How to Prepare and Offer Prasadam
Shopping for higher purpose
Our consciousness of the higher purpose of vegetarianism begins as we walk down the supermarket aisles selecting the foods we will offer to Krishna.In shopping, you should be aware that you may find meat, fish, and egg products mixed in with other foods, so be sure to study labels carefully. For instance, some brands of yogurt and sour cream contain gelatin, which is prepared from the horns, hooves, and bones of slaughtered animals. Make sure any cheese you purchase is rennetless, because rennet is an enzyme extracted from the stomach tissues of calves.
According to the subtle laws of nature, the cook acts upon the food not only physically, but mentally as well. Food thus becomes an agency for subtle influences on our consciousness. To give another example of this principle, a painting is not simply a collection of strokes on a canvas. It is also an expression of the artist's state of mind, and this mental content is absorbed by the person who looks at the painting. Similarly, if we eat foods cooked by people devoid of spiritual consciousness - employees working in a factory somewhere - then we are sure to absorb a dose of materialistic mental energies. Hence try to avoid using precooked ingredients as far as possible and use only fresh, natural ingredients.
How to prepare Hygenic food
In preparing food, cleanliness is the most important principle.
-Nothing impure should be offered to God. So keep your kitchen work-area very clean.
-Always wash your hands thoroughly before preparing food.
-While preparing food, do not taste it. This is part of meditating that you are cooking the meal not simply for yourself but for the pleasure of Krishna, who should be the first to enjoy it.
Food Becomes Prasadam
When the meal is prepared, you are ready to offer it. Arrange portions of the food in diningware kept especially for this purpose. (No one else should eat from these dishes.) The very simplest form of offering is to simply pray, "My dear Lord Krishna, please accept this food." Remember that the real purpose of this is to show your devotion and gratitude to the Lord; the actual food you are offering is secondary. Without this devotional feeling, the offering will not be accepted. God is complete in Himself; He has no need of anything. Our offering is simply a means for us to show our love and gratitude toward Him. Following the offering one should chant a few minutes the Hare Krishna mahamantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Then the prasadam may be served. Try to appreciate the spiritual quality of prasadam by remembering how it frees one from the effects of karma. But above all, enjoy it.
Eventually you may wish to make a more formal offering according to the procedures established by the Hare Krishna movement for persons who desire to practice Krishna consciousness in their own homes. Briefly, this involves setting up a simple altar with pictures of Lord Krishna and the spiritual master, learning some simple Sanskrit mantras, and so forth.
*If you would like to learn how to do this, please contact the Hare Krishna temple nearest you or write to the secretary for ISKCON Educational Services (3764 Watseka Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034).
*If you have any questions or comments regarding this post please feel free to write to us at akarmafood@gmail.com or leave your questions or comments in the comments column of the recent post
* *The contents of this page are excerpts from the book called "The Higher Taste" which is based on the teachings of A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
*If you would like to learn how to do this, please contact the Hare Krishna temple nearest you or write to the secretary for ISKCON Educational Services (3764 Watseka Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034).
*If you have any questions or comments regarding this post please feel free to write to us at akarmafood@gmail.com or leave your questions or comments in the comments column of the recent post
* *The contents of this page are excerpts from the book called "The Higher Taste" which is based on the teachings of A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
