Offering food

[jayaisvara]

Being inspired by the thread on Spirulina, I wanted to ask the devotees here whether they offer their food everyday to the Lord and does it matter how much advanced you are in devotional service, or what mode is in control of you, in order to offer food?

[vanamali]

You should always offer food to God. You should not give Him onions and garlic (and meat especially, but you probably know that). After offering the food, we should eat, and that prasad will purify us. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

Best thing is to offer *everything* to Lord before you eat. Or at least offer Him some nuts/dryfruits or sweets during daily pooja. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Pankaja_Dasa]

 

 

I asked my mum ages ago to offer food, I said offer food to Lord Chaitanya. Before she didn't used to. NOW I don't even have to ask her she just does it! I feel like Mum how can I serve you! You now a Vaishnava lol

[Raghavan]

Offering food to Lord is every day to day activity and it has no connection with whether someone is Sanyasi or a grahastha or in which community he or she is born.

In India, as far as in my home and people whom I know all these years, I have seen that the ladies invariably keep all the cookings of the morning or evening keep in fron of the pooja place and do the Neyvedyam to Lord by default.

 

While doing the neyvedyam, we say the following mantras.

Ohm Pranaaya swahaa

Ohm Apaanaya Swaha

Ohm Vyanaaya swahaa

Ohm Udaanaya Swahaa

Ohm Samanaya Swahaa

Ohm Brahmana Swahaa

 

and we offer water also by circling all around the cookings in droplets and keep water in Panchaloka uthirni or if not ordinary tumbler. This is the tradition of brahmin families. Others whether they say mantras or not, but everyone offers the food by default.

[Raghavan]

Also finally after all mantras we also say Sarvam Sree Krishnaarpanamasthu as the final offerings.

 

 

[yasodanandana]

"I wanted to ask the devotees here whether they offer their food everyday to the Lord and does it matter how much advanced you are in devotional service, or what mode is in control of you, in order to offer food?"

 

in gaudya vaishnava's tradition the devotees at any stage of advancement are taught to avoid anything that it is not offered to krsna

 

so devotees offer vegetarian food with more or less elaborate procedures given by the spiritual master or, when it is necessary, at least mentally chanting the hare krsna mahamantra

 

i do like that using the procedure given by srila bhaktivedanta swami prebhupada

[Guest guest]

Raghavan, may I ask from which tradition you come? I think the rituals you are describe are those done by smArthas. Maybe by others too.... I'm not sure.

 

Also, can you please explain the significance of the mantras chanted. If you are offering to the Lord, then why "om prAnAya svAha..." etc. It literally sounds like you are invoking the life airs. Why is that? What does this have to do with offering food to God?

 

 

Offering food to Lord is every day to day activity and it has no connection with whether someone is Sanyasi or a grahastha or in which community he or she is born.

In India, as far as in my home and people whom I know all these years, I have seen that the ladies invariably keep all the cookings of the morning or evening keep in fron of the pooja place and do the Neyvedyam to Lord by default.

 

While doing the neyvedyam, we say the following mantras.

Ohm Pranaaya swahaa

Ohm Apaanaya Swaha

Ohm Vyanaaya swahaa

Ohm Udaanaya Swahaa

Ohm Samanaya Swahaa

Ohm Brahmana Swahaa

 

and we offer water also by circling all around the cookings in droplets and keep water in Panchaloka uthirni or if not ordinary tumbler. This is the tradition of brahmin families. Others whether they say mantras or not, but everyone offers the food by default.

 

 

[Sunandaji]

We HK devotees offer food, as it was said, lacto-vegetarian food, with no garlic onions eggs, and better is also no carrots. Soem are more or less strict about this last one.

 

everybody can offer food, and the more important is to offer it with love.

non initiated or devotees initiated in Harinama (1st initiation) offer food by pranam mantra to Srila Prabhupad or their Guru if they have one, then namo maha vedanyaya... then Jaya Sri Krsna Caitanya... then Maha mantra, all this 3 times, then leaving the food 10-15mn in front of the altar.

 

Diska initiated devotees receive other mantras to offer food.

[Guest guest]

When initiates (people wearing the upavitham or poonal) eat, they acknowledge and offer nourishment to the significant physiological life forces within the body:

a. Praanaa (the respiratory system)

b. Apaanaa (the excretory system)

c. Ayaanaa (the circulatory system)

d. Udaanaaya (the purgatory system) and

e. Samaanaa (the digestive system)

f. And Brahmana, the ultimate Godhead.

when we offer the Neivedya to the Deity, initiates acknowledge the same life forces for the divine.

Hope this helps.

A more detailed explanation and a complete how -to is part of my book, Follow the Hindu Moon: How to Celebrate with meaning and Joy to be released in India in April 2006 (Rupa)