"A person whose body and mind have been accepted by the Lord is privileged to approach Him with offerings of food and drink. The Lord is pleased to accept food offered by such persons. By His acceptance, the food is spiritualized in the same way that the body and mind are spiritualized by dedication to the Lord. This dedication of all food to the Lord is true renunciation of all material foodstuffs. Foods accepted by the Lord are spiritualized and changed into maha-prasada, 'the great blessing.' The sadhu accepts maha-prasada not for the purpose of appeasing hunger, nor for acquiring bodily strength, nor for any other worldly purpose, but with the objective to thereby be enabled to avoid the traps laid for him - sensuous temptations of all kinds, including that of eating - during his sojourn in this sphere. By honoring maha-prasada in that spirit he obtains the inclination for devotional service to the Lord. Therefore, honoring maha-prasada is different from eating, although to the uninitiated both may seem identical. The external form appears to remain the same, while the nature of the activity is fundamentally changed. The result is that, whereas sensuous inclination is strengthened by mere eating, gluttony and its attendant vices are radically cured by honoring maha-prasada.
"Maha-prasada literally means 'the great favor.' The beneficial result for the soul by honoring maha- prasada is also available to the bound jiva. The Lord does not accept food offered by the bound jiva, but if the bound jiva honors maha-prasada, his self is benefited. Food offered by sadhus to the Lord is fundamentally different from ordinary food. To take ordinary food is harmful for the soul, yet by honoring maha-prasada, not only is the soul saved from the bad effect of eating, but it is positively benefited by obtaining the inclination for spiritual service. Therefore the sastras enjoin us to give up eating, and to honor maha-prasada. 'If the palate is conquered, every other sense is conquered.' We can never be freed from the attraction of sensuous temptations until we altogether renounce eating and learn to honor maha-prasada. By honoring maha-prasada our sensuousness diminishes and ultimately disappears; only then may we understand the real meaning of the sastras.
"The sadhu helps the fallen jiva to regain his natural state of freedom from sin and of constant service to the Lord, by bringing about descent of transcendental sound in the form of words uttered by his lips, and also by giving maha-prasada in the shape of food offered by him to the Lord. The sound produced by the sadhu and maha-prasada are not entities of this world. They are not identical with ordinary sound or ordinary food, which are merely means for gratifying our sensuous inclinations and appetites. Because they are spiritual, the word of God and maha-prasada cannot be enjoyed, or in other words, cannot be employed in gratification of the senses. Those who enjoy kirtana or any spiritual discourse, or eat maha-prasada for appeasing hunger or gratification of the palate, are guilty of sacrilegious acts that serve only to prolong the state of sin, and ignorance of the greatest possible calamity that can befall the soul embodied in human form."
-- From Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Vaibhava
