Anna-Prasana Samskara
Nityānanda Rāma dāsa
Hare Krsna Prabhus & Matajis
PAMHO
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
Kirtanya Sada Hari!!!
Some time ago I sent pictures of the samskaras I performed for a devotee family who are my close friends. This past Sunday July 18th 2010, I was asked to perform little Radha devi’s Anna-Prasana Samskara. The little ceremony went fantastic, it was done in front of a deity of Srila Prabhupada, Gaura Nitai and Govardhana Sila. As usual we started with some kirtan and chanting of the Holy Names of Krsna and before the sacred fire was ignited I read the follow verses from Bhagavad Gita As it is along with translations and purports by Srila Prabhupada which talks about Sri Krsna being the digested fire with in the stomach, part of the ceremony is invoking (Visnu) Krsna while the baby eats Maha-Prasadam sweet rice signifying from henceforth the baby can eat solid foods:
Chapter 15. The Yoga of the Supreme Person
TEXT 14
aham vaisvanaro bhutva
praninam deham asritah
pranapana-samayuktah
pacamy annam catur-vidham
SYNONYMS
aham--I; vaisvanarah--by My plenary portion as the digesting fire; bhutva--becoming; praninam--of all living entities; deham--body; asritah--situated; prana--outgoing air; apana--down-going air; samayuktah--keep balance; pacami--digest; annam--foodstuff; catuh-vidham--four kinds of.
TRANSLATION
I am the fire of digestion in every living body, and I am the air of life, outgoing and incoming, by which I digest the four kinds of foodstuff.
PURPORT
According to Ayur-vedic sastra, we understand that there is a fire in the stomach which digests all food sent there. When the fire is not blazing, there is no hunger, and when the fire is in order we become hungry. Sometimes when the fire is not going nicely, treatment is required. In any case, this fire is representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vedic mantras also confirm that the Supreme Lord or Brahman is situated in the form of fire within the stomach and is digesting all kinds of foodstuff. Therefore since He is helping the digestion of all kinds of foodstuff, the living entity is not independent in the eating process. Unless the Supreme Lord helps him in digesting, there is no possibility of eating. He thus produces and digests foodstuff, and, by His grace, we are enjoying life. In the Vedanta-sutra this is also confirmed: sabdadibhyo 'ntah pratisthanac ca. The Lord is situated within sound and within the body, within the air and even within the stomach as the digestive force. There are four kinds of foodstuff, some are swallowed, some are chewed, some are licked up, and some are sucked, and He is the digestive force for all of them.
Also I read from Bhagavad Gita As It Is:
Chapter 17. The Divisions of Faith
TEXT 8-10
ayuh-sattva-balarogya-
sukha-priti-vivardhanah
rasyah snigdhah sthira hrdya
aharah sattvika-priyah
katv-amla-lavanaty-usna-
tiksna-ruksa-vidahinah
ahara rajasasyesta
duhkha-sokamaya-pradah
yata-yamam gata-rasam
puti paryusitam ca yat
ucchistam api camedhyam
bhojanam tamasa-priyam
SYNONYMS
ayuh--duration of life; sattva--existence; bala--strength; arogya--health; sukha--happiness; priti--satisfaction; vivardhanah--increasing; rasyah--juicy; snigdhah--fatty; sthirah--enduring; hrdyah--pleasing to the heart; aharah--food; sattvika--goodness; priyah--palatable. katu--bitter; amla--sour; lavana--salty; ati-usna--very hot; tiksna--pungent; ruksa--dry; vidahinah--burning; aharah--food; rajasasya--in the mode of passion; istah--palatable; duhkha--distress; soka--misery; amaya pradah--causing disease. yata-yamam--food cooked three hours before being eaten; gata-rasam--tasteless; puti--bad smelling; paryusitam--decomposed; ca--also; yat--that which; ucchistam--remnants of food eaten by others; api--also; ca--and; amedhyam--untouchable; bhojanam--eating; tamasa--in the mode of darkness; priyam--dear.
TRANSLATION
Foods in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one's existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such nourishing foods are sweet, juicy, fatty and palatable. Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, pungent, dry and hot, are liked by people in the modes of passion. Such foods cause pain, distress, and disease. Food cooked more than three hours before being eaten, which is tasteless, stale, putrid, decomposed and unclean, is food liked by people in the mode of ignorance.
PURPORT
The purpose of food is to increase the duration of life, purify the mind and aid bodily strength. This is its only purpose. In the past, great authorities selected those foods that best aid health and increase life's duration, such as milk products, sugar, rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables. These foods are very dear to those in the mode of goodness. Some other foods, such as baked corn and molasses, while not very palatable in themselves, can be made pleasant when mixed with milk or other foods. They are then in the mode of goodness. All these foods are pure by nature. They are quite distinct from untouchable things like meat and liquor. Fatty foods, as mentioned in the eighth verse, have no connection with animal fat obtained by slaughter. Animal fat is available in the form of milk, which is the most wonderful of all foods. Milk, butter, cheese and similar products give animal fat in a form which rules out any need for the killing of innocent creatures. It is only through brute mentality that this killing goes on. The civilized method of obtaining needed fat is by milk. Slaughter is the way of subhumans. Protein is amply available through split peas, dal, whole wheat, etc.
Foods in the mode of passion, which are bitter, too salty, or too hot or overly mixed with red pepper, cause misery by producing mucus in the stomach, leading to disease. Foods in the mode of ignorance or darkness are essentially those that are not fresh. Any food cooked more than three hours before it is eaten (except prasadam, food offered to the Lord) is considered to be in the mode of darkness. Because they are decomposing, such foods give a bad odor, which often attracts people in this mode but repulses those in the mode of goodness.
Remnants of food may be eaten only when they are part of a meal that was first offered to the Supreme Lord or first eaten by saintly persons, especially the spiritual master. Otherwise the remnants of food are considered to be in the mode of darkness, and they increase infection or disease. Such foodstuffs, although very palatable to persons in the mode of darkness, are neither liked nor even touched by those in the mode of goodness. The best food is the remnants of what is offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gita the Supreme Lord says that He accepts preparations of vegetables, flour and milk when offered with devotion. Patram puspam phalam toyam. Of course, devotion and love are the chief things which the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts. But it is also mentioned that the prasadam should be prepared in a particular way. Any food prepared by the injunctions of the scripture and offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be taken even if prepared long, long ago, because such food is transcendental. Therefore to make food antiseptic, eatable and palatable for all persons, one should offer food to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
After the baby is fed the grains in the form of Maha-Prasadam sweet rice, the final part of the ceremony is having the child choose from an assortment of items to see what the child’s tendency is, Radha devi chose the pile of sastras which included Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Bhagavad-Gita, Sri Isopanishad and Teaching of Lord Caitanya, it was a very joyous sight seeing this little baby choose holy sastra over money, gold and even kartals and mrdanga.
Here are some pictures of the event:
Srila Prabhupada present for the samskara
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Hari Bol
Your Humble Servant
Nityananda Rama dasa naradhama
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"If you concoct, 'I am more intelligent than my Guru,'
'I can make additions and alterations,' then you are finished."
-- Srila Prabhupada lecture July 12, 1975 Philadelphia Pa.