Bhog Seva for God at the Radha Krishna Temple
Our Vedic scriptures accord a lot of importance to offering Bhog to God whether at home or in a temple. We cook the food items for the Lord with a lot of love keeping in mind that He is hungry for the love of the devotees. When the food is cooked with the consciousness that the meal is for the pleasure of God, then our devotional sentiments attract His grace.
When the meal is cooked, we typically place all the items in a plate and offer it to God. Then we beseech Him to accept and eat the bhog. During the offering, we may sing the bhog geet or recite shlokas. The most important part is that after the offering is made, we partake of the food as remnants of God’s meal as Prasad or His grace.
Shree Krishna tells Arjun that those who offer Bhog to God first and then eat His Prasad, are released from sin, while those who eat food without offering it to Him first, commit sin.
यज्ञशिष्टाशिन: सन्तो मुच्यन्ते सर्वकिल्बिषै: |
भुञ्जते ते त्वघं पापा ये पचन्त्यात्मकारणात् || 13||
yajña-śhiṣhṭāśhinaḥ santo muchyante sarva-kilbiṣhaiḥ
bhuñjate te tvaghaṁ pāpā ye pachantyātma-kāraṇāt
BG 3.13: The spiritually-minded, who eat food that is first offered in sacrifice, are released from all kinds of sin. Others, who cook food for their own enjoyment, verily eat only sin.
Bhog Seva for God
The Radha Krishna Temple community now has the most wonderful opportunity to offer evening Bhog to our beloved Shree Radha-Krishna, Shree Sita-Ram and Shree Maharajji on any day of the week. This seva can be done either by cooking a meal from home and bringing it to the Temple or by sponsoring it (see the options below).
What You can Offer in Bhog
Even though our bhav or devotional sentiments are the most important, it is also important to keep a few things in mind when purchasing and preparing a meal for the divine personalities.
- Only cooked vegetarian items will be offered for Bhog. You can prepare a standard bhog meal that includes any form of bread (chappati, puri, paratha), vegetables (fresh or seasonal), rice (plain, pulao or any alternative), dal (pulses, beans legumes), yogurt in any form (raita or plain yogurt) and dessert (any sweet dish, fruits, confections).
- Please cook the meal without onions and garlic and keep it mildly spicey.
- As much as possible, please purchase the food items from a grocery store and cook the meal at home (instead of purchasing food from a restaurant or ordering it online).
When and Where to Bring the Food
- The Bhog items should be brought to the Temple latest by 6:00 PM.
- Please go to the Yugal Kunj canteen first and contact Kasturi ji. She will give you three sets of Bhog thalis and katoris.
- Transfer the food items into each set to be offered to Shree Radha-Krishna, Shree Sita-Ram and Shree Maharajji. Cover each food plate with another plate.
- You can carry the covered plates into the Prayer Hall upstairs. Place each thali as suggested in front of each of the Deities.
- When Pandit ji starts the Bhog Geet, please feel free to sing along. The Bhog Geet can be found in the books on the shelves in the Prayer Hall.
Bhog Seva Logistics
- Please sign-up for the seva on this web page ahead of time.
- Making a commitment to offer Bhog to God is a big seva. It is very critical to not cancel the seva because if you do, the Lords will not be able to receive their meal on time. If someone else has to prepare the meal at the last minute, both the Bhog and Aarti will be delayed and many devotees will be left without the opportunity for worship.
- In case of an emergency situation where you are unable to cook, please make the full effort to find a friend or acquaintance to prepare and deliver the meal on your behalf. Also, please immediately inform the person whose phone number is noted below about the alternate arrangements.
- Please know that the seva sponsorship cannot be refunded if the seva is cancelled at any time.
Bhog & Aarti Seva for God
In addition to the evening Bhog Seva, if you would also like to participate in the evening Aarti on the same day, you can take advantage of the discounted rate for both sevas (see options below).
Bhog Offering on Sunday Mahaprasad
You also have the option to sponsor Bhog (i.e., Mahaprasad) for the Sunday Satsang. The Temple offers Mahaprasad to all community members after Satsang. This sponsorship does not require you to cook the meals at home – just sign-up for sponsorship. The meal will be cooked in the Temple itself.
Bhog Seva Opportunities
| Seva Opportunities | USA & All Other ($) | India (Rs) |
|---|---|---|
| Aarti | $25 | Rs.500 |
| Bhog | $35 | Rs.700 |
| Bhog & Aarti | $51 | Rs.1001 |
| Fruits & Flowers | $101 | Rs.2001 |
| Sunday Mahaprasad | $251 | Rs.5001 |