If you've attended our Sunday Love Feast at the temple, or watched the daily livestreams on Facebook, you've probably wondered what the chef devotee does when he places a plate of food on the altar, closes the curtain, rings the bell and bows down in front of the Deities to recite mantras.
The devotee is offering the food to Krishna, so that it can be transformed into sacred Krishna prasadam.
What is Krishna prasadam? how to offer food to
The Krishna consciousness movement vigorously approves this practice of preparing food, offering it to the Deity, and distributing it to the general population. This activity should be extended universally to stop sinful eating habits as well as other behavior befitting only demons. A demoniac civilization will never bring peace to the world… . When the people take to eating only prasadam offered to the Deity, all the demons will be turned into Vaishnavas… . It is then and then only that a peaceful condition can prevail in society. Chaitanya-charitamrita (Madhya-lila, 4.93, purport)
The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin. BG 3.13
A person in Krsna consciousness, engaged in devotional service, simply by the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, simply by offering regulative obeisances unto the Deity, simply by hearing the glories of the Lord, and simply by eating the remnants of foodstuffs offered to the Lord, realizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead very easily. BG 12.5
You can learn how to do this at home in our handy mini e-book:
