PART - 2

Om Srim Anna Puraneswaryai Namah !!

Food gives everything for sustaining the life.  First it gives the Jivath Jiva or the life to the living.  Then it gives different forms of Sakthi – like the energy to move around, energy to think – Gyana, energy to pro-create, energy to defend, energy to destroy etc.  Hence, food assumes a greater role whenever any auspicious function is held in a temple or house.

If any auspicious function is held in a temple or house, food has to be served.  Without serving food, no auspicious function is said to be complete.  Even in Srimad Bagawat Gita, Lord Krishna says that He will not be present in an auspicious function, if no food distribution is done.  The Boga given to the Lord should be amply distributed to the devotees present in any function.  The Lord feels happy only if His devotees are fed well.

How is the serving of the food to be done?  Many people give their own opinion on the quantity and quality of the food that is served.  But the scriptures say –

•    Food has to be served to the extent that the taker has consumed to his maximum. 
•     Food has to be of good quality, not old and stale and cold ones. 
•     Food has to be served in humble way that would be pleasing to the taker.
•     Food has to be served in a clean place
•     Food that is served should have been made in a clean place
•     Food should be made by clean people without any contaminating ailments
•     Food that is offered to God and as Anna Dhanam, should be prepared by men, and if by ladies they should not be in their menstrual periods during the preparations.
•     Food that is offered to God should not be prepared by people who are running the untouchable period due to the death or birth of anyone in their family.

The Vedas say, any auspicious function is said to be complete only after the food distribution is done.  Let it be a Satsang or a festival in a temple, or a guest visiting our home or the Pitru Karma, or any spiritual gathering, at the closing of the ceremony food distribution has to be done.  It is immaterial to how many people the food is served. Let it be one person, few people or any number, all of them should be served adequate food.  But there has to be people, other than the family members and servants, present to partake the food that is distributed.

Traditionally food distribution was done as it alone could make the people satisfied.  Any amount of money or gifts will not make the people satisfied.  So the host used to feed the people with variety of food in ample quantity.  There is a limit for anyone to consume food.  Once he is full, he will be happy and satisfied.  So at the time of leaving the place, the guests would be satisfied at least on one count – the food they ate.  This was one of the best ways adopted from time immemorial, to get the blessings of the guests present in any function.

In the later editions we will see how the Vedas interpret the food, the difference between the food consumed by people living and offered to the departed souls, the food offered to the Gods as Boga etc.

HARI OM !!

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