touch your leg you must go and wash your hands before offering even a flower to the Deity. If you touch your nose you must go and wash. If man doesn't like this sort of thing, how will God like it? God likes everything that is hygienic.

Once in a month, supposing the mothers are not clean [menstruating], they can have a complete bath and then cook. But if your own mind runs amok then you must refrain from cooking. Your own mind must dictate to you, nobody else.

1) Care should be taken by the reader to understand and take Swamiji's words in these postings, in context. Every teaching or instruction that he gave was specific to the people who were with Swamiji at the time. 

2) Mouse-over the words highlighted in red in the posting for further explanation or links.

There are currently available, over 100 different CDs or DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order. 

Click HERE for the second website on Swamiji's life and teachings.

For more about the Holy Trinity, and also the founding Swamis of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, please mouse over their names below:

Sri Ramakrishna    Sri Sarada Devi     Swami Vivekananda  

Swami Nischalananda  Swami Shivapadananda 

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - read online

Reference websites - please mouse over the name and click to connect:

Ramakrishna Math and Mission    Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa    Ramakrishna Dham

 

Food as prasad

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

677

A Muslim devotee used to visit the Holy Mother [Sri Sarada Devi] . Sometimes she would rub oil on that man's feet to make him feel nice. Her close ones said, 'What are you doing?' She said, 'That is my child too.' And in point of fact that man became a worshipper of Sri Sarada Devi.

That is why when our mothers or fathers cook, they must repeat God's name. When God's name is awakened in you the food will become prasad. I have told the person that is cooking for this Yoga Camp to repeat God's name so all the people that eat here will become naturally transformed. Take Mother's name if possible; Mother is the one that transforms everybody.

Every ashram should follow Sri Sarada Devi's method and give prasad. Cook prasad. Do not send people away without eating. That is what I learned from Holy Mother: Through prasad people can reach God.

If you want to glorify God by feeding people, send some money to these ashrams and tell them: 'Feed the devotees who come on Saturday.' The ashram management must organise someone to cook the food sincerely, offer it to Mother, Master [Sri Ramakrishna] and Swami Vivekananda and then feed the people. Then see what a miracle it does. (But please remember this must not be done in some dead person's name.) [That would constitute the offering of food to departed spirits - a sraad ceremony -which Sri Ramakrishna said could damage the spiritual progress of devotees if consumed.]

All the disciples that gave Sri Sarada Devi trouble are my gods because they made the Real Thing manifest in her. If they had not done that you would have been able to say, 'Mother had an easy time.' But they were like fleas on God's back - they kept God awake for us so we would not be lost.

May she live always in our hearts.

1) Care should be taken by the reader to understand and take Swamiji's words in these postings, in context. Every teaching or instruction that he gave was specific to the people who were with Swamiji at the time. 2) Mouse-over the words highlighted in red in the posting for further explanation or links.

There are currently available, over 100 different CDs or DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order. Click HERE for the second website on Swamiji's life and teachings.

Sri Ramakrishna    Sri Sarada Devi     Swami Vivekananda  

Swami Nischalananda  Swami Shivapadananda 

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - read online

Reference websites - please mouse over the name and click to connect:

Ramakrishna Math and Mission    Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa    Ramakrishna Dham

Handling Prasadam [sacramental food]

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji

637

   

The man who has a lot of money and a lot of desires is very poor. The man who is lazy and has no desires is worse. But the man who has the desire to realise God is the richest.

In the shrine when offering food to the Deity, look at His face. Then hold His Lotus feet with your hands. Prostrate. Feel that you are holding His feet. Now look at Him again after He has blessed you. Mentally say to Him: 'Lord, I'll take your Prasad [sacramental food - example pictured]. When anyone eats this prasad may they have pure mind and bhakti [devotion] to you.' Now you take the prasad.

My guru [His Holiness Swami Nischalananda Puri] used to say, 'Don't just go and grab it. It's not just a piece of fruit kept there. It belongs to God.'

If there is a little bit of food left on my plate after I have finished eating and I keep talking, what would you do? You would say, 'Swamiji, are you finished? Can I take that away?' But when you come to God's food you treat it like something dead - you just grab it and walk away.

When you are offering prasad you should not speak because the saliva from your mouth, unnoticed by you, goes onto the prasad and that becomes juta, defiled. Therefore never speak near the altar.

I see some men that visit the ashram [monastery], they walk with such big steps from the back of the shrine. I sometimes tell them, 'Look, this is wrong. Walk slowly in the shrine.' You may think that I am scolding. No. Hatred, honestly, is not in my mind, prejudice is not in my mind. The only thing in my mind is to make you a lovely flower so that one day I will be proud to offer you to Sri Ramakrishna, or Lord Vishnu or Kali or Durga or Bandi or Sitala. Only that is in my heart.

When you walk in the shrine you must remember that God is living. How do you walk at the office in the presence of your boss? You walk with respect. When you walk in front of Sri Ramakrishna, even in your own shrines at home, you must walk with that love, with the feeling of living-ness.

The mothers should see that their saris or dresses do not touch any prayer things. If the lota [little water pot] is touched, even when it is empty, it should be washed.

1) Care should be taken by the reader to understand and take Swamiji's words in these postings, in context. Every teaching or instruction that he gave was specific to the people who were with Swamiji at the time. 2) Mouse-over the words highlighted in red in the posting for further explanation or links.

There are currently available, over 100 different CDs or DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order. Click HERE for the second website on Swamiji's life and teachings.

Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Nischalananda Puri, Swami Shivapadananda

Click Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna to read online...

Reference websites (please mouse-over the name to connect): Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Ramakrishna Centre of SA, Ramakrishna Centre of Southern Africa, Ramakrishna Dham, Swami Shivapadananda 2