Why do we not accept prasad?
This issue is also similar to rejection of tika that has
been already discussed in https://apologeticsimpact.blogspot.com/2021/06/gospel-to-hindu-world-episode-10.html.
Whenever we are attending social ceremony at our office, school, college or our
relatives visit us right from particular religious ceremony, we are given
prasad. By the way, they give us prasad with love, joy and respect and they
might feel bad and heart rendering if we reject to receive. Our society is
characterized by Hinduistic culture due to which tika and prasad are normal
traditions.
Meanwhile, we always have a dilemma on this issue. We then
struggle with our ethics whether to accept the prasad or not. When we think of
rejecting it, it seems biased since we also share some sort of chocolates or
treat to them in Christmas[1] but when we think of
accepting, we again feel suffocation thinking we are enrolling in their rituals
of pagan practices.
I had found one analysis video on this topic from an Indian
apologetics channel https://youtu.be/Paz06djGpMs
who gave following arguments:
1.
He also followed the methodology of getting
hand-original-intend and analyzed the meaning of prasad using the Bhagavad
Gita.
2.
He put forward a question if Christians also
believe Krishna as God other than God of the Bible. He then gives Biblical
advocacy of non-existence of any gods besides YHWH.
3.
Then, when any Christians are taking prasad, are
they not accepting the theology of the Bhagavad Gita?
4.
He then goes to its etymology and definition
relating it with blessing from gods, mercy from Krishna and liberation from all
sorrows, sufferings and sins. He quotes from Bhagavad Gita 2:56
5.
So, his final question was if Christians also
believe Krishna’s mercy redeems us from our sins besides Jesus’ sacrifice?
6.
Now, he points to certain gyaani Christians
(sarcasm) who usually are flexible or liberal in prasad issue since there is no
existence of any other gods. Hence, they usually insist there is nothing blessing
from them on prasad.
7.
He then quotes Paul’s ethics from 1 Cor. 8:1-11
8.
He shares his own personal tactics that just as
certain religious groups do not consume meat according to their code of
conduct, we do not take prasad as per the Bible.
9.
In this way, first, we conveyed that we do not
become wicked by rejecting prasad just as they do not become wicked by
rejecting meat and second, we shared we act according to the Bible which is our
code of conduct.
Now, you might wonder why I enlisted those points. Basically,
his analysis is not that bad but there are slippages. The points 2, 3, 5 and 7
have hidden weaknesses. Are Christians even aware of Hindu theology to give
them (Hindus) sense that they (Christians) are accepting existence of gods
besides YHWH? Even no Hindu must take that way. For instance, when a
liberal Hindu takes baptism, do we become glad that they accepted Christ or we
ask them why they had taken it? This typical demonstration can be found in Life
of Pi and Pk movies. In movies, there are heroic casts who wear cross. Now,
should we jump with joy that they accepted Christ? No chance! This is nothing
more like foreigners (traditional Christians) who accept tika here in Nepal. When
Christians take prasad, they aren’t agreeing with Hindu concept of prasad. They
have even no concern on it. Hindu friends should also not think that way.
He also misanalysed 1 Cor. 8:1-11 which we shall deal later on. Bonus
caution I want to give here is that let not readers jump into a quick judgment
that I am supporting prasad practice being so liberal. No, I am not. We
shall slowly drive to reach our boundary line on this ethics.
What does prasad actually mean? Is it just a normal or usual
food? Let us first briefly explore its meaning and application in a Hindu
environment.
Hare Krishna (ISKCON) states that Food plays an important
role in worship, and the food offered to the deities (prasad) is thought to
bestow considerable religious merit, purifying body, mind and spirit.
Taking prasada that has been cooked and offered with devotion inclines the mind
towards spirituality.[2] Prasad has been defined
as “mercy,” and refers to anything that has been sanctified through offering to
God (e.g. flowers). It specifically refers to food offered to God.
https://www.eastern-spirituality.com/glossary/spirituality-terms/p-definitions/prasad
mentions[3]:
1.
It denotes anything, typically an edible food,
that is first offered to a deity, saint, Perfect Master or an avatar, and then
distributed in His or Her name to their followers or others as a good sign. The
prasad is then considered to have the deity's blessing residing within it.
2.
As a spiritual state prasāda has a rich history
of meanings in the Sanskrit tradition from Vedic literature onwards. In this
textual tradition, prasada is a mental state experienced by gods, sages, and
other powerful beings and is marked by spontaneous generosity and the bestowing
of boons. In the earliest literature (Rig Veda) onwards Prasāda is understood
in this sense of a mental state, not as an aspect of ritual practice. In later
texts such as the Shiva Purana, references to prasada as a material substance
begins to appear alongside this older meaning.
3.
In its material sense, prasada is created by
a process of giving and receiving between a human devotee and the divine god.
4.
The Prasad is believed to foster multiple
positive thoughts. Prasad is offered to the deity and His blessing is sought
for a wish, a task in hand, blessing etc. Herein, it is believed that the
Supreme Power has accepted our request in the form of the Prasad and given us
the approval or the power to move on.
5.
The most important aspect is that when the
primary prayer gives the Prasad to fellow beings he (primary prayer) repeats
his wish to the each one of them. The more the Prasad is distributed, the more
positive thought is concentrated on the wish of the primary prayer, and this in
turn causes the universal power of positive thought or belief to work towards
the fulfillment of the wish of the primary prayer.
https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/4989/prasad
explains prasad as[4]:
1.
Prasad is a gift given graciously and shared
between the Divine and the individual(s) making the offering. At its essence,
it symbolizes receiving and giving between the Divine and human — illustrating
grace, divine love and connection.
2.
Prasad is usually an edible gift used in Hindu
worship and presented to a deity. The deity blesses the gift and then shares it
with those making the offering, demonstrating grace and generosity between the
Divine and humanity.
As Krishna says,
राजविद्या
राजगुह्यं पवित्रमिदमुत्तमम् |
प्रत्यक्षावगमं
धर्म्यं सुसुखं कर्तुमव्ययम् || 2||
pratyakshavagamam dharmyam: “The principle of religion is
understood by direct experience.” (Bhagavad-Gita 9:2), or in this case, the
proof is certainly in the tasting. Those who have tasted Krishna’s prasadam
know that it has extraordinary potency, and eating it is a very different
experience from eating food that isn’t offered to the Lord with love and
devotion.[5]
Krishna Consciousness teaches that for an offering to be
successful, it must be accepted. When Krishna accepts what we offer to Him, it
becomes prasadam. The word prasadam means “mercy,” and in the Bhagavad-gita
Lord Krishna says, prasade sarva-duhkhanam hanir asyopajayate[6]: “Receiving the mercy
of the Lord destroys all misery.” Therefore, when we eat (or, as we say,
honor) prasadam, we feel delighted. prasadam destroys the results of our past
sinful activities.[7]
Bhagavad Gita 9:26 states:
पत्रं पुष्पं फलं
तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति |
तदहं
भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मन: || 26||
It means: If one offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a
flower, a fruit, or even water, I delightfully partake of that article offered
with love by My devotee in pure consciousness.
From https://theharekrishnamovement.org/2011/09/17/the-importance-of-prasadam/,
some significance of prasad has been listed as:
1.
Gita 3:13 teaches the devotees of the Lord are
released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first
for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily
eat only sin.
2.
Others, who prepare food for self or sense
gratification, are not only thieves, but are also the eaters of all kinds of
sins. How can a person be happy if he is both a thief and sinful? It is not
possible. Therefore, in order for people to become happy in all respects, they
must be taught to perform the easy process of saṅkīrtana-yajña, in full Kṛṣṇa
consciousness. Otherwise, there can be no peace or happiness in the world.
Having a brief analysis done, prasad is related with
offered or dedicated food to gods or Krishna which is then later blessed by
them under mercy and liberates us from misery and sins. Sometimes, as mentioned
above, Prasad is offered to the deity and His blessing is sought for a wish, a
task in hand, blessing etc. It’s a task of merely seeking approval from some
divine power after his acceptance of our request. Conscious Christians
shall find this theology, philosophy and practice outside the Biblical
dimension.
We Christians do not try pleasing God by giving or praying
or even worshipping so as to acquire something we do not have. If we do so, it
is a kind of yoga. We worship Him to express the appreciation of our
relationship with Him achieved by the grace of God in Christ Jesus, and pray so
as to enable us to fulfill our God given responsibilities. We do not use God for making our life
better, stronger or successful but surrenders our will and life to Him so that
He can guide and use us to fulfill the plans and purposes He has for us.[8]
Now, let us delve into safe side and plausible Christian
ethics on case of prasad:
Notes from Pg. 2384-2386, New Life Study Bible, 2017;
1.
Paul’s teaching surrounds practical implication
on Christian freedom and self-awareness/consciousness,
2.
In 1 Cor. 10:20-22, he suggests that to interconnect
with heathens in eating and drinking is equivalent with networking with demons
and idolatry,
3.
Although Christians reject existence of any gods
besides YHWH, they seem even afraid to associate with temples and religious
ceremonies. This indeed shows their mind accepting the existence of pagan gods
(I am not using term ‘idol’ which is very wrong and cliché term used today). Christian
critics from 2nd century and 3rd century namely Celsus
and Porphyry used similar argument that there was no necessary for Christian to
ban networking in religious ceremonies if they really hold fast to
non-existence of other gods.
4.
Although, everything is lawful has been insisted
in 1 Cor. 10:23; 6:12 [although the context wasn’t about the topic we are
dealing here], Paul adds sensitive wise approach of whether or not if anything
is beneficial and our susceptibility to be their slaves.
5.
In 1 Cor. 8:1-13, he then gives a wise
measure. Let not our knowledge be stumbling block for others.
6.
If anyone who practices his knowledge but fails
to practice his love then he shall abandon such knowledge. For instance, 8:1
says This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.
7.
Pagan gods are not in existence but demons do
exist and interact which can desolate our life.
8.
If someone informs us beforehand that the food
is associated with dedication to gods then we shall not entertain with the food
for sake of their conscience.
9.
Jesus has but declared pureness of all food in
Mark 7:19. Also, consider 1 Cor. 8:8.
10. We
refrain for sake of our testimony (1 Cor. 10:27-33). We stay away from anything
associated with idolatry (1 Cor. 8:10; 10:7, 12, 14, 18-20). We must act in
love and shouldn’t desolate our conscience (1 Cor. 8:1-13; 10:24)
To exemplify, Arabian Christians use ‘Allah’[9] but its use is distinct
from ‘Allah’ in Islam[10]. So, my knowledge is
clear about linguistics on word ‘Allah’ but once several years ago, when an
auntie, my relative, was staying in our home, she accidently heard me using
this word and responded that I was also like her i.e. flexible in religious
belief. But was I? No! Yet, you see? My knowledge affected her mindset more. I
really felt sad that moment.
Just like tika, prasad isn’t special parcel for us. We
should not think to accept it just for sake of our friends and relatives, to
make them feel happy. Hinduism or any religion is not so special that we
are ought to accommodate ourselves according to their environment. We are
ought to be different in our identity. Its obvious that prasad has no
effect even if we take it (cf. 1 Cor. 8:8). When the situation makes us aware
about it, we should refrain, else we can just pray and eat since all food items
we consume daily might be dedicated to gods before marketing them. Just as
in Matthew 10:16[11],
temptation doesn’t make us a phone call to trigger us but we must be
innocent as dove and clever as snake![12] Also keep in mind, we aren’t bounded by rules
of food[13] as Bhagavad Gita 17:8-10
binds its devotees.
Here, I am not allowing anyone freedom to have prasad (I
have no that authority) nor I am becoming too much strict in this case as
readers can go to extent of market food items, groceries and all. We must be
careful how our decision can affect Christian circle and non-Christian circle.
Try never to hurt but truth always offends yet bear the pain, tolerate the
objections and explain with love and respect. Once we become flexible and
light in such issue[14], it can open
thousands of such doors of temptation. I repeat again: food itself isn’t
bad but it matters how our decision and action impact others. Be innocent as
dove, clever as snake and don’t be stumbling block for other weak Christians.
[Peer reviewed by Parv and Nitish brothers.]
[1]
Please remember, ‘we’ is merely a term indicating common believers rather than theologians,
scholars or apologists.
[2] https://iskconeducationalservices.org/HoH/lifestyle/expressions-of-faith/food-and-prasada/,
accessed on 10/4/2021, 11:30 am
[3] https://www.eastern-spirituality.com/glossary/spirituality-terms/p-definitions/prasad,
accessed on 10/4/2021, 11:41 am
[4] https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/4989/prasad,
accessed on 10/4/2021, 11:43 am
[5] http://www.krishna.com/when-does-food-become-prasadam,
accessed on 10/4/2021, 11:51 am
[6]
Bhagavad Gita 2:65
[8] https://apologeticsimpact.blogspot.com/2021/04/gospel-to-hindu-world-episode-8.html,
accessed on 10/4/2021, 12:27 pm
[9]
Read https://apologeticsimpact.blogspot.com/2021/01/can-we-use-any-word-to-refer-our-god-is.html
[10]
Islamic belief of God is monotheistic but they reject Triune nature of God
whereas Arabian Christians use the same word in triune nature.
[11] I
am aware that this verse isn’t about the context of this subject we are
navigating but this verse still has validity for Christian ethics.
[12]
In the culture of this time, snakes were symbolic of shrewdness and cunning.
Doves were so innocent as to often seem completely clueless to danger. Jesus
tells His followers to exercise whatever wise shrewdness they can to avoid
conflict and danger without losing the dove-like innocence that will allow them
to continue to proclaim the truth without fear. It will be a hard balance to
keep, but it will be necessary for the mission to be successful.
While these words are spoken to a unique group of men,
they still have meaning for Christian believers, today. Jesus does not endorse
naïve, shallow belief. Nor does He allow believers to be bitter cynics or
spiritual brawlers. Other passages of Scripture reemphasize the need for
Christians to be both informed and sensible in their spiritual lives (1 Peter
3:15–16; Colossians 2:8).
Source: https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/10/Matthew-10-16.html
[13]
Leviticus? Try examining its context.
[14]
Note that not every activity is to be avoided. There is certain social mind
freshen activities embedded in religious ceremonies and festivals as well which
isn’t our topic of concern.
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