FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.15.6

देवर्षिपितृभूतेभ्य आत्मने स्वजनाय च । अन्नं संविभजन्पश्येत्सर्वं तत्पुरुषात्मकम् ॥ ६ ॥
devarṣi-pitṛ-bhūtebhya
[devarshi-pitri-bhootebhya]
ātmane sva-janāya ca
[aatmane sva-janaaya cha]
annaṁ saṁvibhajan paśyet
[annam samvibhajan pashyet]
sarvaṁ tat puruṣātmakam
[sarvam tat purushaatmakam]
deva — unto the demigods ṛṣi — saintly persons pitṛ — forefathers bhūtebhyaḥ — the living entities in general ātmane — relatives sva-janāya — family members and friends ca — and annam — foodstuff (prasāda) saṁvibhajan — offering paśyet — one should see sarvam — all tat — them puruṣa-ātmakam — related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
devarṣi-pitṛ-bhūtebhya
deva
unto the demigods
ṛṣi
saintly persons
pitṛ
forefathers
bhūtebhyaḥ
the living entities in general
ātmane sva-janāya ca
ātmane
relatives
sva-janāya
family members and friends
ca
and
annaṁ saṁvibhajan paśyet
annam
foodstuff (prasāda)
saṁvibhajan
offering
paśyet
one should see
sarvaṁ tat puruṣātmakam
sarvam
all
tat
them
puruṣa-ātmakam
related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
One should offer prasāda to the demigods, the saintly persons, one’s forefathers, the people in general, one’s family members, one’s relatives and one’s friends, seeing them all as devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

As mentioned above, it is recommended that everyone distribute prasāda, considering every living being a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Even in feeding the poor, one should distribute prasāda. In Kali-yuga there is a scarcity of food almost every year, and thus philanthropists spend lavishly to feed the poor. For this they invent the term daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā. This is prohibited. One should distribute sumptuous prasāda, considering everyone a part of the Supreme Lord, but one should not juggle words to make a poor man Nārāyaṇa. Everyone is related to the Supreme Lord, but one should not mistakenly think that because one is related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has become the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa. Such a Māyāvāda philosophy is extremely dangerous, especially for a devotee. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has therefore strictly forbidden us to associate with Māyāvādī philosophers. Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa: if one associates with the Māyāvāda philosophy, his devotional life is doomed.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
In offering prasāda to the devatās, the saintly persons, one’s forefathers, the people in general, one’s family members, one’s relatives and one’s friends, one should see them all as devotees of the Supreme Lord.
Offer prasāda to demigods, saints, forefathers, the general public, family, relatives, friends — seeing all as parts of the Supreme Lord. Treating every person as a devotee in potential transforms charity from ego-relief into worship.
Reflection Questions
  • Whom in your life do you currently see only by their role rather than as a devotee in potential?
  • How would feeding such a person as 'an aspect of the Lord' change the meal?
📝 My note

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