In this four-part video series followed by a Question and Answer session, we learn about the glories of Maha-prasadam (sanctified food) by hearing engaging stories from ancient and modern times, and learn how to:

• Prepare and make an offering to the Supreme Lord as a practice of bhakti-yoga
• Spiritualize your body, mind, and consciousness
• Sing prasadam prayers, with feeling and understanding
• Share recipes and practical tips for honoring maha-prasadam in a busy modern life
  

Part One: Karma, Consciousness, and Setting up Your Kitchen

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Introduction: Manjari dasi

Guest speaker: Srimati Swati dasi

In this session, Manjari dasi discusses:

• Why deity worship is an essential part of daily sadhana (practice) in bhakti-yoga, how it is not idolatry, but an opportunity for developing our natural loving relationship with the Supreme Lord.
• An introduction to how the laws of karma affect the food we consume, which in turn affects our body, mind, and consciousness.
• The power of sukriti (beneficial spiritual impressions) in our lives and how these benefits are transferred to others through the offering process.

Srimati Swati didi then transported us to the sacred land of Mayapur at the lotus feet of her beloved spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. She read in brief from Caitanya-Caritamrta about the infinite varieties of transcendental prasadam honored by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and she touched on some essential points like:

• Four kinds of foods & six kinds of tastes, what Krsna likes
• Teachings from Srila Prabhupada on cleanliness, practicality, and spiritual vision
• Kitchen as a sacred place / as Radhika seva sthali
• Memories of Srila Prabhupada’s kitchen in Mayapur (in West Bengal) and cooking for him Giving and receiving prasadam as a symptom of love between devotees
• Practical tips about how to set up a devotional kitchen & sadacar (best practices for the advancement of your spiritual life)
• Mantra for purification and the mood of offering
• Keeping something very special and delightful just for offering to Thakura ji (the Deity) in one’s home, such as drinks tinged with red, or dried fruits, or sweets.
• She even shared with us a glimpse of two of Srila Prabhupada’s personal maha-prasadam marble bowls and also mentioned a few recipes which Srila Prabhupada liked and taught her to make like fried urad bara with kalonji, and sukta (a kind of bitter sabji).
  

Part Two: Worship, Meditation, and Preparing to Offer

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Introduction & talk by Manjari dasi

Guest speaker: Madan Mohini dasi

In this session we hear about:

• How the practice of arcana (deity worship) or any other devotional activity is useless if it doesn’t result in increased loving attachment (rati) for hearing Krsna’s pastimes (hari-katha).
• Hearing hari-katha purifies the heart and nourishes the practitioner’s bhakti, gradually developing through the stages of sadhana-bhakti, bhava-bhakti, and up to the topmost stage of Love of God — prema-bhakti.
• Sincerely meditating on offering to the Lord within one’s mind is as good as directly offering to the Lord, as demonstrated in the ancient pastime of the South Indian Brahmin and the sweet rice. Originally told in the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa and retold by Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in The Nectar of Devotion. You can download the free PDF here: https://www.krishnapath.org/ebook/details/5
• A miraculous feast in Ambika Kalna in 1959, in which Srila Bhakti Pramoda Puri Gosvami Maharaja demonstrated the ideal standard and mood (free from anxiety and ego, etc. and filled with faith and love) while preparing for a feast for hundreds of devotees. (from the book, My Beloved Masters, by Srila Bhakti Vijnana Bharati Gosvami Maharaja). You can find the book as well as audio book here: https://www.visuddhacaitanyavani.com/publications
• Madan Mohini dasi narrated the important pastime of Krsna lifting Govardhan Hill, Govardhan Puja, and Annakut Mahotsava (an historic prasadam festival).
• How to perform achaman and the basic paraphernalia required for making an offering.
  

Part Three: Making an Offering, Inner Mood and Meaning

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Introduction: Manjari dasi

Guest speakers: Sudevi dasi (UK), and Swati dasi

In this session, Sudevi didi shared with us:

• The importance of inviting children into the sacred space of the altar
• How to connect ourselves to Krsna’s feelings and desires, gradually becoming absorbed at every moment in what Krsna is doing throughout the day.
• How cooking—and the act of offering—has the power to become a deep meditation, no longer just about food in the day to day routine.
• Her personal experiences and beautiful meditations in connection with cooking burfi.
• An overview of the steps of offering food at home: approaching with humility > inviting Sri Guru > inviting the Lord > offering Them a seat, washing Their feet and hands, offering Tulsi leaves, etc.
• The pastime of five-year old Raghunandan Thakura who made an extraordinary offering to Krsna.

Srimati Swati didi shared with us a compilation of pastimes and meditations describing:

• The incredible foodstuffs cooked by Raghava pandit and his sister, Damayanti, which were carefully packed in what became known as “raghavera jhali.”
• Damayanti was especially renowned for preparing thousands of unique preserves, condiments, pickles, and other eatables that could be transported to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagannath Puri. Her preparations included varieties of lime pickle, mango pickle, ginger pickle, hot spicy mustard pickle, sliced dried fruits, varieties of sweets and confections, cheeses molded into rounds, etc. and a rare, delicate sweet made out of fine, sifted Ganges mud!
• Srila Prabhupada’s simple, excellent recipe for lime pickle!
• Prasada seva meditations and pastimes with Krsna in each rasa in Vrindavan: santa dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, madhurya.
• How Raghava pandit and Damayanti are none other than Dhanistha sakhi and Guna Mala sakhi, respectively, in the eternal pastimes of Radha and Krsna.
• Srila Rupa Gosvami’s meditations on evening prasadam pastimes of Radha and Krsna Transcendental cakes and sweets cooked by Srimati Radharani: amrita keli, karpura keli, chandrakanta, modaka.
  

Part Four: Honoring and Serving Maha-Prasadam with the Kirtan

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Host: Manjari dasi

Guest speaker: Madhukar das Brahmacari

Question & Answer Session

Recorded on Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Speakers: Swati dasi, Manjari dasi, Madhukar das

TO NAVIGATE: Hover and click on the dots in the playbar to navigate to different chapters. Or click on the “Chapters” icon at the far right end of the playbar to open a popup window with a list of chapter topics. Deepest gratitude to all those whose generous donations helped make this 5-week course possible.

Thank you for watching and listening! For further information or discussion, please feel free to contact:

• Swati dasi: swatidasi@gmail.com
• Lalita Sakhi dasi: Jradhe@gmail.com
• Manjari dasi: manjari@thakuraniarts.com
• Madhukar das: madhukar.das@gmail.com
• Sudevi dasi: sudsdevi@gmail.com Hare Krsna!