Importance Of Prasad in Hinduism

Every Hindu temple in India has a custom of making a small offering of sweets, fruits or other food to the deity s a mark of devotion, after which the same is distributed among the devotees to consume. It is believed that once the deity has accepted a little of the offering, the remaining part becomes sacred and blessed. The offering is elevated in status, thus transforming the edible substance into a holy material, which is then consumed with faith by the devotees as ‘Prasad’. The offering to God and the receiving of Prasad in the Hindu religion has always been of high significance and considered very holy.

So, does God actually consume the offering and bless it? If so, how does he do it because the idol in practical cannot move? To answer these questions, we first need to understand the concept. God is the infinite ocean of divine consciousness that resides all around while also being within every human. So obviously, as the idol cannot directly consume the food, it is the divine consciousness that blesses the offering. The Hindus do not actually offer the food to the idol present in the temple; they offer it to the divine consciousness. Keeping the offering at the feet of the idol is only a physical practice, but the mind and the heart know that God is actually all around us.

It is important that the Prasad be ‘satvik’ so that its sanctity is maintained. It is believed that consumption of Prasad brings positivity within us. Moreover, distributing Prasad also instills the feeling of sharing with one and all around. Even if there is only little Prasad left, it teaches us how to share even the least among all. This is because it is believed that God does not want any of his devotees to leave the temple empty-handed.

After reading this blog, you may have been convinced with the importance of Prasad and the intention behind the concept. However, there are many people who always look for a logical reasoning behind every ritual and religion. For them, the concept of Prasad can simply be stated as a give-and-take relationship. Just like a farmer considers the crops he reaps as a gift received from Nature in return to what he had sown as seeds, even the devotees believe that offering food to God will help them receive blessings. They prepare and present the offering with lots of devotion, love, happiness and positivity, and wish to receive the same in the form of blessings. Thus, this ritual is a subtle give-and-take of energies between God and the devotees. Therefore, Prasad is not a mere tradition or ritual; it is a process where the person offering it makes a connection with the deity it is being offered to.

Any kind of Puja in Hinduism is incomplete without Prasad. Whenever you hire MakeMyPuja Pujaris for having any kind of Puja done at your home/office, all you have to arrange for is this pious satvik Prasad, and the rest will be arranged by the Pujaris themselves. You get a chance to prepare for the offering on your own so that you can arrange for it with complete devotion and joy, and can present the deity what you wish to offer. If you don’t know what to offer, you can offer fruits to God too. Often, mithai, peda, halwa, and kheer are offered as Prasad.

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