Madhya 9.53
TEXT 53
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TEXT
অপবিত্র অন্ন এক থালিতে ভরিয়া ।
প্রভু-আগে নিল 'মহাপ্রসাদ' বলিয়া ॥ ৫৩ ॥ apavitra anna eka thalite bhariya
prabhu-age nila 'maha-prasada' baliya
SYNONYMS
apavitra-polluted; anna-food; eka-one; thalite-plate; bhariya-filling; prabhu-age-in front of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nila-brought; maha-prasada baliya-calling it maha-prasada.
TRANSLATION
Having made their plot, the Buddhists brought a plate of untouchable food before Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and called it maha-prasada.
PURPORT
The word apavitra anna refers to food that is unacceptable for a Vaisnava. In other words, a Vaisnava cannot accept any food offered by an avaisnava in the name of maha-prasada. This should be a principle for all Vaisnavas. When asked, "What is the behavior of a Vaisnava?" Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "A Vaisnava must avoid the company of an avaisnava [asat]." The word asat refers to an avaisnava, that is, one who is not a Vaisnava. Asat-saṅga-tyaga,-ei vaisnava-acara (Cc. Madhya 22.87). A Vaisnava must be very strict in this respect and should not at all cooperate with an avaisnava. If an avaisnava offers food in the name of maha-prasada, it should not be accepted. Such food cannot be prasada because an avaisnava cannot offer anything to the Lord. Sometimes preachers in the Krsna consciousness movement have to accept food in a home where the householder is an avaisnava; however, if this food is offered to the Deity, it can be taken. Ordinary food cooked by an avaisnava should not be accepted by a Vaisnava. Even if an avaisnava cooks food without fault, he cannot offer it to Lord Visnu, and it cannot be accepted as maha-prasada. According to Bhagavad-gita:
patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati tad aham bhakty-upahrtam asnami prayatatmanah "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it." (Bg. 9.26)
Krsna can accept anything offered by His devotee with devotion. An avaisnava may be a vegetarian and a very clean cook, but because he cannot offer the foodstuff to Visnu, the food he cooks cannot be accepted as maha-prasada. It is better that a Vaisnava abandon such food as untouchable.
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