Hare Krishna !
AC. Prabhupad has said in one of his books that before eating anything, we must offer some portion of food to Lord Krishna and we should not eat without offering to Krishna. In one of the books, he also claimed that he offers food to lord and lord and lord eats it. But in general, if we offer food to Krishna, that is not eaten by anyone. Krishna doesn't come and eat food even if we offer and leave it for many days.
Is it real that when we become a true devotee of Krishna, he really accepts and consumes the food offered by us in front of our eyes? OR
Is it the fact that offering food to Krishna is just a faith and belief and Krishna never consumes the food offered by us?
Guru Ji and Mata Ji do you offer food to krisna and Krishna really eats it?
What feeling should we have before offering food to Krishna? Please help me.
Hare Krishna. !
Replies
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
What you have mentioned from Srila Prabhupada's books are from Bhagavad Gita - the reference has already been provided by other devotees.
To answer your question, Krsna accepts the love and devotion. It is said that when Krsna appears as a guest in Vidura's house, his wife Vidurani was so overwhelmed that the lord has come, she was peeling bananas and giving Him the peel and throwing away the fruit. He accepted the peel and never made her feel that she is doing anything wrong.
Similarly, Lord Ram accepted the fruit (ber) from Sabari which she was tasting before offering to check whether the ber is sour or sweet. Therefore, the lord accepts the devotion and love.
There are instances when the lord has come and actually eaten the offering in front of the devotee - there is a pastime relating to that and the temple is in Puri in Orissa. That depends on the level of devotion of the devotee. That is not to say that unless we reach that level, the lord does not accept our offering. Then the lord accepts, without giving us darshan.
It is said "angani yasya sakalendriya vritti manti' - the lord does not need mouth to eat the food offered. He can eat with his eyes or any other sense organ. The lords anga - any part can do the function of all other parts. Therefore, even if the lord glances on the offering, He has eaten. Therefore, we find no pieces missing after the offering.
The etiquette is that we do not offer the food directly to the lord. We offer to guru, considering ourselves to be too insignificant to be offering to the lord directly. We offer via the guru. Regarding thoughts - we can pray that this is an offering of love, so please accept it lord. This is too small or insignificant offering for the Supreme Personality, still I am offering it out of love and devotion, so please accept it.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Rashmi
Hare Krishna Prabhuji, dandavat,
भगवान कृष्णा ने गीता में कहा है :भगवान के भक्त, यज्ञ में अर्पित किये भोजन (प्रसाद) को ही खाते हे, अन्य लोग जो अपने इन्द्रिय सुख के लिए भोजन बनाते हैं वे निश्चित रूप से पाप खाते हैं (BG.3.13) |
कृष्ण को अर्पित किये गए भोजन का शेष महाप्रसाद कहलाता है, भगवान का महाप्रसाद पाते ही उसे तुरन्त ग्रहण कर लेना चाहिए,भले ही वह सूखा,बासी, या दूर देश से लाया हुआ क्यों न हो | इसमें देश व काल का विचार नहीं करना चाहिए (CC.मध्य लीला 6.225) |
जीव्य्हा (जीभ) पर नियंत्रण करने का कोई और उपाय नहीं है | यदि कोई मनुष्य जीभ को वश में करने में सक्षम होता है, तो उसे सभी इन्द्रियों पर पूर्ण नियंत्रण करने वाला माना जाता है (SB.11.8.21) |
हरे कृष्णा
Hare Krishna Pr,
Krishna:- If one just offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it. One can offer Me things which are easily available, but they must be offered with love. I eat that which is offered with love. Although I have no desires, and I am not hungry - devotion is the appetiser that creates My appetite. A devotee's mood of love makes Me eat. A pure heart with no other desires - that is bhakti.
Krishna is present everywhere, in fact we are living in him and indeed there is nothing beside him yet in his personal form he will came and eat prasadam, still we cannot perceive his acts because his acts are on spiritual platform, he is the supreme mystic how can we understand them? but of this there is no doubt he will take prasadam and prasadam doesn't diminish .... In fact everything belong to him, he is supreme lord and original creator we are just using his property & not only offer a part of it but we have to cook for Krishna and eats the remnants... doing this we will not get sin otherwise we get sin of falsely thinking our property ....
Scriptures gives very beautiful verses to quote this...
Iso Invocation — The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.
Iso mantra 1 — Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.
Iso mantra 2 — One may aspire to live for hundreds of years if he continuously goes on working in that way, for that sort of work will not bind him to the law of karma. There is no alternative to this way for man.
Source - http://vedabase.com/en/iso