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He (Lord Caitanya) would sometimes eat clay?

Conversations and Morning Walks

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Yes. That was when He was about three years old. So generally, for morning the children given nice sandeṣa, sweetmeat, and this puffed rice in a cane pot and He would eat. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu was eating clay. So His mother said, "Oh, why You are eating clay?" Then He said, "What is the difference between clay and this foodstuff? After all, everything is clay. It is produced from clay." This is criticizing the Māyāvādī philosophy that everything is one.


Lord Caitanya Play Told to Tamala Krsna -- August 4, 1969, Los Angeles:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He would sometimes eat clay?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That was when He was about three years old. So generally, for morning the children given nice sandeṣa, sweetmeat, and this puffed rice in a cane pot, and He would eat. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu was eating clay. So His mother said: "Oh, why You are eating clay?" Then He said: "What is the difference between clay and this foodstuff? After all, everything is clay. It is produced from clay."

This is criticizing the Māyāvādī philosophy that everything is one. So His mother said: "My dear boy, it is very nice, everything is clay. But when you have to use for practical purpose . . . for example, if you want to keep water, so you have to keep water on the clay pot, not on the clay. So this specific form of the clay is required." Then He said: "Mother, you have taught Me very nice philosophy. I shall not eat any more clay."

Sometimes He would sit in some nasty place where pots, clay pots . . . in India still, the system is, for cooking purpose, for the Deity, every day a new clay pot should be used. In Jagannath temple still it is. No used pot can be accepted. So after using, the rejected pots are stacked in some place. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sitting on the rejected pots. So His mother said: "My dear boy, You are sitting in this nasty place. Why?" He said: "Well, how you can say this is nasty place? These pots are very pure."

Page Title:He (Lord Caitanya) would sometimes eat clay?
Compiler:Rishab
Created:13 of May, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1