Prasad
Prasad ( Sanskrit प्रसाद Prasada , literally, mercy, mercy ') or (in South India) prasadam is called in Hinduism especially the food offerings in the temple or in the home. In a broader sense, Prasad also denotes other objects that are afflicted with divine blessing power.
description
During the puja , the Hindu ritual worship of the deity, or during a short devotion, the priest or the believer places food as offerings on the altar. These must meet certain purity requirements: they are usually strictly vegetarian, must not contain any eggs, onions or garlic and must be freshly prepared under particularly clean conditions with regard to the kitchen, dishes and cooks or housewives.
Temple visitors bring food, especially sweets and fruits, which they offer to the priest, who then gives back the now blessed Prasad . In many temples, prasad is distributed to everyone, or only to monks or to the poor, depending on the respective customs. Believers eat from it trusting God's special grace and blessings through this 'holy food'. Those who visit the temple often bring something back to those who stayed at home.
Prasad is also an important part of religious practice for many Hindus at home : For daily prayer , food is placed on the altar, either fruit, sweets or cooked food, and it is sacrificed with prayer and song. Each family member receives part of it. In some families it is customary to sacrifice a small portion of each meal first and then mix it with the rest. In this way, every meal is consumed as a prasad .
A special Prasad is Charanamrita , as well as Mahasnana-jala or Panchamrita . The term amrita , nectar, makes the appreciation clear: Traditionally, the statue of the divine is 'bathed' in the temple every day, usually only symbolically with a few drops. This 'bath water', Mahasnana-jala , is valued as particularly beneficial. The same applies to Charanamrita , the water with which the feet ( Charan ) of the divine were ritually washed. Hindus drink it in small amounts for spiritual purification. In every puja one sacrifices panchamrita , a mixture of five ( panch ) ingredients: milk, yogurt, butter, honey, sugar. The believers also drink a few drops of this nectar from their hand.
Among particularly religious Hindus, such as the followers of the Hare Krishna movement , it is considered desirable to subsist exclusively on Prasad. When Mata Amritanandamayi embraces everyone who is hugged she receives a candy as a prasad. Her followers sell saris that Mata Amritanandamayi himself wore as "Amma's Prasad", as well as bedclothes, Tulsi necklaces and stones.
