Different things that can or cannot be offered
Dill and Lilac
Mati (das) HKS (Siberia)
29-Apr-95
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I have one question regarding theas plants. I heard that one can't to use dill in cooking for Deity. And I also heard that one can't to use lilac-flowers in Deity worship. Is it properly?
Frozen and canned foods
Urmila (Devi Dasi) ACBSP
18-Apr-95
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Why do most ISKCON temples use canned and frozen food in their offerings? This is true even in strict temples with generally high standards of deity worship.
Also, how can we offer something "to Prabhupada" that is unofferable to the deities? I am not speaking of the offering being unsuitable because the cook isn't second initiated, but becausethe food is not first-class, i.e. canned, etc. Doesn't Prabhupada offer everything to Krsna? What is the difference between offering toPrabhupada and offering to Krsna? Howcan we offer government surplus peanut butter and canned tomato sauce toPrabhupada when Krsna doesn't accept them? Does Prabhupada accept such an offering?
In a similar vein, I've noticed that many temples give the devotees, on a regular basis, prasadam that isn't offered to the deities, but to a picture of Prabhupada. Generally, this is donebecause the ingredients are not good (as described above), the cooks are notsecond or even first initiated, or the larger quantity offerings cannot be madeon time. I've seen this in temples since1980 or so, but never remember seeing this when Prabhupada was here, although Icooked in several temple kitchens. Isthere a standard that everything the devotees eat should be offered to thedeities? If so, how strict of a standardis it? Does the GBC have any policyabout this?
Krsna Ksetra (das) ACBSP
28-Apr-95
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As we mention in Pancaratra-Pradipa, canned and frozen foods are not offerable (though Srila Prabhupada made an exception in Tehran for frozen vegetables, where no other would be available). We also mention that a good rule of thumb as to whether tooffer something or not to the Deities isto ask oneself, "would I offer this to my spiritual master if he werepersonally present?" This implies by the way that we should not make ourspiritual master a -- pardon the expression -- garbage receptacle for our lessthan offerable food.
But at this point a thousand questions crowd into cyberspace: "What about cooking for restaurants?" "What about Food For Life?" What if this, and what if that? And the answers are not always so easy. Somehow we should work uptoward the standard which you are reminding us of. Can we not encourage ourcooks to come up to the standard to be qualified for initiation, first andsecond? (Is it that the occupational status of cooks and pujaris in our Societyis too low to inspire qualified devotees to take these services, or potentiallyqualified devotees to aspire to become qualified and take these services?)Regarding larger quantities not being ready for an offering on time: If thesame recipe is used by the Deity cook in his/her offering as will be used forthe large quantity prep, those largequantity items may be considered offered, in the same way that at a festivalwhere large quantities of the same thing are being cooked in several batches,with the offering of the first batch that which is prepared for the rest of theday may be considered offered (as instructed by Srila Prabhupada). Also (as Ihave been told) additional offerings to the regularly scheduled offerings maybe made to the Deities, provided They are not resting (!) and provided theperson offering is properly qualified (initiated, suci), as Krsna can eat anynumber of offerings made with devotion. So, for example, preparations which areto be served in a restaurant which are not ready until 10:30 a.m. could beoffered at that time, provided other conditions for offering are met.
Krsna Ksetra (das) ACBSP
28-Apr-95
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Indeed, these are touchy matters!
As we mention in Pancaratra-Pradipa, canned and frozen foods are not offerable (though Srila Prabhupada made an exception in Tehran for frozen vegetables, where no other would be available). We also mention that a good rule of thumb as to whether to offer something or not tothe Deities is to ask oneself, "would I offer this to my spiritual masterif he were personally present?" This implies by the way that we should notmake our spiritual master a – pardon the expression -- garbage receptacle forour less than offerable food.
But at this point a thousand questions crowd into cyberspace:
"What about cooking for restaurants?" "What about Food For Life?" What if this, and what if that? And the answers are not always so easy. Somehow we should work up toward the standard which you are reminding us of. Can we not encourage ourcooks to come up to the standard to be qualified for initiation, first andsecond? (Is it that the occupational status of cooks and pujaris in our Societyis too low to inspire qualified devotees to take these services, or potentiallyqualified devotees to aspire to become qualified and take these services?)
Regarding larger quantities not being ready for an offering on time: If the same recipe is used by the Deity cook in his/her offering as will be used for the large quantity prep, those large quantity items may be considered offered, in the same way that at a festivalwhere large quantities of the same thing are being cooked in several batches,with the offering of the first batch that which is prepared for the rest of theday may be considered offered (as instructed by Srila Prabhupada). Also (as Ihave been told) additional offerings to the regularly scheduled offerings maybe made to the Deities, provided They are not resting (!) and provided theperson offering is properly qualified (initiated, suci), as Krsna can eat anynumber of offerings made with devotion. So, for example, preparations which areto be served in a restaurant which are not ready until 10:30 a.m. could beoffered at that time, provided other conditions for offering are met.
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