yadyapi gopÄla saba anna-vyaĂąjana khÄila
tÄáš ra hasta-sparĹe punaḼ temani ha-ila
yadyapi - although; gopÄla - Lord GopÄla; saba - all; anna-vyaĂąjana - dhal, rice and vegetables; khÄila - ate; tÄáš ra - His; hasta - of the hands; sparĹe - by the touch; punaḼ - again; temani - exactly as before; ha-ila - became.
The atheists cannot understand how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appearing in the form of the Deity, can eat all the food offered by His devotees. In the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ (9.26) KášášŁáša says:
patraáš puᚣpaáš phalaáš toyaáš yo me bhaktyÄ prayacchati
tad ahaáš bhakty-upaháštam aĹnÄmi prayatÄtmanaḼ
âIf one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.â The Lord is pĹŤráša, complete, and therefore He eats everything offered by His devotees. However, by the touch of His transcendental hand, all the food remains exactly as before. It is the quality that is changed. Before the food was offered, it was something else, but after it is offered the food acquires a transcendental quality. Because the Lord is pĹŤráša, He remains the same even after eating. PĹŤrášasya pĹŤrášam ÄdÄya pĹŤrášam evÄvaĹiᚣyate. The food offered to KášášŁáša is qualitatively as good as KášášŁáša; just as KášášŁáša is avyaya, indestructible, the food eaten by KášášŁáša, being identical with Him, remains as before.
Apart from this, KášášŁáša can eat the food with any one of His transcendental senses. He can eat by seeing the food or by touching it. Nor should one think that it is necessary for KášášŁáša to eat. He does not become hungry like an ordinary human being; nonetheless, He presents Himself as being hungry, and as such, He can eat everything and anything, regardless of quantity. The philosophy underlying KášášŁášaâs eating is understandable by our transcendental senses. When our senses are purified by constantly being engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, we can understand KášášŁášaâs activities, names, forms, qualities, pastimes and entourage.
ataḼ ĹrÄŤ-kášášŁáša-nÄmÄdi na bhaved grÄhyam indriyaiḼ
sevonmukhe hi jihvÄdau svayam eva sphuraty adaḼ
âNo one can understand KášášŁáša by the blunt material senses. But He reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their transcendental loving service unto Him.â (Bhakti-rasÄmášta-sindhu 1.2.234) The devotees understand KášášŁáša through revelation. It is not possible for a mundane scholar to understand KášášŁáša and His pastimes through research work on the nondevotional platform.