Can the maha prasade prayer be chanted at times apart from prasadam times? What do they actually refer to?
Question from Keshav Nimai Prabhu when we recite Mahaprasade Govinde what should be our attitude what exactly do the verses refer to is it glorification or are we requesting for something i feel you can chant this verse not only as a prayer before honoring prasad but also before chanting during darshan of lord etc could you please clarify answer yes the Mahaprasade prayer is a very profound prayer whose depth and breadth can extend far beyond the occasion of taking prasad the first is a verse from the Mahabharata Sanskrit verse which talks about how we are all deficient in faith and associating with devotees taking prasad and chanting the holy names we can develop faith so this is also a prayer which can be chanted while associating with devotees while chanting the holy names also definitely at the same time our acharyas have given us certain recommendations of which prayers to chant at what time and that's why we focus primarily on those prayers at least at an institutional level but if at an individual level we feel inspiration to chant certain prayers before doing certain specific activities then certainly we can do that now the second part of the prayer the Bengali verse is a poem written by Bhaktivinod Thakur and that actually is a clear pointer to the exalted level of thought and devotion that is characteristic of Gaudiya Vaishnavism many religions in the world before meals people thank god for having given them food and it is a good attitude food is required for survival and we thank god for that but here the thanks are given to god not just for giving food that sustains the body but for food that purifies the heart so the whole prayer is actually a philosophical contemplation on the dangerous situation that we are in material existence because of our uncontrolled senses and how Krishna rescues us by manifesting his mercy through prasad and the verse the prayers conclude by saying that we are meant not just to take prasad but to take prasad and so prasad is a part of an entire life of devotion dedicated to glorifying Radha and Krishna seeking the grace of god Nitai to be able to glorify Radha Krishna so i have given a full class on this the mood and meaning of prasadam prayers and you can hear that for more details but in general two points certainly this prayer can apply far beyond prasadam and secondly it reflects very vividly the exalted level of devotion and depth of contemplation of the Vaishno Acharyas from whom we have received the legacy of pure devotional service in the Gaudiya Vaishnav tradition thank you.