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Prasāda. We are always talking about prasāda. So, what is prasāda? The word "prasāda" itself signifies something very pure, spiritual, and filled with divine energy. When you pronounce the word "prasāda" while giving something, the energy is transmitted into that item. You can give prasāda as food, a cloth for a dress, or a shawl. Anything we consider good for us can be prasāda. The word denotes that which is holy. When a holy saint touches something and gives it to you, it becomes prasāda. Prasāda is not about quantity; it can be just a quarter of a grain of rice. It is about quality. When we receive and eat prasāda, it immediately affects our brain system, meaning it brings sattvic, positive, and spiritual thoughts into the mind. For students, it is very important. When they leave home, they should go to the altar and take prasāda—maybe just one almond, two almonds, or a little sweet. If you take prasāda before going to school, college, or university, you will be successful. Fruits offered are also prasāda. What we have now is kheer. This kheer has profound meanings as prasāda. Rice. In spirituality, we apply a tilaka on the forehead. We apply black (kajal) to the eyes and red to the lips, but the tilaka is on the forehead. This spot is called kismat—your destiny, your luck, your karma resides here, not elsewhere. When we apply a tilaka there, it means we are performing a ceremony, worshipping, giving you luck, and opening your third eye. This is the tilaka. It represents three: the three times (past, present, future) and the three lokas (realms). It is said that when you go somewhere, you should first see if a person has a tilaka on their forehead. If they don't, then look at the tilaka on your own palm, on the ring finger. This finger holds that luck and has the right to touch your destiny on the forehead. When we apply tilaka, we first use the ring finger, then the thumb. The thumb signifies great luck, used for weddings. When you marry, you apply tilaka. This is a symbol from the thumb when a king is crowned. In your culture, you give a king a crown. In India, in Sanātana Dharma's ancient times, all these lands—Hong Kong, Bangkok, and others—were part of India. Indonesia was the kingdom of the god Rāma. In Bangkok, on Thai Airways, how do they greet you? They greet with joined hands. This gesture is the crown of the king. First, they give the crown, but it is a half-offering. Then comes the tilaka. After the tilaka is applied, they worship, acknowledging the person as king. In different traditions, the king also receives a stick, a gun, a sword, certain belongings, and a beautiful garland for the heart, adorned with gold and other ornaments. This is called Rāja Tilaka. So, who receives the tilaka? The king. It is a sign of respect, showing he is the supreme ruler. He is given the tilaka to show respect, and then the crown (mukuṭa). For everyone who is married, during the ceremony, the groom is regarded as a king. In our marriage system, the boy is regarded as the god (Viṣṇu) and the bride as the goddess (Lakṣmī). At that moment, everyone shows respect. When they enter the marriage place, everyone stands to show respect for Lord Viṣṇu. So, a king and queen. For those who wish to marry, you must wait and choose the right person. Your queen or king is waiting for you somewhere; it is your kismet. On that day, the priest (brāhmaṇa or paṇḍita) will bring a silver plate with rice, coconuts, and everything. Then, with the thumb, comes the Rāja Tilaka, followed by the crown. One has the right to receive a tilaka only after receiving the crown. This is also a blessing. Why do we use rice? We could use other grains, but rice is one of the oldest grains. It is white and rarely rots unless destroyed by animals. It is the king of food for us. Then milk. Milk represents purity and is like a mother. You drink milk from a goat, cow, buffalo, camel, or your own mother. Do not kill your mother; do not eat your mother. These are all symbols. Prasāda is a blessing. You receive a blessing on the head from your mother, father, elder brother, elder sister, or elderly neighbors. Every elder has the right to give you a blessing. When you go, they give you a blessing. When you bow down (praṇāma), they say, "Bless you." Nowadays, you say "bye-bye," and they say "jai jai." Previously, this was not so. When a child goes to school, the mother blesses them: "My child, take care. Cross the road carefully. Go to school, don't go elsewhere, and come back home happy and healthy." The father does the same. If parents are not there, your neighbors will take care of you and send you off. Every elderly person has the right to give a blessing. This blessing functions because it carries power. You also receive blessings in church or elsewhere in the name of God. Prasāda. If you have no one at home and you are cooking your food, you should cook it as prasāda. Do not eat while cooking. Many people in the kitchen taste food from the spoon and put it back. God will not accept that. You have no right to taste. You should have the knowledge that you cook perfectly, but if you are in doubt, take a little from the spoon onto your palm, taste it, and then wash your hands. You can say, "God, excuse me, but I want to know if the salt is more or less." You are cooking prasāda. When you cook in your kitchen, it is best to sing some mantras, good songs, play good music, and maintain good thoughts. Always feel that you are cooking prasāda for all. Prasāda has great meaning. It doesn't matter who is who. At a high level of spirituality, everyone will take prasāda. Some people bring prasāda and offer it in a certain way, thinking, "I don't know who brought this system, that you give to the Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara and he takes it like this." No. Prasāda is more divine than that. You should give prasāda; they should take it respectfully. If you offer, they may take it, but those with proper knowledge and education will say, "No, no, please give me prasāda." It should be placed in the hand. So, do not offer; give. If someone takes your hand, say, "No, this is prasāda I am giving." This is a very important tradition to know properly. When another person puts their hand into your prasāda pot, it is no longer prasāda. Understand? When we are sitting to receive prasāda, everyone should wait. After everyone has received theirs, we say "Hari Om" and then eat. If it is liquid prasāda, like kheer, you can eat it and then go wash your hands and mouth. Prasāda is quality, super power. When you eat prasāda, it gives you good memory and removes fear. When you have eaten prasāda and go anywhere, no one can harm you because you carry that divine energy—God, Gurudeva, or whatever it is. One day if you go without prasāda, you will see what happens. You might say on the way, "I am sorry, I was in a hurry, Mahāprabhujī." We always tell Mahāprabhujī or Devapurījī, "Please bless me with prasāda." That is enough. You asked, and the blessing has already come. A blessing is prasāda. Devotees (bhaktas), spiritual people, and good people know this. Others are like animals—cows, donkeys, or pigs—that just eat grass. In the church, in Australia or New Zealand, generally at the door, there is a stone with holy water. You take this water and make a tilaka. Where does this tilaka come from? It comes from ages past. Christianity is only a few thousand years old, but all this comes from ancient traditions. Pūjā comes from there. Dīpa (lamp) comes from there. Everything is there because this is the truth, the reality. Everywhere, one can perform pūjā, bow down, and call upon God. There are many types of prasāda and blessings, including what we call Caraṇāmṛta. Amṛta—your words are amṛta. Your words are like nectar: sweet, humble, good words. If you say, "No, I don't want it, I don't like it," it is not amṛta because your inner self says it is poison. But when your heart is open and you accept, it becomes nectar. Vācana amṛta (nectar of speech), caraṇa amṛta (nectar of the feet), jñāna amṛta (nectar of knowledge)—these are different kinds of amṛta, and that amṛta is prasāda. Whether someone believes or not, it is ours; we know we must accept prasāda. You can make prasāda at home. Keep some seeds or anything at home as prasāda. Bring fruits, wash them, place them on your altar or a clean place, and then take them as prasāda. Believe that everything is from God. Every religion and tradition has different mantras for food. We have mantras. Anna means food, but specifically grains, because real nourishment comes from grains, from seeds. The seed is life. Annapūrṇā—in whose house there is enough grain, enough food. Annapūrṇā sadāpūrṇā: when you have Annapūrṇā, you have everything. Remember, Annapūrṇā is the Divine Mother. Śiva never goes asking for food, but before Annapūrṇā, even Śiva goes to receive bhikṣā (alms). Annapūrṇā is sadāpūrṇā. When you have the blessing and mercy of the Divine Mother, you always have everything. Annapūrṇe sadāpūrṇe śaṅkara prāṇa vallabhe. Śiva is the prāṇa (life force). Jñāna vairāgya siddhyarthaṁ: for the attainment of knowledge and renunciation. Annapūrṇe sadāpūrṇe śaṅkara prāṇavallabhe jñāna vairāgya siddhyarthaṁ bhikṣāṁ dehi mātā pārvatī. O Mother Pārvatī, for this reason, please give me bhikṣā, meaning prasāda. All these mantras we sing are very important and beautiful. In the Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā, 15th chapter, it is said: "brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma-haviḥ brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam, brahmaiva tena gantavyaṁ brahma-karma-samādhinā." "Brahmārpaṇam": I am not eating; I am offering to Brahman. "Brahma-haviḥ": the offering is Brahman. "Brahmāgnau": into the fire of Brahman. "Brahmaṇā hutam": offered by Brahman. So, in the fire of Brahman—where is that? In our navel (nābhi), our digestive fire (jaṭhārāgni). That is the fire. Where are we offering? That is Brahman. So, it is Brahman offering to Brahman, and Brahman receiving. Everything is Brahman. That is the fire. Yajñī Devo Namaḥ. Furthermore, after this, all say: "Pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate." So, everything is pūrṇa (complete). The supreme, the highest, is pūrṇa. That is Brahman. What comes from the pūrṇa is also pūrṇa. When you take from the complete, it does not become half; it remains complete. What comes from pūrṇa is pūrṇa. We come from Brahman, so we are also pūrṇa. Everything that comes from That is pūrṇa, and through our pūjā, everything goes back to the pūrṇa. All these mantras we sing are Vedic mantras, real and powerful. Not only that, God gives you bread and all. This is too little. You don't just have to take; you have to multiply and give, which we are offering to this Annapūrṇā. So, prasāda is divine. Always respect prasāda. Do not deny prasāda. Do not throw prasāda. Otherwise, it is a sin. If you neglect it, it is a sin. It means some good quality is lost. You may not know, but that quality is gone. That is enough for today. It is already 8:30, and we have early morning sādhana tomorrow.