INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

wheat pudding is placed in the physical presence of Guru Granth Sahib and before
the last lines of the Ardas prayer the speaker will verbally express the offering. "We
say this is the prashad for you, please accept it and we will give it to the sangat,” the
interlocutor exemplified. In same moment as these words (or formulations alike) are
uttered one devotee will cut a straight line over the pudding with his or her dagger
and thereby offer the food to the Guru and simultaneously have it approved by the
Guru. The reading of Ardas is considered a necessary speech vehicle to articulate and
confirm the action taking place, whereas the cutting of the dagger achieves the substantial
transformation by means of a symbolic act. The verb compound used for the
verbal and bodily acts in collegial speech is bhog lagana, which in a broader cultural
Indian context generally refers to the act of offering food to a deity and thereby sanctifying
it. 306 People will cut a line over the food with cutleries or other items to bless it
before consumption. In the Sikh tradition the notion of bhog lagana has come to signify
the crucial acts of making edible gifts “accepted” and blessed by the Guru. When the
offering is completed, one attendant will take out five portions of the karah prashad to
be served to the “five beloved” (panj pyare), representing the first five Sikhs who underwent
the Khalsa ceremony in 1699. If no men symbolizing the “five beloved” are
present, their share is simply re-mixed with the other food. A second portion of karah
prashad is taken out and presented to Guru Granth Sahib in a small steel cup and
subsequently given to the custodian of scripture (granthi) for consumption. Finally a
third and larger part of the consecrated pudding will be shared out amongst the congregation
and all people in attendance.
The concept and practice of bhog lagana also applies to food prepared in the
communal kitchens (langar) of gurdwaras. In addition to collective efforts of preparing
food while reciting the name of God (Satnam Vahiguru) and sharing food by sitting
on the floor in lines (pangat), the essential constituent of the ritual preparation of
langar is to offer pieces of food to the Guru Granth Sahib. Before concluding the Ardas
in congregational worship one attendant will present the scripture with a glass of
water and a plate (thali) with small representational portions of all the dishes to be
served. By dipping the tip of the dagger in the water and symbolically cutting a
straight line over the plate of food the meal is considered “accepted” by the Guru.
That the meals served in langar are not considered ordinary food is apparent from the
conventional rules of consumption. Devotees responsible for the public distribution
will continually recite the divine name as they serve the dishes on plates and before
the consumption loudly shout out the Sikh jaikara or salutation (Jo bole so nihal, Sat Sri
Akal). This signals the congregation’s joint approval to begin the meal. As a general
rule, one should eat up food given from the communal kitchen and try not to waste
leftovers, as it is a form of prashad with transformed properties. Since the tradition of
will transfer to the pudding. It is therefore important to continually meditate upon the divine
name – Vahiguru ‒ when mixing the different ingredients of karah prashad.
306
”to partake of food; to place food before (one); to offer food to an (idol).” McGregor 1997: 774.
Evers describes how Buddhist monks on Sri Lanka are offering food to Buddha three times a
day before they eat their meals (Evers 1972: 48 ‒ 55) .
148
Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008