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Sunday, July 10, 2011

Take Maha Prasadam(Food Offered to Lord) Next Day

Sri Jagadananda Pandita in his Prema Vivarta, ch. 18, writes:

One day, Lord Gaurahari went from Gundica mandira to the Jagannatha-vallabha gardens and sat amongst the flowers. The day was ekadasi. He celebrated this auspicious occasion by chanting the holy name incessantly, day and night. Present with Him were Svarupa Damodara, Ramananda Raya, Vakresvara Pandita and the other resident Vaisnavas of Sri Purusottama-ksetra, Puri.

The Lord said, "Today, all of you should refrain from eating and sleeping, and constantly chant Krsna's name. Some of you should chant japa, some of you should circumambulate the temple with prostrated obeisances and others should discuss the pastimes of Lord Balarama and Lord Krsna." Everyone became spiritually surcharged by the Lord' instructions and busied themselves with different activities, chanting, "Govinda, Govinda!" They felt intoxicated with prema.

Suddenly, Sri Gopinatha arrived from Gundica, accompanied by Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. They were laden with Lord Jagannatha's maha-prasadam! They placed the prasadam of cooked rice, a variety of vegetables, pitha, pana, sweet rice, curd and yoghurt before the Lord. At the Lord's bidding, devotees offered respectful obeisances to the prasadam and then continued chanting the Lord's name deep into the night in an ecstatic mood of devotion , free from all material desires.

Early next morning, the devotees, begged permission from Sri Gaurahari and, went to take bath. On returning, they sat down and respectfully honoured maha-prasadam, breaking their ekadasi fast. They experienced ineffable bliss, and falling to the ground they offered obeisances to the Lord and spoke to Him in great earnestness with folded hands:

Sri Jagadananda Pandita / References / Prema / Vivarta,

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