Cooking/Bhoga – Prasada

Bread

Kamsahanta (das) HKS (Copenhagen - DK)

16-Apr-95

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The cooks are sometimes substituting papadams for breads. Is that proper/acceptable ?

Krsna Ksetra (das) ACBSP

Date: 22-Apr-95 17:45 SST

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If you mean by "breads" capatis, papadams have a totally different "funtion" in a menu. I always understood that they would be served (if one were not serving everything at once) near the end of a meal, unlikecapatis, which are served at the beginning. But if kicuri is the main fare ofthe meal, papadams go with it, don't they?

Cooking by non initiates

Mahakirti dasa

14-Feb-95

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Is there any rule or objection for preparing NON-COOKED preparations for Deities (Sri Sri Gaura-Nitay) by NOT-initiated devotees.

Viraja (dd) KKD (Wiesbaden - D)

18-Apr-95

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The wife of our Delhi temple president would like to know whether it is allowed for non-initiated devotees (including Krsna's friends) to cook items to be offered later to the temple Deities, considering special occassions like festivals.

Krsna Ksetra (das) ACBSP

28-Apr-95

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My understanding is that we can encourage congregation members to make food preparations for the Deities on festival days if they are aware of the standards of cleanliness, etc. These preparations would not be included on the Deities' regular offering plates, but would bekept seperate. The idea for the pujari offering would be that he is offeringthese items on behalf of the persons who have cooked, thus encouraging them toparticipate in the festival in this way, but, in a sense, "leaving it upto" the Deities whether They will relish the offering or not. It would beappropriate, in my opinion, to offer these preparations to Gaura-Nitai ratherthan Radha-Krsna.

Nrsimha Kavaca (das) IDS

20-May-95

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In reference to both your texts Srila Prabhupada was very firm that only person who were twice born, brahmana initiated should cook for the Deities. Therefore, musli and other things prepared and cooked by non-devotees and unitiated devotees are considered unacceptable.

Letter to Kirtanananda Swami 23/11/74

*The right thing is that only twice initiated brahmana disciples cook in the temple.

There are many other quotes on this matter but it is late and this is the general comment that Srila Prabhupada gives on this matter.

Powdered milk and honey, Srila Prabhupada said in a room conversation in Tokyo, maybe 1972, Bhanu Maharaja was present, that Guru Gauranga should not take grains on Ekadasi. No mention of powdered milk or honey

In another letter to Bharadraja 18/11/75, Srila Prabhupada said Lord Nrsimhadeva should be worshipped in His own temple, as is done in Mayapur.

Nrsimha Kavaca (das) IDS

20-May-95

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