Obstacles Bhakti - Kunjeshwari Home

Obstacles in Bhakti
one who cooks and the one who serves – their qualities are transmitted to the one
who eats. Amongst them, the one who pays for the food – the effect of his mentality
is the greatest. Purer the heart, more that devotee will be able to realize the effect of
food. Anyway, all practicing devotes should be extra-careful about partaking of
prasâdam. Otherwise safe-guarding bhakti will be impossible.
Another way to classify food is as follows.
Sâtvic food – The food that increases life-span, energy, strength, fitness, is pleasing
and appetizing is called ‘sâtvic’. It has good flavor, has essential nutrients and
enhances joy.
Râjasic food – The food that is too bitter, too sour, high in sodium, is spicy, oily, too
hot or too sweet is called ‘râjasic’ or in the mode of passion.
Tâmasic food – The food that is stale, dry, foul-smelling, contaminated, impure is
called ‘tâmasic’ or in the mode of ignorance.
The type of food we eat decides our nature. So if we desire bhakti we should
avoid food with the above-mentioned contaminations and also the food in the
modes of passion and ignorance. We should accept only food that is sâtvic
and offered to Sri Krishna.
The Vaishnavs in the renounced order should be especially careful about
partaking prasâdam. If we wish to relish Bhakti-ras, then of course we shall
have to reject invitations and feasts. In the feasts, we usually don’t know the
host’s mentality or with what intention he is throwing the ‘bhândârâ’ (prasâddistribution).
Moreover if the cook or the ones who are serving have anger
then it will harm the sâdhak. Not only this, we see that often in the feasts,
the prasâdam is rich with oil and spice. This is rajasic and detrimental to
bhakti as well as health. Gradually we develop al sorts of diseases.
If the host earns money by illegal means then the guests (in this case the
devotees) suffer the most. Food has such strong impact that it can make the
greatest of sâdhaks fall down. We find such instances in ‘Vaishnav-jivan’ (The
Biography of Vaishnavs). Those who are unaware of this fact need
necessarily read Vaishnav-jivani. I am quoting one true incident from this
book.
A renounced Vaishnav had accepted hospitality of a brahmin. The host made
arrangement for the babaji to sleep in his Deities’ room. After accepting
dinner-prasâdam, the babaji’s intelligence went astray. He took off all the
Deities’ ornaments and went away. After the babaji had walked the entire
night he came to his senses. “Oh my! Why did I steal the Lord’s ornaments?
I never behaved like this before! It is indeed very strange!” Although he
pondered on his erratic behavior, he could not draw any conclusion. Anyway
he decided to return to the brahmin’s house and beg forgiveness. In the
morning when the people had realized the ornaments were missing they had
decided that the babaji had been a thief in the guise of a Vaishnav. When
they saw the Babaji return all of a sudden they were astonished. The babaji
placed the bundle of ornaments in the brahmin’s hands, admitted his mistake
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