Bhoga-arpaṇa mantras
Offering Mantras
भोग अर्पण मन्त्र
Prayers recited while offering food to Krishna. Each mantra is chanted three times.
- Author
- Traditional
- Source
- ISKCON food offering prayers
- Language
- Sanskrit
- Mantra 1
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine
नम ॐ विष्णुपादाय कृष्णप्रेष्ठाय भूतले श्रीमते भक्तिवेदान्तस्वामिन् इति नामिने नमस्ते सारस्वते देवे गौरवाणीप्रचारिणे निर्विशेषशून्यवादिपाश्चात्यदेशतारिणे
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
- Mantra 2
namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah
नमो महावदान्याय कृष्णप्रेमप्रदाय ते कृष्णाय कृष्णचैतन्यनाम्ने गौरत्विषे नमः
O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṇa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṇa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.
- Mantra 3
namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya namo namaḥ
namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca jagad-dhitaya krsnaya govindaya namo namah
नमो ब्रह्मण्यदेवाय गोब्राह्मणहिताय च जगद्धिताय कृष्णाय गोविन्दाय नमो नमः
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the worshipable Deity for all brahminical men, who is the well-wisher of cows and brāhmaṇas, and who is always benefiting the whole world. I offer my repeated obeisances to the Personality of Godhead, known as Kṛṣṇa and Govinda.
- Mantra 4
jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
jaya sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda
जय श्रीकृष्णचैतन्य प्रभुनित्यानन्द श्रीअद्वैत गदाधर श्रीवासादिगौरभक्तवृन्द
I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion.
- Mantra 5
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare
hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे
The word Harā is the form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Kṛṣṇa and Rāma are forms of addressing the Lord Himself. Both Kṛṣṇa and Rāma mean "the supreme pleasure," and Harā is the supreme pleasure energy of the Lord, changed to Hare in the vocative. The supreme pleasure energy of the Lord helps us to reach the Lord.
About these mantras
This is the usual ISKCON sequence for offering cooked food (bhoga) to Krishna. Recite each of the five prayers three times, in this order, then leave the plate a short while as offered. After that the food is prasāda. Some homes use only the spiritual-master praṇāma, the Caitanya praṇāma, and namo brahmaṇya-devāya.
Summary
Food is offered so Krishna eats first. The plate is not a snack you blessed with a wave. These mantras ask that He accept it, and they name who makes that possible.
You start with the spiritual master. In this line that is A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The first couplet says he is dear to Krishna and has taken shelter at His feet. The second says he preaches Caitanya's message and pulls the West out of impersonalist and voidist talk. Without that shelter, the offering is just cooking.
Then Caitanya. The verse calls Him the most generous avatara: Krishna Himself, gold like Radha, handing out Krishna-prema. Krishna accepts the plate through that gift.
Then the actual offering verse, from Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.19.65, which Caitanya-caritāmṛta quotes. Krishna is the Deity of brahminical people, the well-wisher of cows and brāhmaṇas, and the one who does good to the whole world. Govinda is the same person. That is why the kitchen matters: what you cook, and whether it is fit for Him, is part of how you treat cows, priests, and everyone else at the table.
The Pañca-tattva names Caitanya with Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara, and Srivasa plus the rest of the devotees. The Hare Krishna mahā-mantra is the last pass. You are not sending the food to a vague sky. You are calling the Lord by name.
Three times each is the common temple count. Same prayers at home, even if the plate is small.
Mantra FAQ
How do you offer food to Krishna with these mantras?
- Place the cooked vegetarian food before the Deity or a picture of Krishna. Recite each of the five prayers three times, in the order on this page. Wait a few minutes, then take the plate as prasāda. Water, fruit, or a simple cooked meal can be offered the same way.
Why is each offering mantra chanted three times?
- Three recitations is the usual ISKCON temple count for bhoga offering. It is a complete pass of the sequence, not a rule from the Viṣṇu Purāṇa verse itself. If you are new, the same order once is still an offering; the *3 is how most temples do it.