REGARDING PRASADAM :
Offering Grains to the Spiritual Master and Lord Caitanya
:
In a conversation, Srila Prabhupada said that grains should not be
offered to either the spiritual master or Lord Caitanya and His
associates on Ekadasi.
Devotee: On Ekadasi, we can offer the Deity grains?
Prabhupada:
Oh, yes. But not guru. Ekadasi observed by jiva-tattva, not by
Vishnu. We are fasting for clearing our material disease, but
Radha-Krsna, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Caitanya Mahaprabhu also may not
be offered grains because He is playing the part of a devotee. Only
Radha-Krsna, Jagannatha can be offered grains. Otherwise,
Guru-Gauranga, no. And the prasadam should not be taken by anyone.
It should be kept for the next day. [Srila Prabhupada Room
Conversation, Tokyo, April 22, 1972] If there is only one plate for
all Deities and the main Deity is Krsna or Jagannatha, grains
should be offered as on normal days. If the main Deities are
Gaura-Nitai, offer only non-grain preparations.* It is best to
replace the normally offered grain preparations with non-grain
preparations so that there are the same number of preparations as
on normal days. If, however, grain preparations are being cooked
for Krsna or Jagannatha, it may be difficult to cook additional
non-grain preparations for the spiritual master and Gaura-Nitai. In
that case serve larger quantities of the non-grain preparations to
the spiritual master and Gaura-Nitai, and prepare the offering
plate for Krsna or Jagannatha as on normal days. * If you are
cooking for a restaurant where grains will be served on Ekadasi,
you may offer the grains to Gaura-Nitai with the understanding that
They will offer the bhoga to Krsna.
What Constitutes "Grains" on Ekadasi?
Srila Prabhupada specified foodgrains and beans (pulses) as foods
that must be avoided on Ekadasi. One may use spices for cooking,
although mustard seeds should be avoided.* You should not use
powdered asafatoeda (hing), since it (generally) contains grains.
Sesame seeds are also to be avoided, except on Satila Ekadasi, when
they may be offered and eaten. Do not use any cooking ingredients
that might be mixed with grains, such as ghee that has been used to
fry puris, or spices touched by hands dusted with chapati flour. *
Someone who is very strictly observing Ekadasi should avoid all
spices except pepper, rock salt and cumin. He should also eschew
certain vegetables, such as tomatoes, cauliflower, eggplant, and
leafy vegetables. Temple kitchens need not follow these strictures,
since Srila Prabhupada did not establish them. Individual devotees
may observe these rules if they choose, either making their own
arrangements for cooking on Ekadasi, eating uncooked foods such as
fruit, or observing full fasting. These arrangements should not
interfere with the temple cooking schedule.
Mahaprasadam on Ekadasi:
On Ekadasi, strict followers of Vaishnava regulations avoid eating
any mahaprasada from an offering that includes grains. The shastra
explains that the papa-purusha (sin personified) takes shelter in
grains on Ekadasi, and therefore we avoid grains at all cost on
that day, not even risking taking non-grain preparations of
mahaprasada from an offering plate containing grains. Ekadasi
mahaprasada should be stored until the next day; if that is not
possible it can be distributed to persons not strictly following
Vaishnava regulations or to animals. In fact, mahaprasada maintains
its purity on Ekadasi despite the presence of the papa-purusha, and
therefore it will purify anyone who eats it. Nevertheless, the
followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, being strict followers of
Vaishnava regulations, avoid mahaprasada on that day because their
strict sadhana will be hampered by the presence of the
papa-purusha.
