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Thread: Offering Food To God

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    Offering Food To God

    Namaste,

    I know that it is a good practice to offer my food to God before eating, but I am wondering - how exactly do I do this? I have a Shiva murti that I can offer to. Do I just set the food in front of it for a while, then take it back and eat it? How long should I leave it there? Should I say or do anything while offering?

    Thank you for any insight on this matter!
    Om Namah Shivaya

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    Re: Offering Food To God

    Namaste
    Quote Originally Posted by fem_phoenix1109 View Post
    I know that it is a good practice to offer my food to God before eating, but I am wondering - how exactly do I do this? I have a Shiva murti that I can offer to. Do I just set the food in front of it for a while, then take it back and eat it? How long should I leave it there? Should I say or do anything while offering?
    How to offer food to God? It can vary depending on the tradition.
    For starters it is good to know that only vegetarian sattvic food can be offered.

    Basically there are two reasons why the food is offered to the Lord. One reason is that it is a way to serve the Lord and develop devotion (bhakti) for Him. But this reason presupposes that we ourselves have to prepare the food with a sense of devotion and commitment to God. The idea is that we actually prepare food for His pleasure, that He enjoys as someone we serve. Then after that we offer Him food, He accepts it and left the remains after a meal called prasada or literally "mercy". In fact, He will not accept food in a physical form, but what He will accept is our dedication and devotion to Him. As I said, this is the case when we ourselves prepare the food with a sense of devotion and commitment to God.
    You can offer food to the Deity (murti), or to the picture of the Lord or even without it, you can imagine in your mind the form of the Lord. Then you can offer food with folded palms saying the mantra. What mantra to pronounce? Vaishnavas pronounce some Vaishnava mantra. Shaiva devotees can pronounce some Shaiva mantra. Folded palms is a gesture of offering obeisances to the Lord. Then leave the Lord alone for a few minutes.
    You should not think that the Lord is dead statue to which you are making offering. He is a living person, conscious person, the Supreme Person, the creator of the world, etc. He is all-powerful and all-pervading person, The Lord who can manifest Himself in front of us through the form of the Deity (murti), or the picture, or even through the form of the Lord we envisioned within the mind.

    However if we offer food that we did not prepared then there is another reason why it is good to offer food to God.
    It is said in Bhagavad-gītā 3.13 (http://vedabase.net/bg/3/13/) "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."
    Produced food or food prepared by other people should be offered to the Lord in order to release the food of sin. I've heard advice that in this case we should just say "Shri Vishnu" three times. In this case food is not offered to the Deity (murti), ie not in front of Him as if He will eat.

    Offering of food to the Lord is considered for a kind of sacrifice that frees from sin, but it can be much more than that. It can be a way to intimately associate with the Lord, a way to reciprocate the affection with Him, a way how to do something for Him.

    regards

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    Re: Offering Food To God

    Quote Originally Posted by fem_phoenix1109 View Post
    Namaste,

    I know that it is a good practice to offer my food to God before eating, but I am wondering - how exactly do I do this? I have a Shiva murti that I can offer to. Do I just set the food in front of it for a while, then take it back and eat it? How long should I leave it there? Should I say or do anything while offering?

    Thank you for any insight on this matter!
    Namaste.

    The best way to offer food to God is through loving acknowledgment.

    Saying something like: "You created this for me to eat, so the very least I can do is to share it with you".

    It can be as simple as just closing your eyes for a minute or two before each meal.

    Start off with something small, like a piece of fruit. Set it in front of Shiva and just say "Aum Namah Shivaya - please eat!"

    You serve the Lord as you would serve your beloved...you are doing that already anyway.

    As soon as the Bhakti arises in your heart, Lord Shiva has already made an 'astral clone' of the piece of fruit and is already eating it - so you can remove the fruit and partake of the Prasad.

    There's no time limit, but give it until you have finished the rest of your Puja before you take away the Prasad.

    If you are only offering Prasad, give it about 10 minutes or so.

    Aum Namah Shivaya

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    Re: Offering Food To God

    Hari Om Fem Phoenix,

    Think you have been offered very good advice in the two responses received. Think is essential as one begins, that as said, vegetarian and sattvic is must. Also, so true as to tradition you have been led to offers some differences.

    Also think it is important that seen that this is a gift bestowed upon you to be able to do and experience this, not as a chore.

    At this stage, think important, even with obligations of job, child, etc,. take brief time to bathe or clean in someway, even if only time for hands, to be mindful of purpose (as much as possible, not to take pleasure away from this auspicious event that you are preparing for) in all preparation, to include as you prepare food. Whether a fruit or something you cook, be mindful of purpose. If you have prayer established yet, mantra given, or meditative or contemplative practice established, these are things to be focused on during all preparation.

    This "process" is something not to judge yourself on, but to experience, only. Whether much time or brief time, slow down for this auspicious period of existence.

    Fem, do think your two prior responses are awesome and believe truly, you are on beautiful path.

    There is such a wealth of offerings in "search" am sure under Puja and Sadhana that go with this.

    Take good care,

    Om Namah Shivaya

    FFTW


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