ISKCON Bullets: Golden Sweetballs

Giriraj Swami: In the early days of the Krishna consciousness movement, sweetballs - gulabjamuns, cheese balls fried in pure ghee and soaked in sugar water - were considered the ultimate experience in transcendental bliss. Sweetballs were so important that Srila Prabhupada used to keep a jar of them by the temple door at 26 Second Avenue. He had so much faith in Krishna’s prasada - just as he did in Krishna’s name - that if the young people took prasada they would become purified and satisfied. It is the devotees’ only sense gratification. A person can feel so satisfied by taking krishna-prasada that he will not think of any other type of enjoyment.

So in the beginning Srila Prabhupada encouraged the devotees to take more and more prasada. Anyone who visited him had to get a sweetball, and Srila Prabhupada’s were wonderful. He kept a jar of such golden balls suspended in gooey sugar water near the temple entrance, so if anyone wanted to leave Krishna consciousness, he would first have to pass the sweetballs.And definitely the person would think, "Before I go, let me take one more - or two or three or four." Most likely, he would realize the higher taste of Krishna consciousness and give up the idea of leaving altogether. Or he would become so full that he couldn’t move. In any case, Srila Prabhupada called sweetballs "ISKCON bullets - they shoot maya dead."