prasadam

[Guest guest]

I cannot offer food to the lord as my parents cook food and they do not like me to go into kc. So before I eat I chant gayatri mantra and hare krsna mahamantra to cleanse myself. Is this alright?

when I get the chance then I offer food like fruit nuts water and flowers with tulsi pan.

Hare Krsna

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna.

 

What you are dong is fine. But you can also offer uncooked foods like fruits, water, tulsi, flowers.

 

[Guest guest]

The simplest way to offer food is at your table when you sit, you could simply say, "Hare Krishna, please accept this food" or "Hare Krishna, please accept this humble offering". This will be enough if you can't do more. If you are in a restaurant, what you are doing is fine by chanting Gayatri and Hare Krishna mahamantra as food normally tends to get wasted in a restaurant.

[jagatpurush]

this is how Prabhupada taught us to offer bhoga to the Lord:

 

Bhoga [unoffered Food] Offering

 

1. On a plate reserved for the Lord's use, nicely arrange the bhoga preparations. Perform acamana and offer obeisances to your spiritual master. Set the offering plate in front of the Deities, either directly on the altar or on a table before the altar. Arrange for the Lord to eat in private, perhaps by putting up a curtain before the altar.

 

2. With your right hand purify the bhoga by sprinkling it lightly with water from a Panca-patra while chanting the maha-mantra.

 

3. Sitting on an asana (cushion) before the altar and ringing a bell, recite three times the pranama prayer(s) to your spiritual master, begging permission to assist him in his service to the Lord:

 

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale

srimate [spiritual master's name] iti namine

 

I offer my respectful obeisances unto [spiritual master's name], who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

 

Chant the following prayer to Lord Caitanya three times, requesting His mercy:

 

namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te

krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah

 

O most munificent incarnation! You are Krishna Himself appearing as Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krishna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You. [Chaitanya Caritamrta, Madhya 19.53]

 

Chant the following prayer three times, offering respect to Lord Krishna:

 

namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca

jagad-dhitaya krsnaya govindaya namo namah

 

I offer my obeisances again and again to Lord Krishna, who is always worshiped by qualified brahmanas and is very dear to them. He is always concerned with the welfare of the cows, the brahmanas, and the whole universe, and He gives pleasure to the cows, land, and senses. [Visnu Purana]

 

4. Leave the room for ten minutes, allowing the Lord and His associates (including your spiritual master and the previous acaryas) to eat. During this time you may chant the Gayatri mantras [if you have received second initiation] for your spiritual master and for Lord Caitanya (the third and fifth guru-given mantras); then you may chant the Hare Krishna mantra and other Vaisnava songs.

 

5. Re-enter the room, clapping the hands three times. Remove the plate, praying that you have served the Lord and His associates to Their full satisfaction. While it is not expected that home worship be strictly punctual, it is best to keep as regular a schedule as possible. Whatever food one prepares for oneself and others must be offered to the Deities, so the number of offerings may vary; however, one should have a set number of offerings in the day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for example) to which the family cooking schedule is oriented.

 

[it may be noted that these mantras are technically pranama-mantras, not offering mantras. But since Prabhupada simplified it for us in this way, that is how we in ISKCON do it.]

[Guest guest]

why do we need to clap three times before entering the rom in step 5. also, i thought strict prasadam rules are only kept if you have deities. another thing is, just say you are hungry. so you offer that food to krsna. but then isnt this only offering food for yourself, not for krsna, as in for your own satisfaction.

:s

[jagatpurush]

>why do we need to clap three times before entering the rom in step 5.

 

this is a standard puja practice.

 

"Thala thrayam (Clap three times) : With Asthamanthra and by clapping the hands three times Agnighandam (fire), Somakhandam (moon’s rays), and Sourakhandam (ether) are to be joined, as described in the Gayatri Mantra."

 

>also, i thought strict prasadam rules are only kept if you have deities.

 

not really. initiated devotees will offer like this to picture also. like eg if they are sankirtana devotees they may not keep Deities, but they will definitely offer their food. food can also be offered mentally if circumstances do not allow (eg travelling on a train).

 

>another thing is, just say you are hungry. so you offer that food to krsna. but then isnt this only offering food for yourself, not for krsna, as in for your own satisfaction.

 

we cannot expect to spontaneously want to offer everything to Krsna, being as we are conditioned souls. offering food is a practice of vaidhi-bhakti (regulated devotional service) to awaken such feelings for Krsna. it is also just godly culture in general,as prescribed in the Bhagavad-gita:

 

yajna-sistasinah santo

mucyante sarva-kilbisaih

bhunjate te tv agham papa

ye pacanty atma-karanat

 

SYNONYMS

yajna-sista--food taken after performance of yajna; asinah--eaters; santah--the devotees; mucyante--get relief from; sarva--all kinds of; kilbisaih--from sins; bhunjate--enjoy; te--they; tu--but; agham--grievous sins; papah--sinners; ye--those; pacanti--prepare food; atma-karanat--for sense enjoyment.

 

TRANSLATION

The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin. Bg. 3.13