Required
Paraphernalia
01) a small bell on a plate;
02) a panca-patra containing samanya-arghya water;
03) a waterpot with a spout and cover, filled withwater;
04) padya and acamaniya water, each in a bowl or dish
(patra)with a spoon;
05) a visarjaniya-patra (throw-out pot);
06) some arrangement for supporting the
bhogaplate(s)—preferably low tables (chonkis);
07) asanas for the spiritual master and Deities;
08) the bhoga offering;
09) flower petals and tulasi leaves;
10) a lighter for lighting a standing lamp;
11) an asana for you to sit on.
Preliminary
Activities
• 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 knockingon
the Deity room door, chanting the names of the Deities.
• Clean the offering area, arrange the eating places (such
astables and cushions), wipe off the table surfaces, and wash
yourhands.
• Chant esha
pushpanjalih and the guru-mula-mantra, and draw your
spiritual master’s attention by offering a few flower petalsto his
feet, begging his permission to serve the Deities. (If necessary,
for the flower petals you may substitute samanya-arghyawater from
the panca-patra.).
Then chant:
sri-guro paramananda
premananda phala-prada
vrajananda-pradananda-sevayam
ma niyojaya
My dear spiritual master, who give
the fruit of the highestbliss—the bliss of love of
Godhead—please
engage me in the blissful service
of Sri Krishna, who bestowsbliss upon the land of Vraja.
• Chant idam asanam
and the guru-mula-mantra,
and offer yourspiritual master a sitting place (asana).
Purifying the
Bhoga
• Bring in the plate(s) for the bhoga offering and place
it(them) on the table(s). Then, while lightly sprinkling each
platewith a few drops of samanya-arghya from your right hand, chant
omastraya phat once for
each plate.
• Next, while showing the bijakshara-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. (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 krishnaya 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 Krishna 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
esha pushpanjalih 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, inascending 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 Krishna 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.
Offering the Bhoga
• 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 mishtanna-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-paniyadikamsarvam (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 vishnu-padaya
krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate [spiritual
master’s name] iti namine
I offer my respectful obeisances
unto [spiritual master’sname],
who is very dear to Lord Krishna,
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
krishna-prema-pradaya te
krishnaya
krishna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvishe namah
O most munificent incarnation! You
are Krishna Himselfappearing as Sri Krishna Caitanya
Mahaprabhu.
You have assumed thegolden color
of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributingpure love of
Krishna.
We offer our respectful obeisances
unto You.[Cc. Madhya 19.53]
• Chant the following prayer three times, offering respect to
Lord Krishna:
namo brahmanya-devaya
go-brahmana-hitaya ca
jagad-dhitaya krishnaya
govindaya namo namah
Let me offer my respectful
obeisances unto Lord Krishna, who is the worshipable Deity for all
brahminical men,
who is the well-wisher of cows and
brahmanas, and who is always benefiting thewhole world.
I offer my repeated obeisances to
the Personality ofGodhead, known as Krishna and Govinda.
[Vishnu 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 ofyour
own choosing, or you may chant the Bhoga-arati
song by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, especially during the
breakfast or noon offering
• 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
abell.
After the Lord’s
Meal
• 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-prakshalanam 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-parshadebhyo namah.
• Finally, remove the plates and clean the eating area. After
washing your hands, offer pranamas to your spiritual master and the
Deities.