This is a standard procedure for offering food to the deity that may be used for the various offerings during the day.

The following items should be present:

a small bell on a plate

1. an acamana cup containing fresh water and a spoon
2. padya and acamana water, each in a bowl or dish with a spoon
3. a throw-out pot
4. some arrangement for the bhoga plate(s)—preferably low tables
5. cushions (asanas) for your spiritual master and the deities
6. the food (bhoga) offering
7. a mat (asana) for you to sit on
8. a picture of your spiritual master (if you
9. are not a diksha disciple of Srila Prabhupada)

Preliminary activities

• Outside the deity room, while sitting on a mat, perform acamana then offer obeisances to your spiritual master and the deities, saying their pranama prayers. Request your spiritual master’s permission to assist him serving the deities.
• Enter the deity room after ringing a bell, knocking on the deity room door, or clapping your hands, and chanting the names of the deities.
• Clean the offering area, wash your hands, arrange the eating places (tables, cushions, etc.), and wipe off the table surfaces.
• Chant esa puspanjalih and the guru-mula-mantra, and draw your spiritual master’s attention by offering a few flower petals to his feet, begging his permission to serve the deities. (If necessary, for the flower petals you may substitute samanya-arghya water from the panca-patra.) Then chant:

sri-guro paramananda premananda phala-prada
vrajananda-pradananda-sevayam mam niyojaya

My dear spiritual master, who gives the fruit of the highest bliss—the bliss of love of Godhead—please engage me in the blissful service of Sri Krsna, who bestows bliss upon the land of Vraja.

Chant idam asanam and the guru-mula-mantra, and offer your spiritual master a sitting place (asana).

Purifying the bhoga

• Bring in the plate(s) for the bhoga offering and place it (them) on the table(s). Then while lightly sprinkling each plate with a few drops of samanya-arghya water from your right hand, chant:

om astraya phat once for each plate.

• Next, chant the mula-mantra eight times for each deity over the appropriate plate.
• If you did not already put tulasi on the bhoga preparations in the kitchen, do so now.

Inviting the Lord to Take His Meal

In ascending order invite the deities to take Their meal. While doing this chant:

idam asanam and the mula-mantra for each deity.

• While sitting on an asana and ringing a bell with your left hand, offer both padya (water for washing feet) and acamana (water for sipping) to your spiritual master and then to each deity, starting with Lord Caitanya and His associates and progressing to Krishna and His associates. While doing this chant:

etat padyam and the guru-mula-mantra
idam acamaniyam and the guru-mula-mantra

Offering the Bhoga

• Offer the bhoga and drinking water with a hand gesture to each deity, showing the plate(s).

idam naivedyam and the deity mula-mantra;
idam paniyam and the deity mula-mantra.

• While ringing a bell, chant the pranama prayer(s) to your spiritual master three times, begging permission to assist him in serving the deities:

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate [your spiritual master’s name] iti namine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto [your spiritual master’s name], who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

• Chant the following prayers to Srila Prabhupada three times, re- questing his mercy:

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine