On December 4th, Spanish inmates and guards at Ceuta Prison were the first in the country’s history to eat a full traditional prasadam meal.  

Ceuta, a city bordering Morocco, is separated from mainland Spain by Gibraltar. Its prison has 350 inmates and more than 100 guards.  

Enlisting inmates’ help, husband and wife team Krishna-kripa Dasa and Radha-priya Dasi cooked a sumptuous lunch—consisting of basmati rice, dhal,  mixed vegetable subji, puris, eggplant pakoras, laddu and mango Lassi—which they offered to Krishna and then served to 400 prison residents and staff, as well as several reporters.

Guiding the predominantly Muslim inmates in the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, Krishna-kripa then explained the meaning of prasadam and how to eat it.

“This is a very special food cooked with the best spice—love for God,” he said. “By eating it, you can experience traveling to India right from your prison cell.”

Inmates found the prasadam delicious and savored it all, with no leftovers.  

After they had served everyone, Krishna-kripa and Radha-priya sat down to eat with the Prison Director and other authorities, whom they gifted with copies of Bhagavad-gita As It Is and Science of Self-Realization.  

The program was well covered by local and national newspapers, receiving full page articles with photographs.  

Vegetarians and Yoga associations congratulated Krishna-kripa and Radha-priya on their service to Spanish inmates.  

The devotee couple commented: “We offer this victory—of so many conditioned souls getting the opportunity to taste prasadam, help to cook it and chant the Holy Name—to Srila Prabhupada and his ISKCON.”