Pratar Bhoga Offering and Sringara Arati

Start Preparation: 7:45 AM

Finish Service: 8:45 AM

1. Enter püjäré room at 7:45 AM

2. Perform äcamana. (See details Acamana ‐ Sipping Water for Purification).

 Perform äcamana.
 Sprinkle some water on your head.

3. Now chant the following mantra from the Åg Veda Saàhitä while showing the praëäma-mudra
(palms together in front of your heart):

oà tad viñëoù paramaà padaà

sadä paçyanti sürayaù
divéva cakñur-ätatam
tad vipräso vipanyavo
jägåvaà saù samindhate
viñëor yat paramaà padam

“Just as those with ordinary vision see the sun’s rays in the sky, so the wise and learned devotees
always see the supreme abode of Lord Viñëu. Because those highly praiseworthy and spiritually
awake brähmaëas can see that abode, they can also reveal it to others.”

4. While bowing down, first offer obeisances to your spiritual master, requesting his blessings to
worship the Lord and then offer your obeisances to the deities.
Chant:
nama oà viñëu-pädäya kåñëa-preñöhäya bhü-tale
çrémate [spiritual master’s name] iti nämine

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto [spiritual master’s name], who is very dear to Lord
Kåñëa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.”
5. Wipe counter surfaces and begin making the offering plates, placing a tulasi leaf on each
preparation (see diagram 6). Quantity of items offered on each plate should be of any numbers,
except three of anything. Liquid and semi-liquid items should be offered in single bowls, e.g. fruit
salad, sabji, etc. Also prepare the salt and pepper shakers.

6. At 8:00 AM before entering the deity room, draw the Lord’s attention by ringing the doorbell or
clapping your hands three times, outside altar door and enter with right foot first whilst saying,

“Jaya Sri Sri Guru Gauranga, Jagannath-Baldeva-Subhadra, Radha-Madhav ki jaya!”

7. Ring bell and close altar curtains.

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 8. Wipe äraté table with altar surface cloth

9. Set up tables and cushions.

10. Rinse altar surface cloth and wipe off the table surfaces, and wash your hands.
 
11. Place your spiritual master’s picture on assigned place (if you are a grand-disciple of
Srila Prabhupada).
 
12. Draw the attention of your spiritual master by placing flowers before him (puñpäïjali) while
chanting eña puñpäïjaliù and the guru-müla-mantra. Then, meditating on your spiritual master's
service to the previous äcäryas, show the praëäma-mudrä (joined palms),
and chant:
çré guro paramänanda premänanda phala prada
vrajanända pradänanda seväyäà mä niyojaya
“My dear spiritual master, who give the fruit of the highest bliss-the bliss of love of Godhead-
please engage me in the blissful service of Çré Kåñëa, who bestows bliss upon the land of Vraja.”
 
13. At 8:10 AM, bring in the plate(s) for the bhoga offering and place on the table(s) (RM first, JBS
next, then GN). Then while lightly sprinkling each plate with a few drops of samänya-arghya water
from your right hand, chant: oà asträya phaö once for each plate.
 
14. Next, while showing the béjäkñara-mudrä, chant the deity müla-mantra eight times for each deity
over the appropriate plate: Over each plate, hold your left hand over your right (palms down) and
count the recitations of the müla-mantra with the fingers of your right hand, as if chanting Gäyatré.
(If a single plate is meant for more than one deity, chant the müla-mantra for the main deity of that
group. For example, if you are offering bhoga to Lord Jagannätha, Çrématé Subhadrä, and Lord
Balaräma on one plate, chant kléà kåñëäya namaù. If all the Deities are sharing one plate, chant the
müla-mantra for the main deity.)
 
15. Purify your äsana that is placed in front, on the right side of Lord Nityananda, with three drops of
water from the äcamana cup.

 Sitting on your äsana and ringing a bell with your left hand, draw Their Lordships’ attention
by offering a few flower petals at Their lotus feet (Substitute water from the païca-pätra for
flower petals if necessary, holding a spoonful of water toward each personality and then
discarding it in the visarjanéya-pätra; or simply offer Them flower petals in the mind.) in
following order (RM first, JBS next, then GN) while chanting eña puñpäïjaliù and the müla-
mantra for each deity
 Invite Their Lordships to take Their meal with a gesture of the hands motioning Them to the
äsanas. Chanting
idam äsanam and the müla-mantra for each deity.
 While ringing a bell with your left hand, offer both padya and äcamana to each deity, starting
with RM, JBS next, then GN while chanting:
etat pädyam and the müla-mantra for each deity;

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 idam äcamanéyam and the müla-mantra for each deity.

 With a hand gesture offer the bhoga to each deity (starting with RM, JBS next, then GN),
showing the plate(s):
idaà naivedyam and the deity müla-mantra;
idaà pänéyam and the deity müla-mantra.

 Pour each spoonful of offered padya and äcamana water into the visarjanéya-pätra.
16. Chant the pranäma prayer(s) to your spiritual master three times each, begging permission to
assist him in serving the Deities:

nama oà viñëu-pädäya krñëa-preñöhäya bhü-tale

çréàate [spiritual master’s name] iti nämine

 Chant the pranäma prayer to Śrīla Prabhupāda three times:

nama oà viñëu-pädäya krñëa-preñöhäya bhü-tale

çréàate bhaktivedanta-svämin iti nämine

 Chant the following prayer to Lord Caitanya three times, requesting His mercy:

namo mahä-vadänyäya kåñëa-prema-pradäya te

kåñëäya kåñëa-caitanya-nämne gaura-tviñe namaù

 Chant the following prayers three times, offering respect to Lord Kåñëa:

namo brahmaëya-deväya go-brähmaëa-hitäya ca

jagad-dhitäya kåñëäya govindäya namo namaù

17. Leave the deity room and chant the Gäyatré mantras. (Once you leave the deity room, you should
not go back until the Lord has finished eating.)

18. The offering stays on the altar for 15 minutes, until 8:25 AM
 
19. Meditate on the Lord eating. While the Lord eats, begin setting up the äraté tray. (This is a dhupa-
äraté).
 
20. Set up the small äraté tray as follows:
 Three sticks of incense in an incense holder
 Flowers on a plate

***Other items such as the peacock fan, cämara, bell and blowing conch are already in the deity room.
The peacock fan is offered only in warm weather that is, from Akshaya Tritiya to Kartik Purnima.
21. At 8:25 am ring bell by altar door and enter the deity room while chanting the names of the
Deities. Do the following:

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  Sitting on äsana and ringing a bell with your left hand, offer water for cleaning hands and
face. Begin with the RM, then JBS and GN. Then chant:

etat padyam and the müla-mantra for each deity;

idam äcamanéyam and the müla-mantra for each deity.

 While meditating on escorting Their Lordships back to the altar, indicating the way with a
gesture of your hands, chant:

idam äsanam and the müla-mantra for each deity.

22. Offer the Lord’s prasäda remnants to His associates, to Śrīla Prabhupāda and your spiritual master.
As you do this, say:
idaà mahä-prasadam aim gurave namaù
idaà mahä-prasädam oà parama-gurave namaù
idaà mahä-prasädam oà säìgopängästra-pärñadebhyo namaù

23. Finally, take the plates into the püjäré room and place on sink counter for cook to transfer (RM
first, then JBS, then GN).

24. Put away the äsanas.

25. Wipe off tables with freshly rinsed altar surface cloth.

26. Bring äraté tray with paraphernalia and place them in the order of offering.

27. Undo Velcro on curtains.

28. Äraté begins at exactly 8:30 AM. Begin by blowing the conch very softly because of Srimad
Bhagavatam class going on.

Sringara Arati
 Step out in front of closed curtains. Pick up blowing conch with the right hand and the water pot in
the left hand. (Water pot and blowing conch is placed on a table just in front of altar curtain.) Rinse
the conch off over a receptacle placed on the floor for that purpose. Blow the conch with three spurts,
standing with your left side to the altar. (Do not face your back to the Deities). Then rinse the conch
as before and place it on its stand.
 Next wash your hands with water from the païca-pätra (äcamana cup) and open the curtain while
ringing the bell.

 Secure curtains with tiebacks.

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 Offering Procedure
 Before each article is offered in an äraté, the right hand is purified with three drops of water from
the païca-pätra (äcamana cup). Each article is then purified in the same way.

 Stand to the left of the altar (as viewed from the temple room-not hidden entirely from view but
also not distracting by your presence i.e. Do not move backwards and forwards if the Deities are
not fully visible. You should meditate on the parts you cannot see).

 While standing on an äsana and ringing a bell with your left hand (above waist level), present each
item first to your spiritual master by waving it in three graceful circles, then to Śrīla Prabhupāda in
the same manner.

 Then with the consciousness that you are offering it on behalf of your spiritual master and with the
blessings of Srila Prabhupada, offer it with the full number of circles to the Deities in the following
order:

Lord Madhav full number of circles

Srimati Radharani full number of circles
Lord Jagannatha full number of circles
Lord Baldeva full number of circles
Srimati Subhadra full number of circles
Sudarçana three circles
Lord Caitanya full number of circles
Nityananda full number of circles
Lord Narsimha three circles
Pancha-tatva Seven circles
Tulasi Devi three circles
Guru-parampara - senior to junior three circles
Assembled devotees one circle

*** Try to gauge the time for offering each item so that you can offer the cämara and fan gracefully a
moderate number of times before concluding the äraté.

 Äraté paraphernalia should be offered gracefully, in a meditative mood.

 When offering each item, say softly the name of the item and the appropriate müla-mantra of the
deity being worshipped. Or simply say to each personality, "Please accept this offering of [incense,
lamps, etc.]

 Offered items should not be mixed with unoffered items. You may place offered items back on the
plate that was used to bring in the paraphernalia, provided no unoffered paraphernalia remains on
it.

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 How to Offer Each Item
Offer following items, by moving them in clockwise circles while ringing a bell with your left hand
(above waist level), fixing your attention on the Deities.
 Incense: offer (with the holder) seven circles around the whole body of the Lord, saying softly:
eña dhüpaù and the müla-mantra of the deity being worshipped.
 Flowers: offer seven times around the Lord’s body, saying softly:
etäni puñpäni and the müla-mantra of the deity being worshipped. (idaà puñpam if offering a single
flower).
 Cämara: wave before the Lord a suitable number of times depending on how much time you have,
saying softly:
eñä cämara-sevä and the müla-mantra of the deity being worshipped.
 Fan: wave before the Lord a suitable number of times (as for cämara), saying softly:
eñä vyajana-sevä and the müla-mantra of the deity being worshipped.
*** The peacock fan is offered only in warm weather, that is, from Akshaya Tritiya to Kartik Purnima

Completing the Ärati

 The äraté should finish at 8:30 am by blowing the conch three times in front of the curtains, as at
the beginning of the äraté. Pick up blowing conch with the right hand and the water pot in the left
hand. (Water pot and blowing conch is placed on a stand just in front of altar curtain.) Rinse the
conch off over a receptacle placed there for that purpose and blow the conch with three short spurts.
Your left side should be towards the Deities (do not face your back to the Deities). Then rinse the
conch as before and replace it on conch stand.
1. Go to the äsana and stand on it.
2. Then with joined palms offer praëäma prayers softly to your spiritual master and Their Lordships.
3. After this one should collect all the äraté utensils on a tray and take them to the püjäré room.
4. Wipe the altar äraté table with the altar surface cloth. Close the altar gates and lock up. Wipe the
floor with the altar floor cloth. Rinse cloth and hang on rack.
5. Wash hands.
6. Leave the deity room taking your spiritual master’s picture out with you (if you are a grand-disciple
of Srila Prabhupada).
7. Now, chant the mantras for forgiveness for one’s offenses that might have been committed during
the püjä. Then offer obeisances.
8. Wash, dry and put away äraté paraphernalia in assigned area.
9. Sweep and wipe püjäré room floor.
10. You may now leave the püjäré room.

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