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aranya baba aranya baba is offline
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Default Offering Bhoga - 07-06-2009, 01:50 PM

Galaxy18, the method of offering bhoga that you wrote is unlike any process I have heard of before. I think that is only done in ISKCON. Every Gaudiya Vaisnava I know offers bhoga using the method below or something very similar. Hopefully you will find this helpful and informative.

The bhoga-offering is done in three parts as follows:
First, place the plate on the altar on a place you can easily wipe after the offering, preferably on a small table reserved for the purpose, surrounded by seats for the deities. Thereafter, place tulasI-leaves on each preparation and sprinkle gaGga-water around the offering to purify it. Then, while ringing the bell, offer the bhoga with the following mantras:

etat naivedyaM (food-offering) –
klIM gaurAGgAya namaH |
klIM nityAnandAya namaH |
klIM advaitAya namaH |
klIM kRSNAya namaH |

With each mantra, offer water from the paJca-patra to the person to whom bhoga is being offered. After reciting the mantras above, chant the eighteen-syllable kRSNa-mantra ten times above the offering plate, counting on fingers.

After a time appropriate for the meal, clap your hands and then offer AcAmana (idam AcAmanIyam) and vastra (etat proJchana-vastram) to everyone who has eaten. Thereafter, offer the remnants onwards:

etat gaura-prasAdi-naivedyaM –
zrI-gadAdhara-zrIvAsAdi-bhakta-vRndebhyo namaH |

etat kRSNa-prasAdi-naivedyaM –
zrI-rAdhA-lalitAdi-sakhIbhyo namaH |

As before, offer AcAmana and vastra to those who have eaten, then giving the prasAdI onwards:

etat gaura-prasAdi-naivedyaM –
zrI-rUpa-sanAtanAdi-gosvamI-vargebhyo namaH |
zrI-guru-vargebhyo namaH |

etat rAdhA-prasAdi-naivedyaM –
zrI-rUpa-maJjarI-Adi-maJjarI-vargebhyo namaH |
zrI-guru-maJjarI-vargebhyo namaH |

In concluding, offer AcAmana and vastra to those who have eaten.The appropriate time for the total duration of the offering may vary anywhere in between five and thirty minutes depending on what is being offered. In pUjA and in offering rAjabhoga, when one offers prasAdI-candana, other prasAdI-items or bhoga, one should say in sequence the names of those in one’s zrI-guru-siddha-praNAlI. When offering other bhoga, one says zrI-guru-vargebhyo namaH and zrI-guru-maJjarI-vargebhyo namaH.

When bhoga is being offered at festival time, zrIman mahAprabhu, zrI nityAnanda prabhu, zrI advaita prabhu and zrI kRSNa are offered four seats, and separate portions of bhoga are offered to zrIman mahAprabhu in the middle, to zrI nityAnanda prabhu on his right side, to zrI advaita prabhu on his left side, and left from the three prabhus, then zrI kRSNa’s bhoga is placed. After that, the bhoga is offered in sequence to their associates as usual.
On ekAdazI, one should only offer foods free of grains and other forbidden ingredients. In navadvIpa, one should only offer to the three prabhus and the devotees headed by gadAdhara and zrIvAsa. Even among them, some are observing nirjala-vrata.
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