Govindaram Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 Hare Krishna I saw this site, it says how to offer food, like they do in Temples, would it be ok for me to do, to get some practice in.?..Ps What happens if i make little mistakes, also i heard from another devotee, that it would be best to offer to Lord Caitanya as He does not see the offences of ppls. http://www.krishna.com/newsite/printarticles/Offer_Food.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 are mistakes. There is a difference between being lazy and knowing that you are not doing the offering correctly and making innocent mistakes by not knowing. Read and follow the instructions. Make yourself a little step by step "cheat sheet" to follow until you know by heart. Offer with love and devotion. Prabhupada advises to begin with a picture of Lord Caitanya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Govindaram Posted December 26, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 Hare Krishna That was the wrong link i gave out, good mistake i think, heres the Link i was looking at: http://www.deityworship.com/temple_worship/temple_offer.htm Cheat sheet sounds like a good idea, Step-by-Step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 are actually fairly common practice. You can use them for arati etc also. This site is quite elaborate and appears to be taken from the ISKCON Deity worship books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 I just read this in the first link you posted: "Remember that the real purpose of preparing and offering food to the Lord is to show your devotion and gratitude to Him. Krishna accepts your devotion, not the physical offering itself." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Govindaram Posted December 26, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 Hare Krishna How can you offer somebody food that doesn't require it, i try to prepare food lovingly, but it doesn't seem to work in my mind, i feel Krishna will not accept, it is more mechanical the way i do it, any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 re-read important point post....keywords...devotion and gratitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Govindaram Posted December 26, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 Hare Krishna Yes, i missed that, i remember somebody said to me, that Krishna accepts even a little love you have for Him, at least i can be grateful for the food i recieve. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 While I cook for Lord Krishna I place the picture of Srila Prabhupada cooking at the little stove in Philadelphia in my kitchen where I can see it as I prepare Lord Krishna's meal. Not sure where I got this habit from but it is comforting to me and I suggest it to all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 for all the mercy...it is all Lord Krishna's mercy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 "Remember that the real purpose of preparing and offering food to the Lord is to show your devotion and gratitude to Him. Krishna accepts your devotion, not the physical offering itself." i don't know that seems a bit strange,the "real" purpose is to show devotion and gratitude ? No, the purpose is to purify yourself from mundane concsiousness,all forms of arca vigraha worship or preparing prasad or any activity of sadhana bhakti is for the same purpose,elevating our consciousness. Krsna doesn't need you to show your devotion or gratitude, what is needed is for you to become Krsna conscious, Krsna is not impressed by a grand display of so called devotion, You can make big big offering,big big display of devotion, that is all for ourselves, for our purification,Krsna doesn't need a show or a display of devotion ,rather it is our attempt to follow His recommendations that is appreciated, the attempt to follow the path of purification rather then the desire to display our devotion is what the offering of food is for. Actually Krsna accepts the food ,not just the devotion,Krsna doesn't need the food ,so the "devotion" of preparing the food is really devotion to to please ourselves by gaining from that "devotion", real devotion is in feeding Krsna, not in our gratitude or our show of devotion, it is in the food itself, when the food is prepared for Radha Krsna so that it will be enjoyed then that is accepted,not because of a show of gratitude or a show of devotion in the ritual itself, but because food tastes good and you are offering the result of your labor for Radha Krsnas pleasure, then it is accepted ,then it becomes prasadam,of course Krsna tells us that those who are the devotees of His devotees ,those are accepted as His real devotees, so making food for the pleasure of the vaisnavas, that pleases Krsna more then cooking for Him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Govindaram Posted December 26, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 Hare Krishna Sometimes i see the world as Maya, it is! But it is also Krishna Mercy, so if we look at it that way, maybe i/we can appreciate our position and execute devotional 'the stick' service, how can a person who has no strenght to walk, walk? He need a stick, and a person who can cure his temp illness, jaya gurudeva!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 you just said the same thing in many paragraphs that was said in that site in one sentence (a bit of going around in circles but comes back to the same thing). /images/graemlins/smirk.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Govindaram Posted December 26, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 Hare Krishna When offering food to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, does He give the food to Krishna directly? and then when it comes back, does it go through the diciplic succession unto srila prabhupada/or your guru, and the food becomes Maha-Maha Prasadam LOL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 Sri Caitanya is Krsna,so he doesn't give anything to anyone else,the food becomes prasadam by your desire in making the effort to offer the food,then Krsna accepts,the past acharyas are offered in a ritualistic sense,it's not like Bhaktivedanta Swami is sitting somewhere and everytime some food is offered somewhere Krsna nudges Him and says 'here,taste this'. the food is transformed into prasad by your act of devotion,then that food is accepted and tasted in a trascendental sense,its for your benefit and is part of sadhana bhakti,smaranam,remembering Krsna in all your acitivites gradually awakens you to Krsnas presence everywhere at alltimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 I just read over the second site link that you posted and it explains all of this quite nicely being totally in line with Srila Prabhupada's instructions. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 I have no devotion or love etc...its very rare...I have some love...when I offer foood to god. WIll the Lord Acept what I do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 "Remember that the real purpose of preparing and offering food to the Lord is to show your devotion and gratitude to Him. Krishna accepts your devotion, not the physical offering itself." . No, the purpose is to purify yourself from mundane concsiousness,all forms of arca vigraha worship or preparing prasad or any activity of sadhana bhakti is for the same purpose,elevating our consciousness. •••• these two purposes are not in opposition, a devote thinks that any achievement in consciousness or advancement in devotion is due to the mercy of krsna not for personal effort so, one, serving is showing the desire to be purified and krsna, by his supremely free mercy, gives purification... very often the mercy is given even if the person is not pure or serious in his desire, like us in the west... who were desiring to have vaishnavism in america, europe, australia... no one... but prabhupada came so any result is given by krsna, and to think "i am doing nothing, i am only putting devotion and krsna will give the mercy is correct" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 "When offering food to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, does He give the food to Krishna directly?" :::basically we do not have any connection with the transcendence if not through the spiritual master.. so one offers the food to the spiritual master, the master offers the devotion used in cooking and the offering... to his master, and the master to his master etc.etc. on until this devotion reaches krsna and this is independent by wich murti is in the house and in the temple.. we offer to the spiritual master and the devotion goes to the murti through the parampara in the normal tradition there's no formal offering if one has no brahmana initiation, but prabhupada, acting as a initial siksa guru or vartma pradharshaka guru for everyone who is not initiated, gives the system to offer "officially" the food to krsna even to people who have not a spiritual master so when we offer, we offer to gurudeva not directly to krsna or chaitanya or jagannath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 Lord Krsna - Himself instructs us to offer with love and devotion.... Bhagavad Gita; Chapter Nine, Verse 26: patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati tad aham bhakty-upahrtam asnami prayatatmanah If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 First, we pray to our Spiritual Master for His blessings and ask to assist Him in offering to Lord Krsna. Then, we pray to Lord Caitanya for His mercy and then we pray to Lord Krsna and make the offering. All in all, it is really not so complicated. We tend to make things more difficult than necessary with our thoughts and so much word play in the explanations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 yes.. but it is interesting to discuss on it because there's the important subject of the guru tattva.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingentity Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 it is interesting to discuss. I just feel that we often make things so much more complicated than necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 living entity said Actually, Shiva.... Lord Krsna - Himself instructs us to offer with love and devotion.... Bhagavad Gita; Chapter Nine, Verse 26: patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati tad aham bhakty-upahrtam If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it. you were commenting on when i said "Actually Krsna accepts the food ,not just the devotion" which was a comment on Remember that the real purpose of preparing and offering food to the Lord is to show your devotion and gratitude to Him. Krishna accepts your devotion, not the physical offering itself." " then yasodanandana said "When offering food to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, does He give the food to Krishna directly?" :::basically we do not have any connection with the transcendence if not through the spiritual master.. so one offers the food to the spiritual master, the master offers the devotion used in cooking and the offering... to his master, and the master to his master etc.etc. on until this devotion reaches krsna You always have a connection to the transcendence, do you think that your diksa or siksa guru is watching over you at all times ? That they or He is aware of you as you prepare food ? That they are aware of your offering ? God is the only all pervading consciousness, Being present in your heart only God is conscious of your activities and mood,as you prepare and offer food only God is cognizant of these things and only God is accepting the offering. The concept of offering to the Guru is a ritual to include Krsna's devotees in the offering, Krsna's devotees need the food,Krsna does not, so Krsna is more pleased by His devotees being offered Food,in this way food offered to the Guru is done in a ritualistic way as a process of purification for the practitioner , the Guru is not an all pervading being able to receive that offering,it is done to instill devotion to Krsna's devotees who are more dear to Krsna then Himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yasodanandana Posted December 27, 2003 Report Share Posted December 27, 2003 do you think that your diksa or siksa guru is watching over you at all times ? •••yes, the guru is a manifestation of the paramatma and he's empowered by krsna to see in the heart of the disciple.. vaishnavas are omnipotent That they or He is aware of you as you prepare food ? •••of course, otherwise why to take another conditioned human as a master? That they are aware of your offering ? •••definitely yes, sri guru is in the heart, in the murti, in the foto... he's a shaktiavesha avatara, he has the shakti by krsna to do this God is the only all pervading consciousness, Being present in your heart only God is conscious of your activities and mood,as you prepare and offer food only God is cognizant of these things and only God is accepting the offering. •••yes.. and being the pure vaishnava in his task to act as a master a manifestation of god, god's vision and vaishnava's vision are non different.. so god is CIT, conscious, and the vaishnava is also CIT The concept of offering to the Guru is a ritual to include Krsna's devotees in the offering, ••definitely NO.... read this: yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto 'pi dhyayan stuvams tasya yasas tri-sandhyam vande guroh sri-caranaravindam By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the benediction of Krsna. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement. ........ ------ 4 krsna se tomara, krsna dite paro, tomara sakati ache ami to' kangala, 'krsna 'krsna 'boli', dhai tava pache pache 4) Krsna is yours; you have the power to give Him to me. I am simply running behind you shouting, "Krsna! Krsna!" ------ 1 sri-guru-carana-padma, kevala-bhakati-sadma, bando mui savadhana mate jahara prasade bhai, e bhava toriya jai, krsna-prapti hoy jaha ha'to The lotus feet of our spiritual master are the only way by which we can attain pure devotional service. I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and reverence. By his grace one can cross the ocean of material suffering and obtain the mercy of Krsna. ---- so our service is always directed to the spiritual master, and without him there's no service at all in this way food offered to the Guru is done in a ritualistic way as a process of purification for the practitioner •••yes.. but also because he's the only link to krsna, we cannot make direct service, no one make direct service to krsna, only sri radhe who is the "servant" aspect of god... and the spiritual master is the representative of the mercy of srimati radharani in this role of direct servant of krsna. So we essentially serve gurudeva, he offer our service to krsna. When we bow before deities, when we chant hare krishna we recite the obeisances "nama om vishupadaya..." because he's the link to chaitanya and panchatattva ("jaya sri krsna chaitanya, prabhu nityananda..") then to krsna (hare krishna hare krishna...). No hare krishna without guru, no prasadam without guru, no mercy without guru... he's not a marginal, ritual thing.. he's essential the Guru is not an all pervading being able to receive that offering, •••he's pervading because of empowering by krsna, hes saktiavesha avatara, chatya guru manifestated in a human form... he's conscious it is done to instill devotion to Krsna's devotees who are more dear to Krsna then Himself. •••yes, for this purpose and for many other things as explained... in krsna consciousness nothing is ritual or formal, everything is essential, if you offer an apple before the picture of the spiritual master you are offering to him, otherwise why this farce? a spirtual master is not an assistant, hes "janme janme prabhu.." our lord life after life "You always have a connection to the transcendence," ••••yes.. through the paramatma.. paramatma direct and paramatma in guru form is the same non different thing... otherwise who's the guru? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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