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Prasāda (Sanskrit pronunciation:[pɽɐsaːdɐ],Sanskrit: प्रसाद),prasad orprasadam is a religious offering inHinduism. Most oftenPrasada is vegetarian food especially cooked for devotees after praise and thanksgiving to a god.Mahaprasada (also calledbhandarā),[1] is the consecrated food offered to the deity in aHindu temple which is then distributed and partaken by all the devotees regardless of any orientation.[2][3][4]

Prasada is closely linked to the termnaivedya, also speltnaivedhya,naibedya or naived(h)yam. The food offered to the deity is callednaivedya, while the sacred food sanctified and returned by the deity as a blessing is calledprasada.[citation needed]
Etymology
Prasāda is derived from the verbprasād which consists of the verb सद् (sad - to sit, dwell) which is prefixed with प्र (pra - before, afore, in front) and used as finite verb प्रसीदति (prasīdati - dwells, presides, pleases or favours etc.).[5] It denotes anything, typically food, that is first offered to adeity or saint and then distributed in His or Her name to their followers or others as a good sign.[6]
Practices
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Theprasada is to be consumed by attendees as a holy offering. The offerings may include cooked food,fruits and confectionery sweets. Vegetarian food is usually offered and later distributed to the devotees who are present in thetemple. Sometimes this vegetarian offering will exclude prohibited items such as garlic, onion, mushroom, etc.[2]
Non-vegetarian is prohibited in some of the temples. Offering of food items forms part of theupachara or services to a Hindu deity in many Hindu traditions but is not universal. Themurti (icon) is revered as a living entity who is offered food, fruits, and betelnut among others.
This can be considered to be a symbolic rather than a literal offering.
Tasting during preparation or eating thenaivedya food before offering it to the god is strictly forbidden.
In its material sense,prasada is created by a process of giving and receiving between a human devotee and the god. For example, a devotee makes an offering of a material substance such as flowers, fruits, orsweets. The deity then 'enjoys' or tastes a bit of the offering.[8] This now-divinely invested substance is calledprasada and is received by the devotee to be ingested, worn, etc. It may be the same material that was originally offered or material offered by others and then re-distributed to other devotees. In many temples, several kinds ofprasada (e.g., nuts, sweets) are distributed to the devotees.[citation needed]
Offering food and subsequently receivingprasada is central to the practice ofpuja.[8] Any food that is offered either physically to the image of the god or silently in prayer is consideredprasada.[9]
In Sikhism,karah parshad is served to the congregation after prayer and reading of scripture.[10] Parshad represents the same values aslangar in that it is served indiscriminately.[citation needed]
Kurukshetra Prasadam (Channa laddu) in48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra,Tirupati Laddu andMathura peda in theBraj Parikrama aregeo-specialty prasada.[11]
References
- ^Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech, 2014,The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies
- ^abChitrita Banerji, 2010,Eating India: Exploring the Food and Culture of the Land of Spices.
- ^Subhakanta Behera, 2002,Construction of an identity discourse: Oriya literature and the Jagannath lovers (1866–1936), pp. 140–177.
- ^Susan Pattinson, 2011,The Final Journey: Complete Hospice Care for the Departing Vaishnavas, pp. 220.
- ^Apte, Vaman Shivaram (1992).The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Kyoto, Japan: Rinsen Book Company.ISBN 4653000387.
- ^Natu, Bal,Glimpses of the God-Man, Meher Baba, Sheriar Press, 1987
- ^Mukundananda, Swami."Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 2, Verse 64". Retrieved2021-04-11.
- ^abHawley, John (2006).The Life of Hinduism. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. p. 13.ISBN 9780520249141.
- ^"Prasada | Hinduism".Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved2021-05-12.
- ^Bhatia, Harbans Singh; Bakshi, Shiri Ram (1999).Religious Traditions of the Sikhs. Deep & Deep Publications.ISBN 978-81-7629-132-3.
- ^Chana laddoo to be ‘Kurukshetra prasadam’, The Tribune, 1 March 2020.