How To Make A Bhoga Offering

How To Make A Bhoga Offering

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 asanamand 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, chantomastraya phat once for each plate.

• Next, while showing the bijakshara-mudra chant themula-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, chantklim 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 chantingesha 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 chantetat padyam and themula-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 themula-mantra for each Deity.

(Or, for balya-bhoga and afternoon offerings you may chantidam mishtanna-paniyadikam sarvam (fruits, sweets and beverages,etc.) and themula-mantra for each Deity, and for breakfast, noon and evening offerings you may chantidam 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 themula-mantra for each Deity, and offer water for cleaning hands and face; etat padyam and the mula-mantra for each Deity;idam acamaniyam and themula-mantra for each Deity.

• While meditating on escorting the Lord back to the altar, chant idam asanam and themula-mantra for each Deity.

 • Chant idam tambulamand 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-prasadamand the guru-mula-mantra;idam maha-prasadamom 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.