Naivedyam

We all offer many things to God out of faith in Him. Food offered is called Naivedyam in Indian languages. Is the offering what we make accepted by God? We have no way to know it really. The Naivedyam placed in front of the deity remains as it is. Then how can we say God ate the Naivedyam and be sure of it! Here, an attempt is made to clear the doubt about Neivedyam to God. 

"Will God come and eat our offerings?"  A student asked his Religious Teacher.

"Why this doubt, my dear ?"

"If God eats away the 'prasadham' we offered, then from where we get it to distribute to devotees? Does God really consume the 'prasadham', Guruji?"

The Guru did not say anything on . Instead, asked the student to prepare for classes.

That day, the Guru was teaching his class about the 'Upanishads'. He taught them the 'mantra': 
പൂർണ്ണമദഃ  പൂർണ്ണമിദം പൂർണ്ണാൽ പൂർണ്ണമുദച്യതേ 
പൂർണസ്യ  പൂർണ്ണമാദായ  പൂർണ്ണമേവാവശിഷ്യതേ. "
("poornamada , poornamidam, poornnaal  poornnamduhcyathe 
poornasya poornaadaaya poornamevaavasishyathe.")

Then the meaning was explained:

That (Brahman, the cause) is Whole. This (jagat, the effect) is Whole. From That Whole (Brahman, the cause),

this whole (jagat, the effect) has come about. This whole (jagat, the effect) having come from That Whole (Brahman, the cause), Whole (Brahman, which is neither cause nor effect) alone remains. (Brhadäranyaka Upanishad- V.1.1)


Later, everyone was instructed to practice the mantra by-heart. So all the boys started practicing. After a while, the Guru came back and asked that the very student who had raised his doubt about Neivedyam to recite the mantra without seeing the book,  which he did.

Now the Guru smiled. Asked this particular student who doubt in God he wants to clear:

"Did you really memorize everything as it is in the book?"

Student said: "yes Guruji, I've recited  the same whatever is written there in the book.

The Guru asked: "If you have taken every word into your mind then how come the words are still there in the book "

He then explained: "The words in your mind are in the SOOKSHMA STHITI (unseen form). The words in the book are there in the STOOLASTHITI (seen). God too is in the 'sooksma sthiti'. The offering made to Him is done in 'stoola sthiti'. Thus, God takes the food in 'sookshmam', in sookshma stithi. Hence the food doesn't become any less in quantity.

While GOD takes it in the "sookshma sthiti",  we take it as 'prasadam' in 'sthoola sthiti'.

Thus cleared the doubt of student.