# Prasādam *On the mercy of eating food offered to Kṛṣṇa* --- ### Offered to Kṛṣṇa > Kṛṣṇa says that "If you offer Me with devotion a little flower, a little fruit, a little water, I will accept it." So we offer everything to Kṛṣṇa first, and then we take the remnants. This is called prasādam. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### Transcendental Food > Prasādam is not ordinary food. It has been offered to Kṛṣṇa. So it becomes transcendental. By eating prasādam, you become purified. This is the special process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. — [[spoken/1966/660909le.ny|Lecture on Hare Kṛṣṇa Mantra, New York, 1966]] --- ### Tongue Is the Most Dangerous > The tongue is the most dangerous enemy. It wants to taste so many things and it wants to talk so many nonsense. So if you can control the tongue by tasting Kṛṣṇa prasādam and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, then all other senses are controlled. — [[spoken/1972/721017sb.vrn|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.6, Vṛndāvana, 1972]] --- ### Eating Without Sin > The eyes are meant for seeing Kṛṣṇa. The ears are meant for hearing about Kṛṣṇa. The tongue is meant for glorifying Kṛṣṇa and tasting Kṛṣṇa prasādam. The hands are meant for working for Kṛṣṇa. The legs are meant for going to the temple of Kṛṣṇa. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### Not Vegetarianism > We are not vegetarians. We are not meat-eaters. We are prasādam-eaters. Whatever Kṛṣṇa accepts, we accept. Kṛṣṇa says patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam—vegetables, fruits, grains, milk. He does not say "Offer Me meat." So we don't eat meat. — [[spoken/1969/690510r1.col|Room Conversation, Columbus, 1969]] --- ### Spiritual Food > By eating prasādam, you are not implicated in the resultant action of karma. If you eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa, you are eating sin. But prasādam is transcendental. It purifies you. — [[spoken/1970/701215sb.ind|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.27, Indore, 1970]] --- ### Kṛṣṇa's Mercy > Prasādam means "mercy." So when you take Kṛṣṇa prasādam, you are taking Kṛṣṇa's mercy. And by taking Kṛṣṇa's mercy, you become purified. This is a very simple process. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### Eating and Advancing > In other yoga systems, you have to fast. But in bhakti-yoga, you eat sumptuously—but prasādam, Kṛṣṇa prasādam. So you eat nicely and you advance spiritually. What is the difficulty? — [[spoken/1969/690510r1.col|Room Conversation, Columbus, 1969]] --- ### Never Be Hungry > The devotees should never be hungry. There must be prasādam. Kṛṣṇa is giving food to everyone. The animals are not hungry. The birds are not hungry. Why should the devotees be hungry? They must have nice prasādam. — [[spoken/1972/721017sb.vrn|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.6, Vṛndāvana, 1972]] --- ### Purification of the Tongue > First we have to control the tongue. The tongue is controlled by tasting prasādam and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then all other senses will be controlled. This is the secret. — [[spoken/1966/660909le.ny|Lecture on Hare Kṛṣṇa Mantra, New York, 1966]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on prasādam* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]