Kalasha, Shankha, Atma and PeeTa poojaas..

 

Kalasha, Shankha, Atma and PeeTa poojaas..

Kalasha Pooja

While doing pooja (worship of God) today I was just thinking over the reverential prayers we offer to the water and the even the pot of water ..

I think our people always realized the vital importance of the wholeness and unity of our India and her lifelines, the rivers..

A man in Kerala, or Tamilnadu or in the North offers prayers to all the rivers and water sources spread over the vast Indian subcontinent, and requests all those holy waters to be present in the water we use to offer pooja to the Lord..

I thought I should share the mantrams with meanings just as a reminder..
The water pot is first filled with clean water.. and if possible water consecrated with chanting of Pavamana Sooktham or Punyaahavavachanam..
The pot is decorated with Sandal paste.. Flowers or thulasi leaves are offered.
Everyone who has performed poojas or watched poojas would have already heard these mantrams..

गङ्गायै नमः यमुनायै नमः गोदावर्यै नमः सरस्वत्यै नमः नर्मदायै नमः सिन्धवे नमः कावेर्यै नमः

gaṅgāyai namaḥ yamunāyai namaḥ godāvaryai namaḥ sarasvatyai namaḥ narmadāyai namaḥ sindhave namaḥ kāveryai namaḥ

Pranams to Ganga, Pranams to Yamuna, Pranams to Godavaree, Pranams to Saraswathi, Pranams to Narmda, Pranams to Sindhu, Pranams to Kaveri

आपो वा इदग्ँ सर्वं विश्वाभूतान्यापः
प्राणा वा आपः पशवः आपः अन्नमापः।
अमृतमापः च्छन्दाग्ँस्याप ज्योतीग्ँष्याप
यजूग्ँष्याप सत्यमाप सर्वा देवता आपः॥
ॐ भूर्भुवस्सुवराप ॐ श्री केशवाय नमः

āpo vā idagm sarvaṁ viśvābhūtānyāpaḥ
prāṇā vā āpaḥ paśavaḥ āpaḥ annamāpaḥ|
amṛtamāpaḥ cchandāgmsyāpa jyotīgmṣyāpa
yajūgmṣyāpa satyamāpa sarvā devatā āpaḥ ||
om bhūrbhuvassuvarāpa om śrī keśavāya namaḥ

All that is found in this world has origin in water, whatever is manifest as universe is water, water is the life-breath in us , all living beings are manifested in water, food is emanating from water, water is ambrosia (nectar) , water forms the vedas (chandaas) , water is the energy found in light, water is the yajus, water is the truth, all gods are manifested in water--
Om, I invoke water in the three worlds bhoo, bhuva and suvaH... OM I prostrate before the God with copious hair, kesava, the Lord Krishna

कलशस्य मुखे विष्णुः कण्ठे रुद्रः समाश्रितः।
मूले तत्र स्थितो ब्रह्मा मध्ये मातृगणाः स्मृताः॥
कुक्षौ तु सागराः सर्वे सप्तद्वीपा वसुन्धरा
ऋग्वेदो अथ यजुर्वेदः सामवेदोऽप्यथर्वणः
अङ्गैश्च सहिताः सर्वे कलशाम्भुसमाश्रिताः॥
गङ्गे च यमुने चैव गोदावरि सरस्वती
नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि जलेऽस्मिन् सन्निधिम् कुरु।
सर्वे समुद्राः सरितः तीर्थानि च ह्रदा नदः।
आयान्तु शिवपूजर्थम् दुरितक्षयकारकाः॥

kalaśasya mukhe viṣṇuḥ kaṇṭhe rudraḥ samāśritaḥ |
mūle tatra sthito brahmā madhye mātṛgaṇāḥ smṛtāḥ ||
kukṣau tu sāgarāḥ sarve saptadvīpā vasundharā
ṛgvedo atha yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo'pyatharvaṇaḥ
aṅgaiśca sahitāḥ sarve kalaśāmbhusamāśritāḥ||
gaṅge ca yamune caiva godāvari sarasvatī
narmade sindhu kāveri jale'smin sannidhim kuru|
sarve samudrāḥ saritaḥ tīrthāni ca hradā nadaḥ|
āyāntu śivapūjartham duritakṣayakārakāḥ||

Lord Vishnu resides on the face of this water pot,
Lord Rudra is present in its neck,
Lord Brahma is present at its base
and the Divine Mothers are there in the whole body of the holy pitcher of water
.
All the oceans are present in its belly region, along with Vasundhara the Mother Earth with all Her seven continents (Islands).

In the waters contained in the Kalasha or pot, all the four Vedas Rik, Yajur, Saman and Atharva with all their ancillary parts are present.

Mothers Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Sarasvati, Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri, may you all be seated in your glorious presence here in this waterpot.

May all the seas, brooks, sources of holy waters, rivers flowing from east to west, and rivers flowing from west to east, who are all capable of removing all our sins and hardships,
manifest here to enable me to offer pooja to Lord Shiva ( Or Vishnu or any deity as the case may be,)

In fact, it should be a universal prayer.. we see no traces of any particular religions here..

Then we sprinkle waters from Kalasham on all pooja materials and on the idols of the Deities too.. We sprinkile ourselves too for purity,,

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Shankha Pooja..

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Worship of the Conch or Shankha as a prelude to worship of Gods..
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The pooja is done to Shankha the Conch.. which is honoured as the Panchajanya held by Lord Narayana himself, as a prelude to pooja to deities daily..This is Shankha Pooja.. After Kalasha pooja and before Atma and Peetha pooja.
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The pooja for Kalasham or water pot has already been discussed.
The Atma pooja and Peetha pooja too have already been discussed..
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The Conch should be washed with water from the Kalasham chanting gayatri mantram
Then it should be filled to fullness again chanting Gayatri mantram.
Then we should offer floral archana to the Conch..
Shankhaaya namaH,,शङ्खाय नमः
Chakraaya NamaH चक्राय नमः
Paanchajanyaaya NamaH.. पाञ्चजन्याय नमः.
( it is ideal to use Tulasi leaves for this pooja .. because that is dearest to lord Vishnu.)

शङ्खमूले ब्रह्मणे नमः॥
śaṅkhamūle brahmaṇe namaḥ||
Pranams to the tip of the Shankha.. where Brahmadeva is present
शङ्खमध्ये जनार्द्दनाय नमः॥
śaṅkhamadhye janārddanāya namaḥ||
Pranams to the body of the Shankha where Janardhana, the lord Narayana is present
शङ्काग्रे चन्द्रशेखराय नमः।
śaṅkāgre candraśekharāya namaḥ|
Pranams to the upper edge of the Shanka.. where Lord Shiva who has kept the moon in his matted lock, is present.
Prayer with the following mantrasa..

शङ्खं चन्द्रार्क दैवत्यं मध्ये वरुण संयुतम्।
पृष्टे प्रजापतिश्चैर्व अग्रे गङ्गा सरस्वती।
śaṅkhaṁ candrārka daivatyaṁ madhye varuṇa saṁyutam|
pṛṣṭe prajāpatiścairva agre gaṅgā sarasvatī|
Pranams to Shankha, which is the abode of all deities like Sun and Moon, in whose middle is present Varuna, in whose rear is present Prajapati, and in whose outlet edge is present rivers Ganga and Saraswathi.

त्रैलोक्ये यानि तीर्थानि वासुदेवस्य चाज्ञया।
शङ्खे तिष्ठन्ति विप्रेन्द्राः तस्मात् शङ्खं प्रपूजयेत्॥
trailokye yāni tīrthāni vāsudevasya cājñayā|
śaṅkhe tiṣṭhanti viprendrāḥ tasmāt śaṅkhaṁ prapūjayet||

Oh best among learned people, by the orders of Krishna the lord Vaasudeva, all the holy waters which flow anywhere in the three worlds are present in the Conch.. Therefore it is best for you to offer worship to Shankha.. the conch.

त्वं पुरा सागरोत्पन्नः विष्णुना विधृतः करे।
पूजितः सर्वदेवैश्च पाञ्चजन्य नमऽस्तु ते॥
tvaṁ purā sāgarotpannaḥ viṣṇunā vidhṛtaḥ kare|
pūjitaḥ sarvadevaiśca pāñcajanya namao'stu te||

Oh Panchajanya, the Shankha, you took birth in the ocean in olden days, and you are held in the hands of Lord Vishnu. You are worshipped with reverence by all gods. My pranams to you.

गर्भा देवारि नारीणाम् विशीर्यन्ते सहस्रधा।
तव नादेन पाताळे पाञ्चजन्य नमोऽस्तु ते॥
garbhā devāri nārīṇām viśīryante sahasradhā|
tava nādena pātāḻe pāñcajanya namo'stu te||

The demons present even in the wombs of the demonesses in Paataala get annihilated when your sound is heard.. Therefore my pranams to you.

पाञ्चजन्याय विद्महे पावमानाय धीमहि तन्नः शङ्खः प्रचोदयात्॥
pāñcajanyāya vidmahe pāvamānāya dhīmahi tannaḥ śaṅkhaḥ pracodayāt||
(This is also called Shankha Gayatri)
We understand you, Conch, as Panchajanya,
we contemplate on you as the greatest purifier,
and therefore may you the conch kindle our strenghts and capabilities.

Then prayer to Panchajanya as agni too.. from Krishanyajurvedam.. as given below.. .. with this mantram, we pour back some of the consecrated water from the Conch, to the Kalasham..
and then sprinkle the waters from the conch on all the pooja materials and the idols of the deities too.
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Prayer to Agni for removal of Sins...
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अग्नेर्मन्वे प्रथमस्य प्रचेतसः यं पाञ्चजन्यम् बहवस्समिन्धते।
विश्वस्यां दिवि विविशिवांसमीमहे स नो मुन्चत्वग्ंहसः॥
तैत्तिरीयप्रपाठके ॥ अपि च अथर्ववेदे
agnermanve prathamasya pracetasaḥ yaṁ pāñcajanyam bahavassamindhate|
viśvasyāṁ divi viviśivāṁsamīmahe sa no muncatvagṁhasaḥ||
taittirīyaprapāṭaka|| api ca atharvavede

Oh Agni, who is kindled to supreme vigour( by offerings of twigs and ghee etc,)
you the great one of Supreme vitality,
you, whom we praise as Paanchajanya,
Oh Agni who is spread all over this universe,
we make this prayer to you. with humble prostrations
.
May you be pleased to annihilate our sins and relieve us of all that is not good..

We see the word Panchajanya in this mantram.. and the holy Conch which we use in pooja comes to our mind.. So we chant this mantram when offering pooja to the Shankham.. relating the word Panchajanya to the Shankham.. as Lord Narayana holds in his hand a conch by name Panchajanya..

Panchajanya is the shell of a demon by that name whom Krishna defeated in the famous Santhanagopalam episode..

In Bagavat Gita first chapter we find Krishna blowing the conch Panchajanyam..
Paanchajanyam Hrisheekesho....

But the real mening of Panchajanya is Agni or the Lord of Fire.

He is called Panchajanya because he manifest in five forms.. In devayajna, pitru yajna, bhutayajna, manushyayajna and brahmayajna..
He is manifest in Panchabhoothas, Panchavarnas and so on..

This is a mantram in daily use..
Found in Krishna Yajurveda Taittireeya school.. and also in Atharvaveda in a slightly altered form..
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At the conclusion of the pooja, the holy waters from the conch are sprinkled on the one who performs the pooja, as also on all who are assembled for the pooja..

The prokshana or sprinkling mantram is from the famous Salagrama Stotram..

शङ्खमध्ये स्थितं तोयं भ्रामितं केशवोपरि।
अङ्गलग्नं मनुष्याणाम् ब्रह्महत्यायुधं दहेत्॥
śaṅkhamadhye sthitaṁ toyaṁ bhrāmitaṁ keśavopari|
aṅgalagnaṁ manuṣyāṇām brahmahatyāyudhaṁ dahet||

The waters which stand in the innards of the Conch, which have been partially sprinkled on the sacred person of Lord Keshava the Hari Himself, would burn off even the weapons which are stuck in the bodies of the devoties.. even if the weapons have been stuck to punishe the sin of Brahmahatya… the killing of the learned persons..

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Aatma Pooja
During formal worship of God. the Hindu way.

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Before formally offering worship the Hindu way, we offer worship to the waterpot, the conch, to the worshipper.. the atma himself, the seat of the Deity etc..

I have discussed the worship of the waterpot, the conch, and the Pita or the seat of the deity, already in different posts..

Equally important is the consecrationn and purification of the noble spirit or atma within oneself before embarking of the pooja.

This process is called Atma pooja.

Of course, we take bath, wear neat and clean clothes
and perform the nityakarmas
like Sandhyavandanam and Agnikaryam like Aupasanam.. or Agnihotram of Samdaadhaanam or any other ritual as applicable,
and seat ourself in the appropriate posture for worship..
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We ring the bell,
we invoke Lord Ganesha..
We can purify the water being used for worship and abhishekam through chanting of Pavamanasuktham, altrnately caleed Punyahavachanam.
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Then we offer pooja to the water pot Kalasha, and the conch, Shankha..
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The we do pooja to the vital spirit within us

आत्मने नमः दिव्यगन्धान् धारयामि
ātmane namaḥ divyagandhān dhārayāmi
Pranams to my own vital Spirit. I offer Sandal past to that.

We apply sandal paste on various parts of the body from forehead..
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Then we offer mantras or flower archan as below.

आत्मने नमः ātmane namaḥ
Pranams to the vital spirit in me

अन्तरात्मने नमःantarātmane namaḥ
pranams to the spirit that circulates within me and keeps me steady and thriving

योगात्मने नमः yogātmane namaḥ
pranams to the yogis spirit which balances the physical, spiritual and divine vital presence
in me

जीवात्मने नमःjīvātmane namaḥ
Pranams to the spirit inside me which sustains me in five vital forms Prana, Apana. Vyana, Udhana and Samana

परमात्मने नमः paramātmane namaḥ
Pranams to the Supreme spirit that resides me as Brahmam itself
ज्ञानात्मने नमः jñānātmane namaḥ
Pranams to the spirit that resides withing me as the sum and substance of my cognitions and knowledge

अग्निहोत्रात्मने नमः agnihotrātmane namaḥ
Pranams to the spirit that sustains me in the shape of Agnihotra.. the oblations to the fire

शुद्धात्मने नमः śuddhātmane namaḥ
Pranams to the blemishless pure spirit in me or that is me.

समस्तोपचारान् समर्पयामि
samastopacārān samarpayāmi
I offer all and complet worship with all ritual to this atma or spirit within me or the spirit that is me.

Then prayer
देहो जीवालयः प्रोक्तः जीवो देवः सनातनः
त्यजेत् अज्ञाननिर्माल्यं सोऽहं भावेन पूजयेत्
deho jīvālayaḥ proktaḥ jīvo devaḥ sanātanaḥ
tyajet ajñānanirmālyaṁ so'haṁ bhāvena pūjayet

This my body is the house of my vitality and life..
And that vitality is the eternal God Himself

May I throw away or abandon the blemishes of ajnana or ignorance, and may I worship the spirit imbibing that spirit that He is Me.. SaH Aham.. that supreme being is present in me.. we are the one.

Then we chant Pranavam and /or Hamsa Gayatri..
The number of chants can vary from 16 onwards.. the purpose is to ensure that we feel the purity and calmness making us fit for the worship of the Deity

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Peeta puja..
worship of the seat of God..

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while performing pooja or offering worship to deities in the Hindu way, we sanctify with prayer and praise every article of worship..

The pitcher in which water is carried for pooja and abhishekam, or Kalasham is offered pooja first..
This is called Kalasha Pooja
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The conch which too carries sacred water during the whole of the pooja is then worshipped.
This is called Shankha pooja
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The self or the Individual atma or the one who is dooing pooja is offered respectful worship..
This is called Atma pooja
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Then the premises where the idol is stationed, the whole earth, the pedestal, the ornamental structure, are all offered worship..
This is called Peeta Pooja..
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The mantras for Peeta pooja are given below
ॐ गुं गुरुभ्यो नमःom guṁ gurubhyo namaḥ respects to the Guru or preceptor who initiated us to the methods of this pooja ( Gum is a beeja mantra.. which is beyond the scope of an open discussion.. so also, gam, pam sam )
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गं गणपतये नमःgaṁ gaṇapataye namaḥ pranams to the lord Ganapathy.. who is the Lord of Moolaadhara... the portion which forms the foundation or seat of everything.. Ganapathi alternately is the leader of the cluster of Gods or Demi Gods
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पं परमात्मने नमः paṁ paramātmane namaḥ pranams to the Universal Soul the Supreme Lord who is present in all chethana and achethana.. movable or immovable things..
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सं सरस्वत्यै नमःsaṁ sarasvatyai namaḥ Pranams to the Devata of words and knowledge Saraswathi.. alternately the antarvahini river Saraswathi.. the mother who flows along with Ganga and Yamuna
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आधारशक्त्यै नमः मूलप्रकृत्यैः नमः ādhāraśaktyai namaḥ mūlaprakṛtyaiḥ namaḥ
Pranams to Adharasakthi and moolaprakriti ..
aadhaarashakti and moolaprakriti are yoga and Sankhya terms.. which combined together
they form the foundations or seats for everything. called . the Mooladhara ..
the Mooladhara chakra in Yoga..is placed at the bottom of spine in the human body.. and similar place of seating for the deities too.
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आदिकूर्माय नमः ādikūrmāya namaḥ pranams to the adi Koorma or primordial tortoise.. Lord Vishnu incarnated in this form and held in place the mountain Manthara which was used as the churning rod to collect Amrtuam or nectar from the Milky ocean.. The seat of every great personage is even now shaped as a tortoise.. the great Sannyasins too use Koormasanam.. So the Seat of the deities is worshipped as Koormam.
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आदिवराहाय नमः ādivarāhāya namaḥ Pranams to the primordial Boar.. We know Lord Vishnu incarnated as a Boar and retrieved the earth from the bottoms of the sea.. where the demon Hiranyaksha had hidden the earth.. and in the processed killed the demon too.. So for the protection of the piece of earth we are using for worship
we offer pranams to Varahamoorthy.
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पृथिव्यै नमः pṛthivyai namaḥ Pranams to the earth..
which holds everything includinf the idols, the temple and the worhsipper too.
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रत्नमण्डपाय नमः ratnamaṇḍapāya namaḥ
pranams to the structure or hall of the temple or place of worship bedecked in gems and precious stones
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रत्नवेदिकायै नमः ratnavedikāyai namaḥ
prannams to the Sanctum or main stage where the deitiy is placed.. which is again decorated or is made of Gems and precious materials
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. स्वर्णस्तंभाय नमः svarṇastaṁbhāya namaḥ
pranams to the gold pillar.. of the temple including the flagstaff made of gold.( of course any pillar.. or flagstaff.. we can worship)
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श्वेतच्छत्राय नमःśvetacchatrāya namaḥ
Pranams to the pure white umbrella.. the pure white umbrella is the insignia of supreme power.. such umbrellas are carried for deities, for Yatis and for Royal personages too
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कल्पकवृक्षाय नमः kalpakavṛkṣāya namaḥ
Pranams to the Kalpakavriksha.. Kalapakavriksha is the tree in the heaven which grants the wishes of all who pray to it.. It is supposed that this tree in spirit is present wherever divine presence is there.
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क्षीरसमुद्राय नमः kṣīrasamudrāya namaḥ pranams to the Milky ocean..
the milky ocean is one of the Seven great Oceans according to the Hindu Mythology.. the ocean is filled with milk and it contains all that is great and valuable.. In fact amrutham or nectar was churned out of it.. The Goddess Lakshmi, the Moon, the Divine Elephant Airavata, the Divine Horse Uchaishrava, the Goddes of intoxication Varuni, the Lord of Medicine Dhanvantari all came out it.. And Lord Vishnu is in Yoganidra floating in his bed of Adhisesha, atop this milky ocean.. We again invoke or assume the presence of this great ocean wherever divine worship s going on
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सितचामराभ्याम् नमः sitacāmarābhyām namaḥ
Pranams to the white fans made of fluffy material used for ceremonially waving on the flanks of important personages, to keep the air cool
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ॐ नमो भगवते सकलगुणशक्तियुक्ताय अनन्ताय योगपीठात्मने नमः om namo bhagavate sakalaguṇaśaktiyuktāya anantāya yogapīṭhātmane namaḥ

pranams to the resplendant and holy being that is the yogic seat where the Divine being is seated..
the seat is endowed with all great qualities and powers,
the seat is eternal and indestructible,
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In our normal poojas, the presence all the above paraphernelia is usually imaginray.. But we just meditate in mind that they are all present in reality to receive the presence of the God..

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naivedyam... a discussion on whether God would eat what is offered to him

Krishna assured in Gita that Patram Pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyaa prayacchati taan aham bhaktyupahrutam ashnaami prayataatmana.. Even if a flower, leaf, a fruit or some water is offere to me with devotion I would accept it with a satisfied mind.. True, we can offer anything to God.. and the spice to be added is devotion. Without devotion He is under no obligation to receive anything.. because he is not in need of anything that we can supplyThe theory about Sthula, sookshma etc are just one way of thinking. Maybe it is appealing to that particular set of gurus and shishyas. If you are enlightened beyond normal methods of worship, you too may accept that argument.

However, the procedures prescribed in Yajnas and Yagas prescribe the modes of preperation and quantities to be offered .. by way of havis purodsha etc. So a practicing brahmin cannot say the material prepared for offering to God is just taken as sthoola and only sookshma part counts. If you are a brahmin and there is a function involving fire in your household, you will have to prepare and offer the prescribed quantity of naivedyam.. This applies to pitru karyams and sraddhams too.

And all the major agamas, Vaikhanasa, Pancharatra, Shiva agarma, and the text relatable to Shakti worship prescribe clearcut rules that connect the quantiy and quality of Naivedyam with the size, roopam, bhavam and Kalam of the deity consecrated and worshipped.

A yogi or yati may say God is every where and so he requires no offer from us. But a grihasta cannot masquerade himself as a sannyasi and reel out platitudes.

There is an old story about Acharya Swamikal.. adi Shankara. Once he was going aroud the streets of a city in hot sun.. Suddenly he said that he felt thirsty.. He asked the disciples to fetch some water that would quech his thirst. But no source of water was in sight. They discovred a foundary where bell metal was being melted. Shankara asked some of that molen metal to be brought and drank it and declared that his thirst was gone. If the disciples or you or I tried to do that, the consequences can be disastous.

I would mention that this post is in circulation in the web for the past so many years, and is flaunted by too many web scholars as the last word in spirituality.

I do not subscribe to that idea.

When God is consecrated in a temple, even though he is a person who is capable of pervading the universe, his presence is forcibly restricted through agamic and vedic rituals.. and when all the human organs are scripturally assigned to the idol, we have to cater to the needs of those various organs too. The God as the Universal soul will not feel hunger and thirs, but the deity consecrated and confined to the Garbhagriha has to be supplied with adequate food and comforts.

This is as plain as day.. Any vaideeka or tantrik would easily understand..

After all this is an Iyer group, and not a group of modern sannyasis or parivrajakas. So we have to go by the general rules.

If it is only for publicity, you can laud the Sookshma Sthoola theory and the mysticism involved there.

That is merely show.

Bali, Naivedyam

bali, naivedyam etc are different names for offering food items, according to the status of the deity..the main deities are offered the things in the name of naivedyam and some functional gods are offered the same in the name of bali... ...

just because one calls it bali it need not be flesh, blood etc, and in some saaktha systems flesh blood etc are offered in the name of naivedyam also.

In both Vaikhansa and Siva agama brahmotsavas, morsels of rice are offered to the eight masters of directions, (Ashtadik Palakas) indra, agni, yama nirruti, varuna vayu kubera isana as bali..

the bali is meant as food not only for the palakaas but their parshadas also.

Just like we offer havyam rice to agni, kavyam rice to pitrus... various terms are used..

it is all on account of functionality, and based on some protocol defined in the sastras or agamas.

However, the Vaama (Shaktha, Tantric ) type of worship are generally not meant for either Iyengars or Iyers.

abundance of fresh rice..the celebration of new rice..

A learned friend had tagged me to a post where he had mentioned about the celebrations of fresh harvest... Niraputhari in Kerala..I just wanted to record what I know about that here.. because a post there may not be read by anyone..

"It is called nira puthari..

നിറ പുത്തരി abundance of fresh rice..the celebration of new rice..

Usually it is done on uthradam day..

People are thankful to the Gods for their rich harvest of rice, and the ears of paddy are collected in bunches and kept before the Lord, and various deities are worshipped..

I am not going into the tantric procedure..

After the worship the katir or ear of paddy is distributed.. usually this kathir is pasted to the Utharam or upper threshold of the temple or houses and for pasting this a lump of fresh cow dung is used..

The ears of paddy to which pooja is offered is taken around ceremoniously with the refrain

ഇല്ലം നിറ വല്ലം നിറ

may the house be filled with rice, may the granary be filled with rice..

Usually, only after this ceremony is performed , newly harvested paddy is converted to rice and used.

This pooja can be conducted in every house.. But as the temple is the focal point of our social and spiritual activity, collective pooja can be done at temples and the kathirs can be taken to the individual households too

Cooked rice or Paayasam made with the newly harvested rice is offered as naivedyam to the lords on this day..

In Palakkad Agraharams, this function is observed in our temples.. We have absorbed the kerala ethos that way..

It is a harvest festival..

Pooja, Neerajanam at conclusion.

I do not know whether you have noticed it or not....after Karpoora Harati to swamy during pooja , we perform a neerajanam.. usually with water mixed with red kumkuma powder..

and chant Sarvamanagalye shive sarvaartha saadhike...

सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके etc.

. with a view that no evil eyes should trouble the Devi or Swami we are worshipping..

We chant Sarvamanagala maangalye for Ambaal..

For male Gods we chant

na tatra sooryo bhaati na chandrataarakam naivaa vidhyuto bhaanti kuto ayam agniH tameva bhaantam anubhaanti sarvam tasya bhaasaa sarvamidam vibhaati...

After naivedyam we offer the food to nirmalya devatas and other bhootas too..

This again is to ward off the evil effects of bad eyes..

In bhagavatam dashamaskandam, we can see Yasodha performing prayers in the name of Lord Narayana to ward off evil eyes that may fall on the child Krishna.. funny is it not?

But we believe that even Gods can be affected by evil eyes..

Naivedyam... can the Vedic brahmins eat the remnants ?

Some friend who had read about the post on not eating naivedyam offered to God by some pious brahmins and was seeking some clarification..

My reply is

The direction that Naivedyam should not be eaten is for the Vedic Brahmins who keep agni and perform many vedic rituals..because, in that process, they invoke God in themselves and even their eating is just like doing naivedyam to the Brahmam or Yajnapurusha..

So they can eat only pure food which is not offered to anyone else..

For Vaishnavas, it is prescribed that anything eaten should be offered to Narayana.. So they eat naivedyam alone

Brahamins like us who just lead an ordinarily pious life but could not follow the strict Vedic way and do not do agni karyams daily, need not hesitate about eating food offered already to god as naivedyam..

It is not the naivedyam that stands in the way, but the special rituals daily performed by the old elders, which we do not perform these days..

So we can do the next best, we can offer the food to God, and He blesses it and we can definitely eat it..

Pooja, Naivedyam Brief Suggestions

A respected and pious friend was discussing procedure for puja at home.

I made my suggestions on it.

Sharing for those who are interested

The procedure is nice. There is a varying perspective about archana to vishnu with Akshata. Some hold the view that akshata should not be used for vishnu archana. Of course if your ancestors practiced that then there is no problem.

If flowers are not availble manjal kumkumam can be used for ambal archana and vibhooti for shiva and subramania archana.

The shishtacharam is that tulasi should be used for naivedyam.. a leaf should be placed in every vessel containing naivedyam

But tulasi should not be used for archana of ganapthy.

In fact the rs vadhyar book is the one used by all palakkad iyers. I referred to some tamil books and even a north indian text published by geetha press.

The variations are too minor.

We can follow RS vadhyar.

Of course certain idols like lingam salagramam shankham etc have divine presence in them even without avahanam. So we have to be careful when we handle them.

Any theettu pollution or breakage can prove dangerous.

If we cannot offer cooked grain or payasam as naivedyam on a daily basis it is better not to do prana prathishta.

Avil or pori are supposed to be substitutes for rice food.

A little upastharanam with ghee is a must for all cooked naivedyams.

Fruits especially vazhappazham is good as naivedyam.

Coconut pleases ganesha

Offering tambulam to lady gods is great.

The tambulam itself is Lakshmi.

Naivedyam Sharing of what is offered to God without adding anything more.. offer made to subordinate deities etc,

The coconut offered to Ganapathy by way of smashing them in a stone in front of the temple is actually Underaka Bali.. offering to the bhoothaganas or demi god servants to Ganapathi..

So the broken pieces are not prasadams..

No one should pick them up and eat .. It is well known..

But then real life is different.

Recently when I visited the Pazhavangadi Ganapathi temple, one of my relatives offered twenty one coconuts for breaking, and the person in charge was actually returning a few pieces as prasadam..So ignorance of people has reached the worst levels.. No point in considering that issue.

The rules of pooja always insist that no further condiments or any other additions should be made to the prasadam received after naivedyam..

The rules are very clear..

But then we offer aval, pori etc as naivedyam and then add jaggery to make it eatable..

The rice offered as naivedyam in a temple is never eaten by a brahmin who is following the daily yajnas, like pitru, deva, bhoota, brahma, vaisvadeva and so on..The taking of food is itself is a yajna offered to God.. So food offered once should not be offered again

. Of course, food prepared in the same vessel kitchen and partly offered as naivedyam and remaining outside the quantity of naivedyam can be used as havis, food for brahmin etc..

But even the the Kavyam used for pithru yajna should be made separately..

The remnants of any naivedyam can be offered only to bhoothas.. and to animals of birds..

Of course food offered to Cow has to be pure.. cow is treated as a deity and not as an animal..( I would doubt whether it is permissible to offer even a plantain offered as naivedyam to god as offering to a cow.)

..

In fact I have had the occasion to translate almost the entire aahnika kandam of Smrithimukthaphalam of Vaidyanatha Deekshita.. which is the authentic text on the food habits and rules for all Hindus..

But I have my own perceptions as a social creature, which can be at great variance with what is written in Shastras..

We eat the food offered to God, Bhootams Pithrus and what not..

We would add onion and garlic, and may be non vegetarians their own additives to the food after offering to God and before us consuming..

Scriptures do not permit it.. but then it is our social practice.

For me the social habits and the commandments in scriptures are both subject matters for study, research and analysis, but I will never attempt to mix these two..

In my view it is wrong to mix religious ideas and practical social concepts as that can only lead to quarrel.

But I am clear about one thing. Food is the greatest gift to us from God.

We can say food is God itself

So we should never waste even a single speck of food.

If for some reason we cannot eat good thrn we should not prepare food at all.

And the world is not rich. There are billions across the globe who starve..And many starve to death.

So let the food go to them.

And deciding not to waste good is an indirect gift to all starving stomachs

Does God eat the Naivedyam offered

A query as to whether God eats the naivedyam offered is going round and round Many say the God takes in the sookshma part and all

My understanding on the issue

Perceptions vary on this issue.

Many agama and Tantra texts prescribe strict combinations and quantities of naivedyam according to the potency, size of the idol the nature of pratishta and so on

Even medicinal preparations are offered to the deity on various occasions to counter indigestion etc.

So according to shastras Gods actually eat the food.

The question as to whether God eats the food was actually raised to a tantri by a South Kerala ruler.

The tantri asked the king to be present at the time of naivedyam.

Huge quantities of food were arrayed before the deity.

The tantri, while doing parishechanam included the king also in the circle made by holy water which covered the deity and the naivedyam.

By the time " praanaaya swaahaa" was offered the king started feeling full inside..

And by the time "Apaanaaya swaahaa "was offered the king had reached a point of bursting with food.

The story goes on that the king apologized and was taken out of the circuit and saved

If the worship is genuine and sincere and the upasana is good enough God will eat what we offer.

Now we are powerless and so the God does not eat. That is all

In chandika homam and Ganapathy Homam there are experiences where the Divine mother and Ganapathy manifesting in fire and accepting food, flowers and clothes and ornaments offered.

musings 127

Just a very funny thought..

My faith, my religion, all originated and grew under the feet of a small Pullayar (Ganaptahy)stationed just at the western end of our street..

In 1959 as a boy of six years or so, I landed up in the agraharam, and at that time my grand uncle..who was partially blind was the priest cum servant of the temple.. and the lord has for his castle a very plain temple and did have the luxurious lighting of a single oil wick lamp for a few minutes for the whole day

and some cooked rice as naivedyam once a day.. brought by the priest himself..

I would accompany the priest every day.. for two reasons..

First, out of affection for the old mama..

Second, if someone visited the temple with two plantains, the priest would have the right to keep with him one of them after offering the naivedyam , and I would get that fruit..

Devotion, bhakthi or whatever you call it was not in my mind, and I did not understand what it was..

Then in May 69 I was initiated into upanayanm, and then I started performing ritualistic poojas too for that pullayar.. especially because my uncle would often officiate as bhoktha in Shraddhams and on such days he was prohibited from entering he sanctum..

(His princely monthly salary at that time was five rupees,, and he had to provide food and oil for lamp for the temple from out of that salary)

My love affair with the Lord started in that innocent and unobtrusive fashion.. and perhaps my first offer to Him was with broomsticks when I cleaned the precincts of the temple

But whether I like it or not the affair took very deep roots..

From a useless urchin, I became a student, a graduate, a post graduate and so many things..

The assistance of Pillayar by way of eatable prasadms and His Divine grace was the mainstay in my life..

Now that Pillayar has grown in stature,

His temple looks very nice.. many devotees throng to his presence..

And He is invariably bountiful to anyone..

Yes, He is gracious even to a casual passer by who would have just stopped to pick some pieces of broken coconut pieces lying before His temple..

Often, I get angry with this glutton of a god..

If there is a frustration of any sort, the first one I would approach with bad words is this manifest God and Friend of mine who also appears as a stone..

Many times, I have promised before Him that I would not interfere in His affairs.. and He need not do that in mine too..

But either of us has not succeeded in that.

The love-hate relation is as strong now almost half a century earlier.

In fact, I rarely offer any material things to this Pullayar..

Rather I find happiness in exploiting Him by taking away eatables, like piece of coconuts, payasam etc free of cost..from His temple.

The mindset of an old priest never changes.. and pilfering from the Deity's place is the birthright of such persons..

But I am not afraid of Him..

If He wanted to punish me, He has so many more valid reasons for that..

If He loves me,He has no compelling reason for that..

I am arrogant, vain, avaricious and bad mouthed..

But I know He loves me..

It is His greatness..

My only prayer to Him..

Pullayarey. Oh my lord let us be friends as long as I live..

You are Immortal and perhaps I am immoral..

offering naivedyam

When we serve food or offer naivedyam to God there should be silence. Even the parishechana mantras and the six ahutis should be done in a silent or sibilant tone and especially the names of the foodstuff offered should be chanted silently or in a low voice which would not be heard by others.

It is silly to announce that so many vadas laddus or so many litres of payasam are offered.

A basic rule about taking food In our culture is that the person who serves the food and the host who ceremonially offers the food and also the one who eats should maintain absolute silence.

Even the additional servings should be offered through gestures.

मौनेन भोक्तव्यम्

Maunena bhoktavyam.

Of course there is a practice of abishravanam अभिश्रवणं where Vedic scholars recite from Vedas, puranas etc sitting in an adjoining area while the ceremonial.feast is taking place

But we tend to announce and publicize the naivedyams with gusto..

And often the foodstuff is announced even in festival notices days in advance..

We have deviated too much from our standard etiquette.

the priest....

thola kavi said.

शान्तिद्विजः प्रकुरुते बहुदीप शान्तिं
तत्रत्य बालवनिता मदनार्ति शान्तिं
पक्वाजय पायस गुलैः जठराग्नि शान्तिं
कालक्रमेण परमेश्वर शक्ति शान्तिं.


shaantidvijaH prakurute bahudeepa shaantim
tatratya baalvanitaa madanaarthi shaantim
pakvaajya paayas gulaiH jaTaraagni shaantim
kaalakramena parameshvara shakti shaantim

The brahmin who is engaged for pooja in a temple is called Shanti..Shanti also means satisfaction, or finishing off too

So the Vikatakavi of Kerala, Tholan, Himself a Namboodiri says so

The young brahmin engaged for Shanti in a temple perform the following Shantis..
He extinguishes or does Shanti for all the oil lamps in the temple.. because he can take home the oil saved
He gives satisfaction or Shanti to the amorous desires of all local girls.
He satiates or give Shanti to the fire of hunger arising in his stomach by drinking the ghee, eating the fruits and gulping the Payasam made as naivedyam for the deity.. eating to his hearts content.. and even more.
And finally, by his lack of interest and avariciousness, the poojas are not done properly, and the power of the deity faces a shanti.. or depletion..

How many shanti kriyaas.. ?
This slokas comes in some Chakyar Koothus and Koodiyattams.. Written perhaps five to six centuries ago..
But the Shanti Dvijas appear to be of the same quality today too.

Food as per Indian Traditions..

Food as per Indian Traditions..
by k v ananthanarayanan 

दीपो भक्षयते ध्वान्तं कज्जळं च प्रसूयते। यदन्नं भक्ष्यते नित्यं जायते तादृशी मनः॥ dīpo bhakṣayate dhvāntaṁ kajjaḻaṁ ca prasūyate| yadannaṁ bhakṣyate nityaṁ jāyate tādṛśī manaḥ||
"The lamp through its burning bright wick, feeds itself on the darkness outside, and in the process of burning gives out thick black soot.. In the same way our mental and physical output depends entirely on the quality of the food we consume.."
When a lamp is lit, the darkness outside disappears and bright light replaces the gloom.. The poet imagines that the darkness is gobbled up by the lamp.
And we know that the burning lamp gives out a lot of soot.. or fine carbon granules.. This is compared to the output in terms of activities or behaviour of a person.. Blackness delivers blackness.. And bad food brings out the worst in a human being..
This is true in many ways. .
If the food is not properly digestible, is stale or contaminated and not exactly in agreement with the needs of the body, such food causes untold physical misery and destroys our mental peace too.
It is also an established fact that our body grows and maintains itself utilizing the energy-producing starch and hydrocarbons, minerals, proteins and vitamins ingested mainly through the food we take..
There is the normal metabolism which happens when the biochemical and electrical balance of the human body is maintained..
However, lack of nutrition, as well as intake of the wrong food and beverages whether deliberately or innocently, turns the activities of the body haywire, and the body becomes sick and the organs do not function optimally..
The bad food habits can affect the secretion of hormones by the glands too.. which again affects the physical activities and the functioning of the sense organs and the mind too.. It is a vicious circle..
If necessary corrective steps by changing or adjusting food habits and often taking drug supplements too. the activities of the body would in general return to normalcy.
But if we ignore the warning signals indicated by minor ailments and just fill our stomach with the same garbage as ever, and fill up our fluid tank with spirited potions, we reach some point of no return at some stage or other..
It is a fact that mental stress too causes disease of the mind and body, but even that happens through the interference of food.. because we over eat or under eat under stress, we take wrong food when our digestive system is disturbed by tension, and our hormonal balance is badly affected through emotional disturbance.. causing severe impediments to the metabolism and hormonal activities..
So let us ensure that we eat diligently, and we avoid eating and drinking the wrong food and beverages..
The above discussion would sum up our ideas about food in a general way..
But in India, all through ages, we were treating food not just as a nourisher and provider of health, but as a part of the Divine..
When we say हरिर् धाता हरिर् भोक्ता हरिरन्नम् प्रजापतिः
harir dhātā harir bhoktā harirannam prajāpatiḥ Hari is the giver, Hari is the one who parakes in or enjoys everything, Hari is Annam(the food) and Hari is the creator we are assigning the most superior position of Hari to food too..
The Blessed Lord Krishna declared in Gita, as to how he prepares the food Himself. अहम् वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनाम् देह आश्रितः। प्राणापान्समायुक्तः पचाम्यन्नम् चतुर्विधम्॥ भगवत् गीता॥१५-१४ aham vaiśvānaro bhūtvā prāṇinām deha āśritaḥ| prāṇāpānsamāyuktaḥ pacāmyannam caturvidham|| bhagavat gītā||15-14 this great Slokam from Gita is interpreted in so many ways by thousands of scholars.. Bhagavan Krishna says,
I, incarnating as Vaishvanara.. fire the source of eternal energy, reside in the bodies of living beings and with the assistance of Prana (the vital life giving gas Oxygen) and apana ( the exhaust gas.. Carbon di oxide) am cooking or making or digesting food all sorts..
Two processes can be envisaged here.. As the sun, entering the bodies of the plants through his rays, using Carbon Dioxide and the vital fluids of the plant is generating food for the consumption of all.. This process was defined by science as Photosynthesis
Residing inside the body as the digestive energy.. the Jaadaraagni, He is converting or cooking the food consumed to energy that sustains the living bodies.. using Prana, the Oxygen and giving out the Apana or Carbon dioxide and other products of such burning.
So food is God Himself and appears in its form in which we can consume it is presented to Us again by the God Himself.. And our Holiest Scriptures always worshipped the Food..
Bodhaayana quotes from Vedas..
Anne Shritaani Bhootani Annam Praanamiti..
अन्ने श्रितानि भूतानि अन्नं प्राणमिति
All beings depend of food for their existence.Food is verily out life itself.. And we believed that as the Gods provided us with the food, it was our duty to offer the same food to Gods in Yajnas.. Our worship of the Eternal Being always took the shape of offering food as Naivedyam to Divine beings..
Our propensities to take various types of foods depended on our basic natures, which varies from persons to person. At the same time the type of food we take affects our activities, mental setup health and well being..
The Blessed Lord Krishna in the Seventeenth Chapter gives a precise classification of the nature of people as Sattwik, Rajasik, and Tamasik.. and he describes about the food which are relished by the respective type according to their basic Nature..
The people with Sattwik Gunas are steadfast, clear in thought and action, love being in empathy with others, wishing always for the good of others the same way they would wish for themselves.. and their presence would spread only peace and amity all over the world..
The people with Rajasic Gunas are also hardworking , but apply such hard work only on issues which they consider beneficial to their own interest, tend to feel overly self sure about beliefs and creeds they have took fancy for and intolerant to variant views, and they would not mind co operating with others or even showing peripheral love for others as long as their own comforts are not disturbed, who put their own interest ahead of all others, and their presence would spread competitions and moderate to stiff intolerance all over.. The people with Tamasic Gunas just do not care for anything else other than the fulfilling of their own short-lived pleasure, they never care for the misery they cause to other fellow beings, and they are even oblivious to the dangers that would befall them through the actions in furtherance of their pleasures of the present.. They are lazy and would expect and fancy for results without any efforts, and have no sense of propriety.. ( The three gunas are defined in great detail in Shastras so minutely.. and sure, the classification is not water-tight.. The Sattwic might have Rajasic and Tamasic qualities in him in small qualities.. and the other two types too might have some sort of cross mixing.. But for our limited understanding of the subject, the above definitions must suffice)
Gita Chapter 17 Shraddhatrayavibhaagayogam… श्रद्धात्रयविभागयोगः śraddhātrayavibhāgayogaḥ sloka 7 आहारस्त्वपि सर्वस्य त्रिविधो भवति प्रियः। यज्ञस्तपस्तथा ज्ञानं तेषां भेदमिमं शृणु॥
āhārastvapi sarvasya trividho bhavati priyaḥ| yajñastapastathā jñānaṁ teṣāṁ bhedamimaṁ śṛṇu||
The blessed Lord is telling Arjuna.. Do hear from me, Arjuna, the favourite food for the three types ( of Sattwa, Raja and Tamas qualities) varies according to the respective types.. Their mode of sacrifice, penance and acquiring enlightenment also do vary..
Here were restrict ourselves to the food habits..
In the next slokam the Blessed Lord proceeds to describe the food relished by the Saattvikas.. आयुः सत्त्वबलारोग्य सुखप्रीतिविवर्धनाः। रस्याः स्निग्धाः स्थिराः हृद्याः आहाराः सात्विकप्रियाः॥८
āyuḥ sattvabalārogya sukhaprītivivardhanāḥ| rasyāḥ snigdhāḥ sthirāḥ hṛdyāḥ āhārāḥ sātvikapriyāḥ||8
Foods relished by Saatwik people are those which augment and sustain longevity, mental strenghth and purposefulness, health and firmness of the body, easy comfort in actions and movements, pleasantness of the mind, foods which are very tasty, which are soft especially as a result of the presence of nourishing oils, foods which take reasonable and predictable time to digest and would supply nutrition and strenghth to the body for prolonged periods, and foods which are eminently suited for the functioning of the body organs including the heart, Food relished by people with Rajasic turn of mind is described by the Blessed Lord in sloka 9
कट्वम्ललवणात्युष्णतीक्ष्णरूक्षविदाहिनः। आहाराः राजसस्येष्टा दुःखशोकामयप्रदाः॥९ kaṭvamlalavaṇātyuṣṇatīkṣṇarūkṣavidāhinaḥ| āhārāḥ rājasasyeṣṭā duḥkhaśokāmayapradāḥ||9
Foods that are by nature very bitter, extremely sour or acidic, very salty, very hot to the body system, severely pungent, dry and lacking in softness, causing burn, producing short and long term pains and consumption of which cause various ailment are classified as Rajasic Foods. And then the Blessed Lord describes the repugnant qualities of Tamasic food.. the food relished by people with Tamasic qualities..
यातयामं गतरसं पूति पर्युषितं च यत्। उच्छिष्टमपि चामेध्यं भोजनं तामसप्रियम्॥१०
yātayāmaṁ gatarasaṁ pūti paryuṣitaṁ ca yat| ucchiṣṭamapi cāmedhyaṁ bhojanaṁ tāmasapriyam||10
Food not properly cooked including food which has been remaining cooked for three hours, Food which has lost its natural nutrient values and taste too, Food so decayed that putrid smell is emerging from it, Food that has been cooked and kept to decay overnight, Food that is left over after partially being used by someone else, Food that is of such low quality that it cannot ever be used for any religious purposes These items of Food used as staple meals are the favourites of a person with Tamasic turn of mind..
The individual items of food which can be classified in any of the above categories have been considered in Dharmasastras by one and every great sage including Vyasa, Yajnavalkya, Vasishta, Vishnu, Yama, Apastambha, Bodhayana, and so on..
The items which were relevant at the time when the Dharmasastras were written may not be accepted by the man of today, for various reasons..
Various lists have garlic, onion, raddish, some meats, frothing fresh milk and such items in common..
Listing of such items can by itself form subject matter of a long article… And the names of various items of vegetables, liquids and meats are not amenable to translation..
In fact in the Smritimukthaphalam of Deekshita, he has cited many names givng their Tamil, Marathi or Telugu names.. But a detailed analysis is too far beyond the scope of this article.
However, we know by experience that many food items are hot, dry, itchy .. many food items kept longer than a couple of hours would become stale.. And we know that mere refrigeration is not the panacea for this.. We can use our discretion.. in proper quantities..
But a reading of the ancient texts revealed on interesting fact..
Our ancestors were extremely hospitable.. and sharing of food was not considered as a matter of coutesy but was accepted as a beholden duty.. and a man who has some means under his disposal was warned of grave sins if he permitted anyone, of any caste or creed, or any living being existing around him or coming his way as a guest or a stray visiter, to starve and suffer without shelter..
That was the greatness of our civilization and culture.
The five duties of a Grihastha or householder, as per our Vedic traditions are Vaishvadeva, Devayajna, Pitruyajna, Bhuta yajna and Manushyayajna..
Vaishvadeva again consists of oblations for Pitrus, Gods and Bhuthas.. In all these rituals, food plays a vital part.. It is offering morsels of food in fire, for Devas, offering morsels of food as pindams for the departed souls.. Bhuta yajna involves Baligrahana.. offering food to all living beings living just in the surroundings, and also to the aboriginees and people with lesser social privileges..
देवतातिथिभूतानं पितृनामात्मनश्च यः न निर्वपति पञ्चानामुछ्वसन्न स जीवति॥। मनुस्मृत्याम् devatātithibhūtānaṁ pitṛnāmātmanaśca yaḥ na nirvapati pañcānāmuchvasanna sa jīvati||| manusmṛtyām
It is said in Manusmrithi that those who do not discharge their duties by offering proper food to the Gods, The Guests, the bhootas.. or other beings, the manes or pitrus, and also to oneself, will be taking their breaths but cannot be considered a living.
A householder is dutybound to wait for the arrival of a guest for taking food..
आचम्य च ततः कुर्यात् प्राज्ञो द्वारावलोकनं। मुहूर्तस्याष्टमो भागमुदीक्ष्यो ह्यतिथिर्भवेत्॥ व्यास
ācamya ca tataḥ kuryāt prājño dvārāvalokanaṁ| muhūrtasyāṣṭamo bhāgamudīkṣyo hyatithirbhavet|| vyāsa
After completing Vaisvadeva and other yajnaas, the householder should wait looking out through the front door for at least one eighth of a muhurtam.. ( it would be between eleven and twelve minutes as per present calculation) and whoever appears within that time should be received as an honoured guest..
If no guest appears, then too the duty of the householder does not cease..
He should offer the food meant for the guest to a cow.. He should ensure that the cow to whom food is offered does not belong to himself. Offering of food to the Cow is called Gavaahnikam..
This can be done every day in addition to offering of food to guests too. Sage Markandeya prescribes that the food should be offered to the Cow with the following prayer..
सौरभेय्यः सर्वहिताः सर्वपापप्रणशनाः। प्रतिगृह्णन्तु मे ग्रासं गावः त्रैलोक्य्मातरः॥
saurabheyyaḥ sarvahitāḥ sarvapāpapraṇaśanāḥ| pratigṛhṇantu me grāsaṁ gāvaḥ trailokymātaraḥ||
the Cows who are the daughters of Surabhi the Kamadhenu, the cows who live for the welfare of all the living beings, the cows who are capable of dispelling all the sins committed by the humans, the cows who are the Mothers of the three worlds, may be pleased to receive these morsels of food offered by me.. (graasam represent the quantity of food prepared by cooking two hundred pieces of full grains of edible cereal..like yava, rice, etc..) The cows should in addition be fed with grass to the best of their contentment.
The scriptures are very strict in instructing us that the food should not be for just consumption by the householder.. The food has to be used for Vaisvadevam, Pitruyjnam, Devayajnam, Bhootayajnam, and for feeding the guests, and only whatever is left over should be used to satisfy one’s personal hunger. It is declared by the Blessed Lord in Gita यज्ञशिष्टाशिनः सन्तो मुच्यन्ति सर्वकिल्बिषैः। भुञ्चते ते त्वघम् पापा ये पचन्त्यात्मकारणात्॥गीता ३-१३ yajñaśiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyanti sarvakilbiṣaiḥ| bhuñcate te tvagham pāpā ye pacantyātmakāraṇāt||gītā 3-13
The virtuous people who partake in the food that is remaining after the performance of the yajnas (Vaishvadevam, feeding of guests etc) are freed of all sins and blemishes. But the sinners who cook for their own sake just eat their own sins.. The order in which a householder should distribute food in his household is also clearly stated by the ancient lawgivers.. Apastambha says.. अतिथीनेवाग्रे भोजयेत्। बालान् वृद्धान् रोगसम्ब्द्धान् स्त्रींस्चान्तर्वर्त्नी॥ atithīnevāgre bhojayet| bālān vṛddhān rogasambddhān strīīṁscāntarvartnī|| The guests should be fed first. Then the children, the elderly people, the people who are laid up with illness, the ladies and then the servants of the house.. ( The householder and his wife are expected to eat only after all these are fed in that order..)
Gautama also reflects the same idea.. भोजयेत् पूर्वमतिथिकुमारव्याधितगर्भिणीसुवासिनीस्थविरान् जघन्यान्श्च। bhojayet pūrvamatithikumāravyādhitagarbhiṇīsuvāsinīsthavirān jaghanyānśca| The guest should be fed first and then the boys, person who are ill, the pregnant ladies, the Suvaasinees ( the sisters, and daughters of the house), the elderly persons and the servants too.. ( Of course the man and the lady of the house are expected to take food only after this.) Bodhayana quotes slokas from Annagita.. The food itself is supposed be speaking as follows. यो मामदत्वा पितृदेवताभ्यो भृत्यातिथीभ्यस्च सुहृज्जनेभ्यः। संपन्नमश्नन्विषमत्ति मोहात् तमप्यहं तस्य च मृत्युरस्मि। हुताग्निहोत्रः कृतवैश्वदेवः पूज्यातिथीन्भृत्यजनावशिष्टम् तुष्टः शुचिः श्रद्धधदत्ति यो मां तस्यामृतं स्याम् स च मां भुनक्ति॥ yo māmadatvā pitṛdevatābhyo bhṛtyātithībhyasca suhṛjjanebhyaḥ| saṁpannamaśnanviṣamatti mohāt tamapyahaṁ tasya ca mṛtyurasmi| hutāgnihotraḥ kṛtavaiśvadevaḥ pūjyātithīnbhṛtyajanāvaśiṣṭam tuṣṭaḥ śuciḥ śraddhadhadatti yo māṁ tasyāmṛtaṁ syām sa ca māṁ bhunakti||
Meaning.. A deluded person who eats me without first giving me to the Gods, the manes, to the servants, to the guest is really eating poison, in fact I am eating him, and I am death for him.. But if a person who performs agnihotra, vaishvadeva, worships the guests and eats with great reverence and with a neat body and happy mind, me, the food which is remaining after even his servants have eaten, I am amrutham or ambrosia for him and he is the one who really eats well.. There are ever so many rules regarding hospitality.. but the praise of hospitality to Bhikshus or mendicants is worth mentioning here..
Vyasa defines Bhikshus as follows.. यतिश्च ब्रह्मचारी च विद्यार्थी गुरुपोषकः अध्वगः क्षीणवृत्तिस्च षडेते भिक्षुकाः स्मृताः। yatiśca brahmacārī ca vidyārthī gurupoṣakaḥ adhvagaḥ kṣīṇavṛttisca ṣaḍete bhikṣukāḥ smṛtāḥ| Six categories of people are called Bhikshus or Bhikshukas.. 1. The Sannyaasin 2. The initiate student of Vedas who has to live on alms. 3. The student in general 4. The assitant or menial support of a teacher. 5. One who is on a long journey by foot , by way of pilgrimmage or migration 6. One who is rendered jobless. It is prescribed that if a Bhikshuka arrives even before the yajnas like Vaisvadeva are completed, food should be offered him even from that prepared for the yajna.. It is ordained that any shortcoming or sin arising out of incomplet yajna shall be nullified by the honour accorded to the bhikshuka, but if the bhishuka is neglected, any number of yajnas would not suffice to wipe of such sin.
Haaritha the lawmaker says. अकृते वैश्वदेवे तो भिक्षुके गृहमागते। उद्दृत्य वैश्वदेवार्थम् भिक्षाम् दत्वा विसर्जयेत्॥ हारीतः akṛte vaiśvadeve to bhikṣuke gṛhamāgate| uddṛtya vaiśvadevārtham bhikṣām datvā visarjayet|| hārītaḥ If vaisvadeva yajna is not yet performed when the Bhikhuka arrives in the house and the preparations are ready for the yajna, the things meant for Vaisvadeva should be given to the Bhikhu.. who should be offered Bhiksha and the yajna becomes complete.. Haaritha further States.
भक्त्या यः शक्तितो नित्यं विष्णुमभ्यर्च्य सादरम्। भिक्षां च भिक्षवे दद्यात् परिव्राड् ब्रह्मचारिणो॥ विष्णुरेव यतिश्चायमिति निश्चित्य भावयेत्। यतिर्यस्य गृहे भुङ्क्ते तस्य भुङ्क्ते हरिः स्वयम्।
bhaktyā yaḥ śaktito nityaṁ viṣṇumabhyarcya sādaram| bhikṣāṁ ca bhikṣave dadyāt parivrāḍ brahmacāriṇo|| viṣṇureva yatiścāyamiti niścitya bhāvayet| yatiryasya gṛhe bhuṅkte tasya bhuṅkte hariḥ svayam| One should worships Lord Vishnu with great reverence and according to his own capacity, and also feed the Bhikshus who graces his home in the shape of Parivraajakas (Sannyasins) and Brahmacharis.. One should realize in his mind that the Sannyaasi is Lord Vishnu Himself and that when a Yati eats food in a house, it is actually Lord Hari Himself who is taking for there.. The subject is so vast and the discussion can never conclude.. Krishno rakshatu..

the fingering rules while offering Naivedyam ..

the fingering rules while offering Naivedyam .. 

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Note: This is a post on ritualistic aspects of partaking in food or offering food to God.. as per Indian Traditions.. It may not be of much use to those outside the Hindu Faith..

The practices are supposed to have tantric significance too..

According to Shandilya Smriti.. and other texts 

Usually when we offer ceremonial parishechanam (the ceremonial ablution with water ) before taking food or offering food as Naivedyam to God, we chant the mantras

Praanaaya Svaahaa, 

Apaanaaya Svaahaa, 

Vyaanaaya Swaahaa, 

Udaanaaya Swaahaa, 

Samaanaaya swaahaaH .. the offering to the five vital elements residing in the body or in the deity 

and 

finally the offer to the Brahman the supreme being.. 

as Brahmane swaahaaH..

SwaahaH is the consort of the God of Fire, Agni and eating food and offering food to God both are considered as offering in a yajnam to the Fire God.. We chant the name of SwaahaaH while offering oblation to fire.. The same chant is used here too.

( Of course our digestive system is supposed to be kindled by Jaadaraagni.. with the support of the vital five functions of pancha Praanas.. prana,apana,vyana, udana, and samana)

While taking rice we just take to lips small cooked grains, holding them between the thumb and the index finger, and making offers to Prana, Apana, Vyana Udana, and Samana and Brhmam..

When we offer naivedyam to God, we just show our full right palm to God as if it were a fan and just move the palm from the Naivedyam kept in the vessel in the direction of the deity..

But the real rule for such offer is prescribe by sags Shandilya in his treatise on procedures. 

I quote from Sage shandilya..

तर्जनीमध्यमाङ्गुष्ठलग्नः प्राणाहुतिर्भवेत् 

मध्यमानामिकाङ्गुष्ठैरपाने जुहुयत्ततः

कनिष्ठानामिकाङ्गुष्ठैर्व्याने च जुहुयाद्धविः 

तर्जनी तु बहिः कृत्वा उदाने जुहुयात्ततः

समाने सर्वहस्तेन समुदायाहुतिर्भवेत् 

शाण्डिल्यस्मृति

tarjanīmadhyamāṅguṣṭhalagnaḥ prāṇāhutirbhavet 

madhyamānāmikāṅguṣṭhairapāne juhuyattataḥ

kaniṣṭhānāmikāṅguṣṭhairvyāne ca juhuyāddhaviḥ 

tarjanī tu bahiḥ kṛtvā udāne juhuyāttataḥ

samāne sarvahastena samudāyāhutirbhavet 

śāṇḍilyasmṛti

The offer to the Praana.. Praanaaya svaahaaH should be made keeping the Index Finger, the Middle Finger and the Thumb together..

The offer to the Apana Shounld be made by keeping the Middle Finger, Ring Finger (Anamika) and the Thumb together.. 

The offer to Vyaana should be made keeping together the thumb, the Ring finger and the little finger together.

The offer to Udaana should be made by keeping the Indiex finger out and keeping together the other four fingers namely the thumb, the middle finger the ring finger and the little finger together..

The offer to Samaana is to be made pressing together the tips of all the five fingers.. (According to Shaandilya)

But there is a different version where offer to Samaana is to be made keeping together all fingers excepting the little finger. 

And offer to the Brahmam is to be made with full hand with all the fingers..

Of course, the Dharmashastras prescribe the use of only the right hand..