Required Paraphernalia
Preliminary Activities
Purifying the Bhoga
Inviting the Lord to Take His Meal
Offering the Bhoga
After the Lord’s Meal
Offering Prasada to the Lord’s Associates
This is a standard procedure for offering food to the deity that may be used for the various offerings during the day. For a simplified procedure, see description. In some temples it may be preferable to use the simpler procedure for the early-morning offering (balya-bhoga) before mangala-arati, the afternoon offering (vaikalika-bhoga), and the late-evening offering (ratri-kalina-bhoga). The more elaborate procedure may then be used for the breakfast offering, the noon offering (raja-bhoga), and the early-evening offering.
• Make sure the following items are present:
1) a small bell on a plate;
2) a panca-patra containing samanya-arghya
water;
3) a waterpot with a spout and cover, filled with
water;
4) padya and acamaniya water,
each in a bowl or dish (patra) with a
spoon;
5) a visarjaniya-patra (throw-out pot);
6) some arrangement for supporting the bhoga
plate(s)—preferably low tables (chonkis);
7) asanas for the spiritual master and
deities;
8) the bhoga offering;
9) flower petals and tulasi leaves;
10) a lighter for lighting a standing lamp;
11) an asana for you to sit on.
• Outside the deity room, perform acamana
and offer obeisances to your spiritual master
and the deities, saying pranama prayers.
• Enter the deity room after clapping your
hands or knocking on the deity room door, chanting
the names of the deities.
• Clean the offering area, arrange the eating
places (such as tables and cushions), wipe off
the table surfaces, and wash your hands.
• Chant esa puspanjalih
and the guru-mula-mantra, and draw your
spiritual master’s attention by offering
a few flower petals to his feet, begging his permission
to serve the deities. (If necessary, for the flower
petals you may substitute samanya-arghya
water from the panca-patra.). Then chant:
sri-guro paramananda premananda
phala-prada
vrajananda-pradananda-sevayam mam niyojaya
My dear spiritual master, who give the fruit of
the highest bliss—the bliss of love of Godhead—please
engage me in the blissful service of Sri Krsna,
who bestows bliss upon the land of Vraja.
• Chant idam asanam
and the guru-mula-mantra, and offer your
spiritual master a sitting place (asana).
• Bring in the plate(s) for the bhoga
offering and place it (them) on the table(s).
Then, while lightly sprinkling each plate with
a few drops of samanya-arghya from your
right hand, chant om astraya phat
once for each plate.
• Next, while showing the bijaksara-mudra
chant the mula-mantra eight times for
each deity over the appropriate plate: Over each
plate, hold your left hand over your right (palms
down) and count the recitations of the mula-mantra
with the fingers of your right hand, as if chanting
Gayatri. (See Supplement, page 156 for mudra illustrations.)
(If a single plate is meant for more than one
deity, chant the mula-mantra for the
main deity of that group. For example, if you
are offering bhoga to Lord Jagannatha,
Srimati Subhadra, and Lord Balarama on one plate,
chant klim krsnaya namah.
If all the deities are sharing one plate, chant
the mula-mantra for the main deity.)
• Put tulasi leaves on the bhoga
preparations on each plate. (You may put tulasi
leaves on the bhoga plates of your spiritual
master and Srimati Radharani, as they will both
first offer their plates to Krsna before partaking.)
If possible, place tulasi leaves on each
preparation.
Inviting the Lord to Take His Meal
• Draw Their Lordships’ attention
by offering a few flower petals at Their lotus
feet in ascending order while chanting esa
puspanjalih and the mula-mantra
for each deity.
• If there are no actual mats or cushions
to serve as asanas, place a few flower
petals as asanas next to the deities’
plates, in ascending order, inviting Them to take
Their meal while chanting idam asanam
and the mula-mantra for each deity.
• Sitting on an asana and ringing
a bell with your left hand, offer both padya
and acamana to your spiritual master
and then to each deity, starting with Lord Caitanya
and His associates and progressing to Krsna and
His associates. While doing this chant:
etat padyam and the
mula-mantra for each deity;
idam acamaniyam and
the mula-mantra for each deity.
Pour each spoonful of offered padya and
acamaniya water into the visarjaniya-patra.
• With a hand gesture offer the bhoga
to each deity, showing the plate(s) and chanting:
idam naivedyam and the
mula-mantra for each deity;
idam paniyam and the
mula-mantra for each deity.
(Or, for balya-bhoga and afternoon offerings
you may chant idam mistanna-paniyadikam
sarvam (fruits, sweets and beverages,
etc.) and the mula-mantra for each deity,
and for breakfast, noon, and evening offerings
you may chant idam anna-vyanjana-paniyadikam
sarvam (grains, vegetables and beverages,
etc.) and the mula-mantra for each deity).
• While ringing a bell, chant the pranama
prayer(s) to your spiritual master three times
each, begging permission to assist him in serving
the deities:
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate [spiritual master’s name]
iti namine
I offer my respectful obeisances unto
[spiritual master’s name],
who is very dear to Lord Krsna, having taken shelter
at His lotus feet.
• Chant the pranama prayers to
Srila Prabhupada three times each, begging permission
to assist him in serving the deities:
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya
bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krsna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
namas te sarasvate deve
gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine
Our respectful obeisances are unto you,
O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvati Gosvami.
You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva
and delivering the Western countries, which are
filled with impersonalism and voidism.
• Chant the following prayer to Lord Caitanya
three times, requesting His mercy:
namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah
O most munificent incarnation! You are
Krsna Himself appearing as Sri Krsna Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color
of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing
pure love of Krsna. We offer our respectful obeisances
unto You. [Cc. Madhya 19.53]
• Chant the following prayer three times,
offering respect to Lord Krsna:
namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca
jagad-dhitaya krsnaya govindaya namo namah
Let me offer my respectful obeisances
unto Lord Krsna, who is the worshipable deity
for all brahminical men, who is the well-wisher
of cows and brahmanas, and who is always benefiting
the whole world. I offer my repeated obeisances
to the Personality of Godhead, known as Krsna
and Govinda. [Visnu Purana]
• Leave the deity room and chant the Gayatri
mantras. You may chant all the guru-given mantras
at this time. Meditate on the Lord eating. While
the Lord eats, you may chant various verses of
your own choosing, or you may chant the Bhoga-arati
song by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, especially
during the breakfast or noon offering (see description
for this song).
• After some set time (generally fifteen
to twenty minutes, ten for the balya-bhoga
offering), re-enter the deity room, making a sound
either by knocking on the door, clapping hands
or ringing a bell.
• Sitting on an asana and ringing
a bell with your left hand, offer water. Begin
with the main deity, and progress to each personality
who was offered a bhoga plate.
Chant:
idam hasta-mukha-praksalanam
and the mula-mantra for each deity, and
offer water for cleaning hands and face;
etat padyam and the
mula-mantra for each deity;
idam acamaniyam and
the mula-mantra for each deity.
• While meditating on escorting the Lord
back to the altar, chant:
idam asanam and the
mula-mantra for each deity.
• Chant:
idam tambulam and the
mula-mantra, and offer tambulam
(betel) to each deity.
Offering Prasada to the Lord’s Associates
• Offer the Lord’s prasada
remnants to your spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada
and the Lord’s associates with the following
mantras:
idam maha-prasadam and the guru-mula-mantra;
idam maha-prasadam om ISKCON-samsthapakacaryaya
namah;
idam maha-prasadam om sangopangastra-parsadebhyo
namah.
• Finally, remove the plates and clean the
eating area. After washing your hands, offer pranamas
to your spiritual master and the deities.