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Tirisilex
07 May 2010, 01:46 PM
I have been wondering. When you offer food at your altar what do you do with it? Do you just let it sit there to rot??

Sahasranama
07 May 2010, 02:43 PM
It becomes prasadam, you can share it with other devotees after the worship is finished. You can also take some of the water used to do abhishekam and sip it, take the flowers the next day and put them on your head and then smell them and you can also take the tulsi leaves as prasadam.

Tirisilex
07 May 2010, 08:13 PM
Flowers? Not that I'm opposed to the idea.. I think it would symbolize I am a man of peace.. However I believe my community may think that I've become a bit Homosexual..
I live in In northern New England and we have "hicks" (Country Boys) You know the type? BIG EGOS

Eastern Mind
07 May 2010, 08:33 PM
Vannakkam Tirisilex:

Flowers are the main offering in Hinduism. All over India it is a crop, used about 99% for temples. You will fields of marigolds, as far as the eye can see. There are roses, marigolds, and many others I don't know the name of. I make garlands for our temple. The protest uses rose petals every time he offers a name of God in chanting.

Inner devas can smell the fragrance, and 'see' the flower from the other side. For a closer look at an Indian florist specializing in Indian style garlands google 'Fancy Florist' in Toronto. There m ain business is garlands for weddings and temples. Out temple probably spends nearly $1000 on flowers for our annual festival. Browse some of the Indian temple sites on line and they're everywhere.

Just because you are around flowers or like flowers has nothing to do with homosexuality. Look at the Dutch. Famous for bulbs of all kinds they are. In the summer here at temple I grow sunflower, marigolds, nasturtium, rose, lily, and tons of petunias, and pinks.

Nothing will liven up your shrine more than a fresh flower. Try it. You can almost feel the appreciation of the Gods when you place a petal at the feet.

I say let the 'old boy' rednecks have their meat and half-ton trucks. You go for the flowers.

Aum Namasivaya

Tirisilex
07 May 2010, 08:40 PM
" take the flowers the next day and put them on your head"

I have NO problem with putting them around my altar.. It's the wearing them in public..
I picked a White flower from a shop that had flowers in front.. I put it by my ear.. like a pencil being held by your ear.. As I was walking down the street a bunch of guys with 2 Pick-Up Trucks started saying "Look at that sissy guy over there"

Ashvati
07 May 2010, 09:46 PM
If its a matter of personal safety, which it can be with some of these people, then I would avoid wearing them in public too. They just won't understand.

Eastern Mind
07 May 2010, 10:16 PM
Vannakkam Tirisilex:

I'm sorry. I misunderstood your post. I thought it was about flowers in general , not wearing in public.

I would never wear the flowers, or pottu or vibhuthi in public either. Not because I wouldn't want to or be ashamed. Its just that I'm sick of answering questions. The few times I have forgotten end up in some ridiculously blunt person asking me. I will wear flower behind ear in the car etc, on the way home.
That was a good thing about India, although you don't wear a garland. Nice decoration for the car though.

Aum Namasivaya

sambya
07 May 2010, 10:30 PM
hahaha . funny thread .

well, trisilex , you need not wear your flowers . you can remove the flowers in the late evening before going to bed or just before leaving the deities to rest . then just touch them to your forehead in respect and smell their fragrance . prasadi flowers brings peace and tranquility to you inner soul . then you can put them in a compost heap and reuse them as a manure for your plants . in india people dump them in river ...........ganga in where i live coz , its merely a short distance away .

devotee
07 May 2010, 10:45 PM
Flowers? Not that I'm opposed to the idea.. I think it would symbolize I am a man of peace.. However I believe my community may think that I've become a bit Homosexual..
I live in In northern New England and we have "hicks" (Country Boys) You know the type? BIG EGOS

You don't have to wear the flowers, man ! Relax ! If you are a woman & you want to wear it, it is ok. :)

OM

Sahasranama
08 May 2010, 04:09 AM
" take the flowers the next day and put them on your head"

I have NO problem with putting them around my altar.. It's the wearing them in public..
I picked a White flower from a shop that had flowers in front.. I put it by my ear.. like a pencil being held by your ear.. As I was walking down the street a bunch of guys with 2 Pick-Up Trucks started saying "Look at that sissy guy over there"


LOL

I didn't mean to put them in your hair. I meant to hold them in your hands, hold them against your forehead like you are bowing to them and then smell them. You don't have to keep them on your body if you don't want to.

I remember I had a tilak on years ago and people kept saying: "you have something on your head."

Eastern Mind
08 May 2010, 07:57 AM
I remember I had a tilak on years ago and people kept saying: "you have something on your head."

Vannakam:

One morning after sadhana when I went to school early for my early morning volleyball team practise I forgot. It was just vibhuthi. One of my players asked 'What's that white stuff on your forehead?" The guy is now a specialty doctor in athletic bone injury. See the power of vibhuthi!

Aum Namasivaya

Sahasranama
08 May 2010, 08:47 AM
Sai Baba would be amazed.

One day vibhuti will magically appear out of a bone and he will know of your blessings. :p

sambya
08 May 2010, 01:43 PM
LOL
I remember I had a tilak on years ago and people kept saying: "you have something on your head."

hahahaha . the one thing that i keep learning here is diffrent reactions in different nations on hindu culture and behaviour. its quite amusing . living in india i dont get a chance to see that !! hehehehe

wish i could stay back here in india forever . i dont wish to leave it ever . the very thought of living in the materialistic west makes me cringe .

Ashvati
08 May 2010, 06:51 PM
It makes me cringe too, and I've spent this entire life in it.

@Sahasranama: The old Sai Baba or the new one?

Ashvati
08 May 2010, 09:23 PM
While I'm thinking of it, I'm hoping to make an offering of food to Kaali Maa for Mother's Day. Can anyone recomend any guidelines of food or ritual or prayers to use or it?

satay
08 May 2010, 09:47 PM
namaskar Ashvati,

Ma Kali only accepts a human head and human blood as her most favourite offering. So you must offer her that.

NO NO I am just kidding!!! now, don't go around hunting around for a human head!! :D

Just offer her food that you yourself like. Tell her to accept it and after a few minutes eat that food yourself as parsadam. Don't let it sit there and rot!!



While I'm thinking of it, I'm hoping to make an offering of food to Kaali Maa for Mother's Day. Can anyone recomend any guidelines of food or ritual or prayers to use or it?

satay
08 May 2010, 09:49 PM
One day vibhuti will magically appear out of a bone and he will know of your blessings. :p

:D :D

satay
08 May 2010, 09:56 PM
namaskar,


It's the wearing them in public..



No regular hindu man in their right mind would wear flowers around their neck, in their hair or in the ear here in the west unless they want to get a mockery made out of themselves. Well, unless that hindu is some sort of swami or guru wearing bright yellow or saffron clothing and cameras are following him.

Ashvati
08 May 2010, 10:24 PM
Thanks for the advice, Satay. And I know that those would be her favorite offerings, but I'm not trying THAT hard :P I have a chocolate bunny left over from easter (being american, my family celebrates it pretty much regardless of religious affiliation, I just accept the candy) that my first idea was to carve out where the heart would be during my little ceremony (irreverant I know, but still sincere) but I think I'll break the head off instead in honor of your joke-suggestion :P I think after all the slaying of demons and false ego she would appreciate the sharing of chocolate and a laugh, as well as the irony of the fact that I got the choco-bunny from a christian holiday.

ScottMalaysia
09 May 2010, 12:10 AM
In some temples and home shrines (mainly ISKCON), the curtains or doors around the altar are shut after making a food offering to allow the Deities to eat in privacy. The food is left for around 10-15 mins and then distributed as prasad. ISKCON devotees typically take a portion of each of the major food items and offer them on the altar. All the food becomes prasad, and the small amount of food offered on the altar is called mahaprasad. I'm not sure if this is done by regular Hindus (non-ISKCON).

Here (http://www.harekrishnatemple.com/prepareoffer.html) is a link to a site which explains how to offer food the ISKCON way. However, it may not be suitable for Hindus of other sects (or non-sectarian) because it contains a prayer to Srila Prabhupada (the founder of ISKCON) and a prayer to Lord Caitanya (a Bengali Brahmana who is considered an avatar of Krishna by Gaudiya Vaishnavas).

Sahasranama
09 May 2010, 02:14 AM
It makes me cringe too, and I've spent this entire life in it.

@Sahasranama: The old Sai Baba or the new one?

The new one who does all the magic with vibhuti. ;)

Sahasranama
09 May 2010, 02:45 AM
This how I offer food. I have tried and seen many puja vidhis, we also have our own tradition in our family to offer food. I looked at the various sources and created my own manner of offering food. I will describe it here:

We mainly offer sweets like halva, laddu, kheer, sweet rotis filled with sweet milk pudding (lapsi roti), thick sweet rotis fried in ghee, lightly roasted/grinded rice with sugar; several types of fruit like bananas, coconut, apples, mangos; dried fruit and nuts. Not everything in one puja though, my mother cooks a few dished in special pots. In the past I have also tried the vaishnava method of offering everything I eat to Krishna with all the restrictions of food that are mentioned in the scriptures. But I have stopped doing that.

Before this, I first finish sandhyavandana, chanting of one or two chapters of the bhagavadgita, chanting ganesha tharvashirsha and doing laghu nyasam, doing abhishekam of the Narmada Shivaling and Salagram Shilas with the shatarudriya, narayana sukta, vishnu sukta, narayanopanishad, offering flowers to all the deities, tulasi to saligram and bilva patram to Shivalingam, chanting the vishnu sahasranama stotra and offering other upacharas like incence and ashtagandham etc.

After that I offer the naivedyam(prasadam) with mantras from the purush sukta(14th mantra) and sri sukta(13th mantra). I chant three shlokas from the gita (4,24; 15,14, 9,26):

Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir
Brahmagnau Brahmana Hutam
Brahmaiva Tena Ghantavyam
Brahmakarma Samadhinaha

Aham Vaishvanaro Bhutva
Praninaam Dehamaa Ashritaha
Prana Pana Samayuktah
Pachamyannam Chaturvidham

patram pushpam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami pryatatmanah

Then I do parishechanam for the deities. I circum ambulate the plate of food with the mantra: AUM bhurbhuva svaha

I sprinkle water over the food chanting the gayatri mantra

I circum ambulate the plate twice with the following mantras. Most often, I don't use the evening mantras.

deva savita prasuvaha
satyam tvartena parishinchayaami (morning)
ritam tva satyena parishinchayaami (evening)

I offer achamaniyam:
amritopastaranamasi

I take a little bit of food with my thumb, middle finger and ring finger and put it in the plate for havana samagri:

pranaya svaha
apanaya svaha
vyanaya svaha
udanaya svaha
samanaya svaha
brahmane svaha

I drop a little bit of water on the right side of the plate (left side for deity) and soak my right ring finger in water, place the right ring finger on the chest of the deity/dieties.

I ring the bell and blow the conch while the deities are eating

Then I offer achamaniyam again: amritopidhanamasi

Then I light the fire, I perform samidadham. I offer ghee with vyahriti homa mantras. Then I offer the havan samagri mixed with ghee and the prasadam with the following mantras.
gaṇānāṁ tvā gaṇapatiṁ havāmahe kaviṁ kavīnāmupamaśravastamam |
jyeṣṭharājaṁ brahmaṇāṁ brahmaṇaspata ā naḥ śṛṇvannūtibhiḥ sīda sādanam
om tatpuruṣāya vidmahe vakratuṇḍāya dhīmahi |
tanno dantiḥ pracodayāt ||

om jātavedase sunavāma soma marātīyato nidahāti vedaḥ |
sa naḥ parṣadati durgāṇi viśvā nāveva sindhuṁ duritā'tyagniḥ || 1||
tāmagnivarṇāṁ tapasā jvalantīṁ vairocanīṁ
karmaphaleṣu juṣṭām | durgāṁ devi śaraṇamahaṁ
prapadye sutarasi tarase namaḥ || 2||
agne tvaṁ pārayā navyo asmānthsvastibhirati durgāṇi viśvā |
pūśca pṛthvī bahulā na urvī bhavā tokāya tanayāya śaṁyoḥ || 3||
viśvāni no durgahā jātavedaḥ sindhunna nāvā duritā'tiparṣi |
agne atrivanmanasā gṛṇāno'smākaṁ bodhyavitā tanūnām || 4||
pṛtanā jita sahamānamugramagni huvema paramāthsadhasthāt |
sa naḥ parṣadati durgāṇi viśvā kṣāmaddevo ati duritātyagniḥ || 5||
pratnoṣi kamīḍyo adhvareṣu sanācca hotā navyaśca sathsi |
svāñcāgne tanuvaṁ piprayasvāsmabhyaṁ ca saubhagamāyajasva || 6||
gobhirjuṣṭamayujo niṣiktantavendra viṣṇoranusaṁcarema |
nākasya pṛṣṭhamabhi saṁvasāno vaiṣṇavīṁ loka iha mādayantām || 7||
om kātyāyanāya vidmahe kanyakumāri dhīmahi |
tanno durgiḥ pracodayāt ||
om mahādevyai ca vidmahe viṣṇupatnyai ca dhīmahi |
tanno lakṣmīḥ pracodayāt ||
om mahādevyai ca vidmahe brahmapatnī ca dhīmahi |
tanno vāṇī pracodayāt ||

om puruṣasya vidmahe sahasrākṣasya dhīmahi |
tanno rudraḥ pracodayāt ||
om tatpuruṣāya vidmahe mahādevāya dhīmahi |
tanno rudraḥ pracodayāt ||
om tatpuruṣāya vidmahe cakratuṇḍāya dhīmahi |
tanno nandiḥ pracodayāt ||
om tatpuruśaya vidmahe mahāsenāya dhīmahi |
tanno śanmukha pracodayāt||
om tatpuruṣāya vidmahe suvarṇapakṣāya dhīmahi |
tanno garuḍaḥ pracodayāt ||
om vedātmane vidmahe hiraṇyagarbhāya dhīmahi |
tanno brahma pracodayāt ||
om nārāyaṇāya vidmahe vāsudevāya dhīmahi |
tanno viṣṇuḥ pracodayāt ||
om vajranakhāya vidmahe tīkṣṇadaṁṣṭrāya dhīmahi |
tanno nṛsiṁhaḥ pracodayāt ||
om bhāskarāya vidmahe mahadyutikarāya dhīmahi |
tanno ādityaḥ pracodayāt ||
om vaiśvānarāya vidmahe lālīlāya dhīmahi |
tanno agniḥ pracodayāt ||
Gayatri mantra without vyahritis (svaha)
om haṁsahaṁsāya vidmahe paramahaṁsāya dhīmahi |
tanno haṁsaḥ pracodayāt ||
purnahuti: Om purnam idam... and offer a supari

Then I do the agni upasthanam and agni visarjanam and bring the havan kundam outside the temple room to the backyard. I go back to the temple room which is next to the door of the backyard in our house and I start chanting the dasha shantaya mantras:
http://bharatiweb.com/Devanagari/Dasha%20Shaantaya%20Dev%20v1.pdf (http://bharatiweb.com/Devanagari/Dasha%20Shaantaya%20Dev%20v1.pdf)

Then I go back and take some ashes and mix it with water and put some tilaks on various parts of my body and then continue with the rest of my puja: offering tambulam, pradakshina, namaskara, arati. I call my parents, grandmother and sister and we all offer a flower while I chant the mantra pushpam.

sambya
09 May 2010, 04:08 AM
the shastric way of offering food to kali-----------

dont keep food items uncovered . keep it covered with a cloth or another plate . if you are purchasing a certain food item for god , make sure that no one elese gets a portion from the same lot before it is offered to god . suppose you buy 10 mangoes for lord . in home you want your little daughter to have a mango . so you take one out of the 10 and keep the rest 9 for god . however the other 9 would become unofferable . first offereing should be to god only .

sprinkle water on the food items three times by saying this mantra ( repeat three times )
vam etasmai sa-upakarana-naivedyayai namah . ( sa-upakarana means of various arrangements . if you are offering sweets you can say "mishtanna-naivedyayai" , or if you are offering fruits then you can say "phal-mulaadi-naivedyayai" etc )

then take a little flower and offer it to narayana saying " ete gandhapushpe etat adhipataye narayanaya namah " ( though this step is not followed by many practitioners of shaktism and tantra . however other brahmanas , like the smarta ones offer this flower as a token of respect to narayan )

at this stage it is advisable to display galini mudra over the water and dhenu mudra over the food items while visualizing that the food items has turned to nectar . then put your palms over the food in matsya mudra and do japa of 'krim' mantra 10 times . ( however learning these mudras are tough and might require expert guidance )


take a bilwa leaf and put it on the food items saying " idam sa-upakarana naivedyam srimna-mahakaal-bhairava-sahita srimad dakshinaa-kaalikayai nivedayami "

then pour one gandush(amount of water that can be held in depression at the center of your palm) of water near the food items saying " amritopastaranamasi swaha "

then you have to display pancha-graas-mudra . with you left hand you have to show graas-mudra while on the right hand you have to utter the following mantras with the corresponding mudras :

" praanaaya swaha "-------- thumb touched with little finger and ring finger
" apaanaaya swaha "-------thumb touched with index and middle fingers
"vyaanaaya swaha " ------thumb toched with middle and ring fingers
"udaanaaya swaha "---------thumb with middle , ring and index fingers
"samaanaaya swaha"------thumb with all fingers .

pran , apan , vyan , udan and saman are the pancha-maha-vayu or five vital forces within a body . the action of these keeps us going . you are invoking these vital forces within your ishta devata to partake your offering.

then bow down and leave the room for sometime . you might also close your eyes or draw the curtain . meanwhile chant normal gayatri or the gayatri of kalika . after sometime(it depends on the amount of food items) knock and enter the room and bow down . then offer a gandush(amount of water that can be held in depression at the center of your palm) full water near the food uttering " amritopidhaanamasi swaha "

then sprinkle water on the water glass and say " idam paniya-jalam( or paanartha-jalam) srimna mahaakaal-bhairava-sahita srimad-dakshina-kalikayai namah "
think that your ishta devi is accepting the water . then offer water to wash her face ---

first to wash off her mouth - " idam gandusham srimna-mahakal-bhairava sahita srimad dakshina-kalikayai namah "

then to wash off her hands and face - " idam hasta-mukha prakshalanam srimna mahakal bhairava sahita srimad dakshina kalikayai namah "

then offer a little water three time as achaman--"idam achamaniyam(or achamaniyodakam) srimna mahakal bhairava sahita srimad dakshina kalikayai namah "

then offer paan as mouth freshner "idam tambulam srimna mahakaal bahirava sahita srimad dakshina kalikayai namah "

then bow down and perform a small arati . plain incense arati will also do .


here you are jointly offering all food to kali and her companion bhairava mahakaal . if you prefer you may arrange a seperate puja for mahakaal . in that case all the mantra would be " srimad dakshina kalikayai namah " instead of " srimna-mahakal-bhairava sahita srimad dakshina-kalikayai namah " . however bhakti remains the main thing and all these is required only in case of an installed deity .

Sahasranama
09 May 2010, 04:19 AM
Thank you for the elaborate description. I forgot about the mudras that go with the pancha prana mantras.

In India, do people offer salty foods to god? Among hindus from the Netherlands and in Surinam people follow the rule of not offering anything with salt to the gods. We only offer mistaan and phalani. If I am right in ISCKON they do offer salty meals. I have also read somewhere, I can't remember where though, that you can offer food of different tastes to god, not just sweets. Another question, when you offer tambulam with paan and supari, do you cut the supari or offer the whole supari? In my daily puja I offer supari, lavang and elaichi, because paan is not always available in the store.


then bow down and leave the room for sometime . you might also close your eyes or draw the curtain . meanwhile chant normal gayatri or the gayatri of kalika . after sometime(it depends on the amount of food items) knock and enter the room and bow down . then offer a gandush(amount of water that can be held in depression at the center of your palm) full water near the food uttering "I was looking for intervals within the puja to do some japa, so that I can get some vocal rest from chanting the suktas and stotras. It seems that this is a good opportunity.

Could you write something on how to use mudras at the beginning of the puja in the worship of the ghanta/shankha/dhupa patra/ dipa paatra/ kalasha?

sambya
09 May 2010, 10:57 AM
Thank you for the elaborate description. I forgot about the mudras that go with the pancha prana mantras.

thanks sahasranama .


In India, do people offer salty foods to god? Among hindus from the Netherlands and in Surinam people follow the rule of not offering anything with salt to the gods. We only offer mistaan and phalani. If I am right in ISCKON they do offer salty meals. I have also read somewhere, I can't remember where though, that you can offer food of different tastes to god, not just sweets.well i have never heard anything like salt cannot be added in bhoga . in north india all temples add salt , as one would in any ordinary meal . however tasting the food before offering is strictly forbidden . actually fruits and sweets are offerred as breakfast in morning . and cooked food with salt comes as lunch in noon .



Another question, when you offer tambulam with paan and supari, do you cut the supari or offer the whole supari? In my daily puja I offer supari, lavang and elaichi, because paan is not always available in the store. its best to make conical paan rolls as they sell in the shops . just like you would offer to a human . tear off the stem of the leaf , slit the leaf carefull from the central vein , and then tear off the vein too . then place the two halfs on one another and roll into the typicall paan shape . i use chopped supari , elaichi ,lavang and a little micro pinch of karpoor as filling and another lavang pierced in the top to hold the role in place. for nitya puja(daily puja) you can use plain masalas like a mixture of elaichi and lavang etc . you might as well buy some assorted masalas and offer a pinch evry day .



I was looking for intervals within the puja to do some japa, so that I can get some vocal rest from chanting the suktas and stotras. It seems that this is a good opportunity.
yes indeed . you can complete the japa now !


Could you write something on how to use mudras at the beginning of the puja in the worship of the ghanta/shankha/dhupa patra/ dipa paatra/ kalasha? well there are different mudras for offering each item also . but they are rarely used and not necessary . hence i have forgotten them . but basics that are used is gaalini mudra , kurma mudra while chating the dhyana mantra , pancha-prana mudra , dhenu mudra , etc

hmmmm. i dont think it would be easy to explain them verbally . ill try to post in a picture ................

Sahasranama
10 May 2010, 07:37 AM
Thank you for the answers.


well there are different mudras for offering each item also . but they are rarely used and not necessary . hence i have forgotten them . but basics that are used is gaalini mudra , kurma mudra while chating the dhyana mantra , pancha-prana mudra , dhenu mudra , etc

hmmmm. i dont think it would be easy to explain them verbally . ill try to post in a picture ................

I have read in some karmakanda books to perform mudras after filling the shankha with water. But if it's not important, I will just skip them.

sambya
10 May 2010, 12:22 PM
Thank you for the answers.



I have read in some karmakanda books to perform mudras after filling the shankha with water. But if it's not important, I will just skip them.


maybe you are speaking of vishesha-argha-sthapana . atleast thats what we call it here in north . during that ritual mudras are a must , but the ritual is not an abosolute necessary in nitya puja .

but as i have already said , the mudras here are complex and cannot be verbally explained . im trying to find out some pixtures with english descriptions .