We have to see that nobody goes hungry within a 10-mile radius
Jayapataka Swami: One day was Govardhan Puja, and we built a big mountain of rice and we fed many people. The people took their leaf plates after taking prasadam, and then they threw them behind the building. Then Prabhupada was living up on the second floor, and we were sitting in the room together. Then he heard dogs barking and kids shouting. So then he got up and walked back on the veranda behind his room. Then he looked over and he saw that there was this big pile of leaf plates of people that had eaten their meal and there was little scraps on the plates. So then there were some very poor children with sticks in their hand fighting off some very hungry dogs, trying to get the scraps of food that people haven't finished eating on their plate.
When Prabhupada saw how these children were so hungry that they had to eat the things that people threw away and how they were fighting with the dogs to get these scraps of food, tears swelled in his eyes and he said, "We have to see that nobody goes hungry within a 10-mile radius. The temple is the house of God. God is everyone's father, Krishna is everyone's father. So in the presence of the father, the son doesn't go hungry. So we have to make an arrangement that people get fed." And so that was the inspiration for regular prasadam distribution.
When Prabhupada saw how these children were so hungry that they had to eat the things that people threw away and how they were fighting with the dogs to get these scraps of food, tears swelled in his eyes and he said, "We have to see that nobody goes hungry within a 10-mile radius. The temple is the house of God. God is everyone's father, Krishna is everyone's father. So in the presence of the father, the son doesn't go hungry. So we have to make an arrangement that people get fed." And so that was the inspiration for regular prasadam distribution.
Reference: Following Srila Prabhupada-A Chronological Series by Jayapataka Swami
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