Welcome to Prasad.Life!

Prasadam programs were part of Srila Prabhupada’s movement from the very beginning. As a young teenage bhakta, I was captivated by the delicious flavors and the cultural significance of Vaishnava cuisine. Helping in the kitchen allowed me to actively participate in the inner workings of the temple and engage directly with the Deities. It was a new, exciting, and deeply fulfilling experience.

From washing dishes to becoming the head cook at the Cleveland temple, I discovered a natural affinity for the entire cooking process. In the early 1970s, when I joined the temple, prasadam distribution was a primary method of reaching people, particularly before plain clothes book distribution programs became widespread. In addition to Sunday Feasts, we organized events at universities and community colleges, combining lectures, kirtans, and prasadam distribution to spread the message of devotion.

As time passed, the memories of those days remained vivid and alive within me. Hearing about other devotees' experiences evokes a similar intensity, reminiscent of our shared devotion and service.

Prasadam distribution was often the unsung hero of temple programs.  Wherever there were solid prasadam programs, devotees remembered them for being great places to serve Srila Prabhupada. However, it was always tempting to cut the budget when funds were tight and the kitchens were frequently staffed by those who were unable to do much else.

Yet, prasadam remained a powerful tool for reaching people in unique and almost magical ways that chanting and vocal preaching alone could not achieve. Srila Prabhupada himself referred to prasadam as his secret weapon, and over the years, many devotees have fondly reminisced about feasts and the joy of sharing prasadam.

Prasadam is at the core of Lord Chaitanya’s program of chanting, dancing, and feasting, holding spiritual significance since food offered to Krishna is considered non-different from Him.

This project began as a collaboration with Kurma, Apurva, Mayapriya, and Bhoumadeva Prabhus, aiming to understand temple experiences and gather quotable material for the Feast Book. The interviews, conducted in a conversational manner, soon expanded to cover various aspects of devotional service intertwined with prasadam.

Our goal is to produce a book accompanied by an archival website, and we invite you to join us in this endeavor. You can participate by scheduling an interview, which we usually conduct via Zoom.  Alternatively, you can record your stories on audio or video, or simply share stories via email.

Thank you for considering being a part of this journey with us. Please join us in honoring prasadam. 

Gopati das

gopati72@gmail.com

"THE TEMPLE IS MANAGED BY SRIMATI RADHARANI"

January 18, 1977      To All Iskcon Temple Presidents,

Please accept my blessings. Now you must arrange in each temple there must be sufficient stock of prasadam for distribution. You can keep first class cooks, two or three, and they should be always engaged. Whenever any guest comes, he must get prasada. This arrangement must be made, that the cooks prepare ten-twenty servings at a time, of puris and subji, and you can add halava and pakoras, and the visitors must be supplied immediately. Whenever a gentleman comes, he must be served. As the twenty servings are being distributed, immediately the cooks prepare another twenty servings and store it. At the end of the day, if no one comes, our own men will take, so there is no loss. You cannot say, "it is finished,'' "it is not cooked yet,'' "there is no supply for cooking'' etc. This must be enforced rigidly. The temple is managed by Srimati Radharani, Laksmiji; so why should there be want? Our philosophy is, if anyone comes, let him take prasada, chant Hare Krsna and be happy. Everything is being supplied by Krsna, Krsna is not poor, so why we should deny them? This should be done at any cost. There is no difficulty, it simply requires nice management. At the end of the day you may sell or give away. If we believe that Krsna is providing and maintaining everyone, then why should we be misers? This means losing faith in Krsna, and thinking that we are the doers and suppliers. We are confident Krsna will supply! Let the whole world come, we can feed them. So please do this nicely, begin at once.

Hoping this meets you all in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami