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Most of the Hindus in India follow the practice of offering food to God

before they eat it. Once the food is offered part of it is taken as holy prasadham from the Lord. The Brahmins follow this folklore and in the temples the traditional custom of offering naivedyam (food) to the Lord after the daily ritualistic poojas is very common. The Lord is benevolent and has unlimited power and has total knowledge about everything. Human beings are only a part of the Lord for only he is complete. Whatever man does is only by the strength and knowledge of God. Thus all that we receive in our life is the result of God alone and nothing else. So man tries to extend his acknowledgement to the Almighty by offering food to him with reverence.

Food is Eaten Happily and the Way it is

-There is a saying in Hindi language, "tera tujko arpan" which means " I offer what is yours to you and after whatever is given to us is by the gracious God through his divine blessings". Once when people get to know this fact it changes the idea of food and how it has to be eaten. After realizing this food we eat will look pure and clean and automatically we try to share and eat it with others. Once the value of the food and the source is known then we don't urge the requirement, express dissatisfaction or criticize the quality of the food we get. The food is eaten happily and the way it is.

Matter of Purification of the Food We Eat

-As a matter of purification of the food we eat, it is a custom to sprinkle water around the plate or rather the food we eat. Five mouthful of food are placed on the side of the plate accepting the obligation owed by us to the Divine forces or the devta runa for their kind, grace and protection, followed by our ancestors or the pitru runa for giving us their parentage and a family culture. We also thank the rishi runa or the sages for realizing and maintaining our religion and culture that is been maintained and transformed to us. Then comes our fellow beings or the manushya runa who constitute society without the support of which we could not live as we do.

Lord Who Resides in Our Soul as Five Life-Giving Physiological Functions

-Finally we thank the other living beings or the bhuta runa for serving us selflessly. Once these acknowledgements are done to the Lord who resides in our soul as five life-giving physiological functions, then the food is offered with a common chant, "praanaaya swaahaa, apaanaaya swaahaa, vyaanaaya swaahaa, udaanaaya swaahaa, samaanaaya swaahaa, brahmane swaahaa". Thus with the chanting of the above mantra the food is consumed after offering to God.