What is new?

Articles

Vishoka's books & blog posts

Video gallery


Part 2 of “Feasting in the Dead of Night”

“All the devotees are in bed, sound asleep and dreaming of Krishna and Srila Prabhupada,” said Jayananda, “let’s see what the kitchen is like ... oh, as usual, it needs a little extra cleaning, the devotee cooks must have been exhausted, so we will help, I will clean the stove and the floor, and you will...”

“I’ll scrub some pots, oh, there’s a mountain of pots back here, they just need a little elbow grease ... wait, look what I found, it’s a menu of the noon offering, listen to this list of bhoga offerings!

“What amazing preps they offered to our Lord Sri Krishna,” exclaimed Jayananda, “Cooking is such a highly skilled art, requiring such devotional expertise, it is a service very pleasing to our Lord, one of the best ways to satisfy Sri Krishna. Surly the cooks stashed some of those delectable offerings, somewhere here in the kitchen.”

“We’ll find them,” I said.

“Thank you Lord Krishna,” said Jayananda, “for this service to Your devotees, the more clean we get the kitchen, means the more preps we will have for breakfast! And that thought brings bliss to my heart, you know how I love prasadam!”

“Yes, I do know your love for prasadam,” said I, “the way you say “prasadam,” gives testament to your love. By the way, I hope we’re not taking you away from your service in Goloka?”

“No, no,” says Jayananda, I am here, in my Sadhaka-rupa, and I am up there, [Jayananda’s eyes lift upwards to the heavens] in my siddha-rupa form, doing service in Krishna loka.”

“It’s good for me to do menial service,” said I, “because it makes me humble ... but, it pains me to see you work so, you are my esteemed visiter from the spiritual world, and here you are, cleaning the floor.”

“There’s no such thing as menial service,” said Jayananda, “all service to Lord Krishna is equally divine, seva down here is the same as seva up there, all service to Lord Krishna is absolute.”

“I have to confess,” added Jayananda, “I have ulterior motives ... I like to clean the kitchen because, it could be the difference of getting pancakes or oatmeal for breakfast in the morning, and I love pancakes! Also, I am sure that the devotees and Lord Krishna would prefer pancakes and other tasty dishes. But, if the cooks have to clean the floor and wash the pots, then they would run short of time, and be forced to make simple oatmeal. So, I like to think that our service tonight has made it possible for the devotees to take prasad with extreme delight, chowing down on pancakes cooked in ghee, and drenched in maple syrup, and feast upon scrumptious confectioneries, and yelling “hariiiiibol!” with great enthusiasm! And so, they will be able to charge out into the city, with book bags filled with Prabhupada’s transcendental books, which are like bombs blowing away the ignorance of this world. So see my dear friend, what a difference we are making by cleaning the kitchen.”

End of Part 2 of “Feasting in the Dead of Night”

# Taken from tentative chapter to “Jayananda Thakur volume 3”