Offering Food To Krishna

Bhagavad Gita 3.13:

"The righteous, who eat food that remains after sacrifice, are freed from all sins; but those sinful persons who cook food only for their own enjoyment truly eat sin".

Srila Prabupada's Explanation:

“The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice (to Kṛṣṇa). Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.”

I'm struggling to understand how to mentally offer food to Krishna with Bhakti before I eat it. I don't necessarily consider myself a foodie, per se. But I have tried to offer food to Krishna by "surrendering the taste" or waiting some time for Krishna to eat it first.

When I eat prasadam in a temple, I normally handle it with reverence, knowing the priests have performed rituals to make the prasadam blessed, with that understanding, I can accept temple food as sacrificed.

At home, it's a bit different for me; whatever I eat doesn't feel like prasadam, no matter which way I approach it. And don't even get me started on the chicken biryani!

All jokes aside, I'm confused about how I would offer Sattvic food to Him in the form of a sacrifice. How would I visualize the offering? How would I mentally convince myself I am eating prasadam?

Hare Krishna,

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्य‍ा प्रयच्छति ।
तदहं भक्त्य‍ुपहृतमश्न‍ामि प्रयतात्मन: ॥ २६ ॥ ( 9.26 BG)

If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.

Purport: Bhakti is mentioned twice in this verse in order to declare more emphatically that bhakti, or devotional service, is the only means to approach Kṛṣṇa. No other condition, such as becoming a brāhmaṇa, a learned scholar, a very rich man or a great philosopher, can induce Kṛṣṇa to accept some offering. Without the basic principle of bhakti, nothing can induce the Lord to agree to accept anything from anyone.

Sudhama was the childhood friend of Lord. He suffered severe poverty because when they were children and studying together in an asharma. Sudhama once hid some grains of parched rice because he was hungry and didn't share it with Krishna and ate it singly. Though the guru maa gave Sudhama two hand fulls to share it with Krishna. Sudhama didn't like to share and greedily ate all of it. upon asking by Krishna did guru maiyya gave us some food..? didn't she give me also something? Sudhama said no she didn't give anything. There is nothing to eat was the answer given. Lord Sri Krishna who knows that it was a lie. Said Thathasthu. From that day Sudhama became very poor. There was not a single morsel of food at his home, his children and wife suffered with hunger. One day his wife said, You said that you friend Sri Krishna is a King of Dwaraka. Why don't you go and ask for help. Sudhama said I am such a poor man. I have nothing to take to my friend . I am meeting him after so many years. How can I go without offering anything to a King? The wife then gave him a small pouch a handful of parched rice and said this is all I have. Give this to your friend and beg for his help. I am sure He is kind. Sudhama took the pouch tied it to the waist and left for Dwaraka. It was tiresome journey he had to walk a long distance. He had no food and his impoverished condition and his clothes were all torn and ragged. The gatekeepers puched him away when he asked entrance to the palace. upon repeated request. They went inside and said to Lord that there is this old, poor man in rags calls himself Sudhama, says he is friend of you Lord. We tried to push the intruder away but he is insisting to see you just one time. Lord Sri Krishna as soon as he heard this ran to out of the palace and hugged his friend Sudhama brought him inside and made him seated on the throne, and washed his feet. Sudhama felt embarassed to even offer his tiny little offering as He sees Krishna is not like his old friend anymore. He is a King now. he sees his impoverished condition. he thinks my gift a pouch of parched rice such a small offering. that too in which is tired in a ragged peice of dirty cloth. How can I even offer this to my LORD Sri Krishna.

But Lord Krishna quickly understood his thought that was going on in his head and pulled the peice of the pouch which was tied to the sudhama's waist cloth and began to eat it with lots of love.

So, your offering to Lord is of no value in front of Lord Jagannatha who is the giver of Food to whole brahmanda. But if you offer anything with Love even a small morsel of food Lord accepts it that is HIS KINDNESS.

But the most important thing that you need is prema love for Lord. If you lack that you will never realize that Lord is having the food that you have offered and gave you the left over as Prasadam.

You need to first develop the love for Lord.

Lord doesn't have anything given by pride ... he is not hungry for your food.

A dad gave a son 100 rupees and asked okay son you can go to the fair and enjoy you day. The son went to the fair enjoyed but all the while thinking of the dad who was alone at home and brought some gift for his father out of the money father gave and presented to the father with love. Father was very happy that the son loved him so much that he was thoughtful of him even when he was enjoying his time at the fair and got me this with love. This is how the Lord also feels when we offer what is given actually by Him to Him first and then consume.

If you love Him he will accept even if you offer flower, fruit. milk or even as simple as water also.

Hare Krishna

Replies

Gayatri January 16, 2026 at 10:07pm

Hare Krishna,

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्य‍ा प्रयच्छति ।
तदहं भक्त्य‍ुपहृतमश्न‍ामि प्रयतात्मन: ॥ २६ ॥ ( 9.26 BG)

If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.

Purport: Bhakti is mentioned twice in this verse in order to declare more emphatically that bhakti, or devotional service, is the only means to approach Kṛṣṇa. No other condition, such as becoming a brāhmaṇa, a learned scholar, a very rich man or a great philosopher, can induce Kṛṣṇa to accept some offering. Without the basic principle of bhakti, nothing can induce the Lord to agree to accept anything from anyone.

Sudhama was the childhood friend of Lord. He suffered severe poverty because when they were children and studying together in an asharma. Sudhama once hid some grains of parched rice because he was hungry and didn't share it with Krishna and ate it singly. Though the guru maa gave Sudhama two hand fulls to share it with Krishna. Sudhama didn't like to share and greedily ate all of it. upon asking by Krishna did guru maiyya gave us some food..? didn't she give me also something? Sudhama said no she didn't give anything. There is nothing to eat was the answer given. Lord Sri Krishna who knows that it was a lie. Said Thathasthu. From that day Sudhama became very poor. There was not a single morsel of food at his home, his children and wife suffered with hunger. One day his wife said, You said that you friend Sri Krishna is a King of Dwaraka. Why don't you go and ask for help. Sudhama said I am such a poor man. I have nothing to take to my friend . I am meeting him after so many years. How can I go without offering anything to a King? The wife then gave him a small pouch a handful of parched rice and said this is all I have. Give this to your friend and beg for his help. I am sure He is kind. Sudhama took the pouch tied it to the waist and left for Dwaraka. It was tiresome journey he had to walk a long distance. He had no food and his impoverished condition and his clothes were all torn and ragged. The gatekeepers puched him away when he asked entrance to the palace. upon repeated request. They went inside and said to Lord that there is this old, poor man in rags calls himself Sudhama, says he is friend of you Lord. We tried to push the intruder away but he is insisting to see you just one time. Lord Sri Krishna as soon as he heard this ran to out of the palace and hugged his friend Sudhama brought him inside and made him seated on the throne, and washed his feet. Sudhama felt embarassed to even offer his tiny little offering as He sees Krishna is not like his old friend anymore. He is a King now. he sees his impoverished condition. he thinks my gift a pouch of parched rice such a small offering. that too in which is tired in a ragged peice of dirty cloth. How can I even offer this to my LORD Sri Krishna.

But Lord Krishna quickly understood his thought that was going on in his head and pulled the peice of the pouch which was tied to the sudhama's waist cloth and began to eat it with lots of love.

So, your offering to Lord is of no value in front of Lord Jagannatha who is the giver of Food to whole brahmanda. But if you offer anything with Love even a small morsel of food Lord accepts it that is HIS KINDNESS.

But the most important thing that you need is prema love for Lord. If you lack that you will never realize that Lord is having the food that you have offered and gave you the left over as Prasadam.

You need to first develop the love for Lord.

Lord doesn't have anything given by pride ... he is not hungry for your food.

A dad gave a son 100 rupees and asked okay son you can go to the fair and enjoy you day. The son went to the fair enjoyed but all the while thinking of the dad who was alone at home and brought some gift for his father out of the money father gave and presented to the father with love. Father was very happy that the son loved him so much that he was thoughtful of him even when he was enjoying his time at the fair and got me this with love. This is how the Lord also feels when we offer what is given actually by Him to Him first and then consume.

If you love Him he will accept even if you offer flower, fruit. milk or even as simple as water also.

Hare Krishna
Akshit January 16, 2026 at 10:13am

Hare Krishna prabhuji

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17ZsG_yHmyelvcrAIuyecFWzC_iDoRNln/v... this is prashadam prayers, you should sing this before eating. Also if you can you should offer first it to the deities or portrait of lord even if in mobile.

This reply was deleted.