Divine delights

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: liquor when they worship Shakti and yet others offer non vegetarian food too. New ingredients like potatoes, tapioca, sago have found their way into worship. These were not used until the 19th or the beginning of the 20th century. Food items remain the same though ingredients change depending on what is cultivated and available in a particular region. For instance, modak in the Konkan region of Maharashtra is made with rice flour, coconut and then steamed; whereas in other parts like Desh and Ghat regions of Maharashtra, it is made with maida, semolina, khus khus and then fried.”

God’s food

Do gods need food? “gods always eat. They need sustenance. When food is offered to god, the implicit idea is that ‘You are my guest. I am going to offer food to you.’ Hence, the idea of Bhog, informs Pattanaik.

At Mumbai’s ISKCON temple for instance, the god is fed six times a day. He is woken up at 4.25 am and placed in front is a platter of different fruits and sweetmeats. “We want the Lord to be happy as He opens His eyes and sees sweets that He loves,” says S T Das, a priest. This is reminiscent of how the Lord’s mother, Yashoda would wake him up at Vrindavan, he adds.

According to the scriptures, Panchratra in particular refers to the methodology to deity or idol worship, informs Yadupati, a priest at ISCKON. A devotee likens god to a person, he says. “god has His desires, likes and dislikes. That is why vegetarian food is offered to god. Onions and garlic are avoided as they are considered an aphrosidiac.”

Food and violence

It is a misnomer, says Pattanaik, that most gods eat vegetarian food. For vegetarianism does not rule out killing. Plants are cut to make food. “Food can’t be cooked without destroying something. It is a violent act — ingredients needed for cooking have to be cut, chopped, pounded, roasted, boiled, et al. All this is required for sustenance. Thus, it is not life giving. It sustains life by giving up life,” says Pattanaik.