How to offer food to Krishna?

Answer

Preparing and offering food to the Lord shows Him our devotion and gratitude. Krishna doesn't need to eat, of course, but He accepts the love with which we offer food to Him.

As far as possible, use fresh, natural ingredients for cooking. Krishna accepts only vegetarian food, and packaged, store-bought products may contain meat, fish, or eggs. So read labels carefully.

Cleanliness is important in cooking for Krishna. Wash your hands before you begin. And donÂ’t taste the food while cooking; the meal is for KrishnaÂ’s pleasure, so He should taste it first.

ItÂ’s best to have a new set of dinnerware used only for KrishnaÂ’s offerings and not used by anyone else.

Place the plate in front of Krishna and ask Him to accept the offering. (There are also prayers one can chant. See below.) Leave the plate there for a few minutes, just as you would if someone else was eating.

Remove the plate, transfer the food to a serving plate, and wash Krishna’s dinnerware. The food is now prasadam, or “mercy” from Krishna.

While you eat, consider the spiritual value of the food; because Krishna has accepted it, it is spiritually identical to Him. Therefore by eating prasadam you become purified.

Everything you offer Krishna becomes spiritualized prasadam—flowers, incense, water, food. All prasadam should be respected and shared with others. Spread the mercy around.

Prayers for Offering Food to Krishna
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesha-sunyavadi-paschatya-desa-tarine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Chaitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.

namo maha-vadanyaya
krishna-prema-pradaya te
krishnaya krishna-chaitanya-
namne gaura-tvishe namah

O most munificent incarnation! You are Krishna Himself appearing as Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krishna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.

namo brahmanya-devaya
go-brahmana-hitaya ca
jagad-dhitaya krishnaya
govindaya namo namah

My Lord, You are the well-wisher of the cows and the brahmanas, and You are the well-wisher of the entire human society and world.

Hare Krishna! Have no fear. I have been studying a number of years myself and feel like a spiritual klutz. But Krishna is with you every step of the way. I also don't have, or know how to obtain a guru but I figure it will all happen in Krishna's time. It's important to read Srila Prabhupada's books as often as possible and to chant your rounds as much as possible. I am a father of three and work as well so i know the value of time. Check out the book "Higher Taste" put out by the BBT, they have an awesome chapter on making a small alter in your home. It can be as simple as a picture of Srila Prabhupada, Krishna, and Caitanya. I like to use an inexpensive bell, and a few dishes specifically for Krishna's use. My daughter loves leaving Him flowers. This Krishna Consciousness thing can be a bit overwhelming but just take it a step at a time and things slowly unfold. For a small ammount of effort and awareness in this life will help you leaps and bounds in the life to come. Hare Krishna! And good luck.