Prasadam...

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The word ‘prasad’ means that which gives peace. During any form of worship,

ritual or ceremony, Hindus offer some items of food to the Lord. Puja is done

with Bael leaves, flowers, Tulasi (Basil plant), Vibhuti and these are given as

Prasada from the Lord.

 

Prasada is that which gives peace. Prasada is the sacred food offering of the

Lord. During Kirtans (Singing hymns), worship, Puja, Havan and Arati, the

devotee offers sweet rice, fruits, jaggery, milk, coconut, plantain and such

other articles to the Lord, according to his ability. After offering them to the

Lord, they are shared between the members of the house or the Bhaktas (devotees)

in a temple.

 

Water, flowers, rice, etc., are offered to the Lord in worship. This denotes

that the Lord is pleased with even the smallest offering. What is wanted is the

heart of the devotee. The Lord says in the Gita :

 

" Patram Pushpam Phalam Toyam Yo Me Bhaktya Prayacchati;

Tadaham Bhaktyupahritamasanami Prayatatmanah " – Whoever offers a leaf, a flower,

a fruit or even water with devotion, that I accept, offered as it is with a

loving heart " .

 

It is not necessary that one should offer gold, silver and costly dress to the

Lord. The devotee offers these according to his ability and position in life,

thereby denoting that the whole wealth of the world belongs to the Lord. A rich

man offers costly things to the Lord. He feeds the poor and serves the sick,

seeing the Lord in his fellow-beings.

 

The mental Bhava (attitude) of the devotee offering Bhog to the Lord has very

great effect. If an ardent devotee of the Lord offers anything to the Lord, that

Prasada, if taken, would bring very great change even in the minds of atheists.

The Grace of the Lord descends through Prasada. Go through the life of Narada.

You will realise the greatness of the sacred leavings of the Lord as well as

those of advanced Sadhakas and saints.

 

Namadeva offered rice etc., to Panduranga Vitthala and He ate the food and

shared it with Namadeva as well. If the food is offered with an yearning heart,

sometimes, the Lord takes that food assuming a physical form. In other cases,

the Lord enjoys the subtle essence of the food offered, and the food remains as

it is in the shape of Prasada. While feeding Mahatmas and the poor people, that

which is left behind is taken as Prasada. When a sacrifice is performed, the

participants share the Prasada which bestows the blessings of the gods. When

Dasaratha performed Putrakameshti (a sacrifice performed wishing for a son), he

got a vessel full of sweetened rice that he gave to his queens, by taking which

they became pregnant.

source;krishna

 

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