Serving Prasāda

During parikramā, Śrīla Gurudeva specifically ordered all his brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs to help cook and serve prasādam to all the devotees who came for the pilgrimage. He said, “Those who have come for parikramā are our guests and it is our duty to serve them; seeing your hard labor for the service of Hari, guru and Vaiṣṇava, Śrīman Mahāprabhu and Śrīman Nityānanda Prabhu will be very pleased with you.”

Service of Guest is Best, Either in East or West.

Sometimes a brahmacārī or sannyāsī would become tired and sit down for prasādam, but upon hearing that Śrīla Gurudeva was coming, they would immediately leave their prasādam behind and start serving again. Such loyalty to Śrīla Gurudeva is the key to success in spiritual life.

If someone was hiding, thinking they were being very clever, Śrīla Gurudeva would say it was sheer foolishness; they think they are clever but actually they are not. Śrīla Gurudeva has full authority upon all his brahmacārī and sannyāsī disciples. As their eternal well-wisher, Śrīla Gurudeva rigourously trains them and if needed, chastises them. This is done out of love for the disciple and is never pride, nor a display of mundane ego. If upon hearing Śrīla Gurudeva’s loving chastisement for a particular devotee, someone starts criticizing that particular devotee, then one will immediately commit an offence or Vaiṣṇava aparādha. In order to guard one against this kind of offence, we should be very careful not to misunderstand the dealings between Śrīla Gurudeva and his devotees.

There may be many reasons why someone cannot come forward to serve prasādam during parikramā as per Gurudeva’s instruction. It may be due to poor health or sheer exhaustion. One may be taking a break or resting. We should be careful not to jump to hasty conclusions even when such a devotee is being chastised. Mercy comes in many ways, even in the form of chastisement.