Prasadam (Food) – What to offer and Why?

From www.recipes.iskcondesiretree.info – Bhaktivedanta Hospital, Diet department

Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita 9.26

patraḿ puṣpaḿ phalaḿ toyaḿ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaḿ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it”.

Developing love for Krishna or being Krishna conscious is the highest perfection of life. By engaging in the devotional service of Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, one is purified. So, in order to get purified, one should know what Krishna desires from us. And here in this verse, Krishna is clearly telling that He will accept leaf, flower, fruit and water with love and devotion. So, we should understand that we are not supposed to be eating meat, fish, and eggs. Only vegetables, grains, fruits, milk and water are offerable to Him and they are also prescribed by the Vedic literatures for human beings.

Also in BG 3.13 Krishna says

yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo
mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ
bhuñjate te tv aghaḿ pāpā
ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt

“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”.

HE says that food should be first offered to Him before consumption, which results in no karmic reaction, otherwise those who eat for themselves without making any offering to Krishna, eat only sin. As each and every living entity has a soul present in it. even when we eat vegetables or fruits, they are killed But we do need to eat something for sustenance. Also, in Vedas its said that "jivo jivasya jivanam": one living entity is food for another in the struggle for existence. But by offering vegetables, grains, fruits, milk and water to Krishna, He frees us from sin by accepting it.

Hence we can have nice preparations made of milk, fruits, vegetables, grains and water for the pleasure of Krishna, offer Him and thereby purifying our mind, body and senses. Srila Prabhupada. taught us how lo make a wonderful bhoga offering in the mode of goodness and then offer with love and devotion to Krishna.

For the purpose of offering, reserve a plate and few cups and glass for Krishna’s offering. Make sure that plates of Krishna are not to be used for any other purpose. Have a picture or Deity of Lord Krishna or Lord Caitanya or both, Srila Prabhupada and One’s spiritual master (if any) on the altar.

Spiritual master is the representative of Krishna, So when we offer, the spiritual master accepts our offering and offers it to his own spiritual master, who in turn offers it to his spiritual master. In this way the offering ascends and reaches Krishna.

Now, after you are finished cooking, place a little of each preparation on the plates and cups for offering in front of the deities, bowing down and ringing the bell with your left hand chant these prayers three times.

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhativedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesha-sanyavadi-paschatya-desa-tarine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Chaitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.

namo maha-vadanyaya
kríshna-prema-pradaya te
krishnaya krishna chaitanya-
namne gaura-tvishe namah

O most munificent incarnation! You are Krishna Himself appearing as Sri Krishna Chaitanya 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.

namo brahmanya-devaya
go bhramana-hitaya ca
jagad-dhitaya krishnaya
govindaya namo namah

My Lord, You are the well-wisher of the cows and the brahmanas, and You are the well-wisher of the entire human society and world.

You can also chant the Pancha Tattva and Hare Krsna mantras three times:

sri-krishna-chaintana prabhu natyananda
sri-advaitagadadhara srivasadi-gaura -baktha-vrinda

"I offer my obeisances to Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa and all others in the line of devotion"

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

Leave the offering on the altar for few minutes. Then, transfer the contents of the plate to the respective cooked preparations. Wash Krishna’s plate & cups and keep aside. The offered food thus is called  "prasadam" and you can enjoy the spiritual bliss by honoring it.

Everything in this world belongs to Krishna, nothing is ours So, here we perform real yoga, by offering Him back His own things for His pleasure And thus accepting His remnants in the form of prasadam our mind, body and senses are purified.

Here in this section of website, we have attempted to present to you a few preparations. Try them out for your Lordships and get infused with spiritual energy.