Sai Kirtan Group - Food Prayer

Food Prayer

Before we partake of our daily meals we first sprinkle water around the plate as an act of purification. Five morsels of food are placed on the side of the plate acknowledging the debt owed by us to the Divine forces (devta runa) for their benign grace and protection; our ancestors (pitru runa) for giving us their lineage and a family culture; the sages (rishi runa) as our religion and culture have been "realised", maintained and handed down to us by them; our fellow beings (manushya runa) who constitute society without the support of which we could not live as we do and other living beings (bhuta runa) for serving us selflessly. Thereafter the Lord, the life force, who is also within us as the five life-giving physiological functions, is offered the food. This is done with the chant:

praanaaya swaahaa,
apaanaaya swaahaa,
vyaanaaya swaahaa,
udaanaaya swaahaa,
samaanaaya swaahaa,
brahmane swaahaa

In addition to the above mantra the following prayer is also said before each meal. This mantra is also the mantra said in the three canteens/cafeterias at Prasanthi Nilayam.

Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir Brahmagnau Brahmana Hutam Brahmaiva Tena Ghantavyam Brahmakarma Samadhinaha	The act of offering is God, the oblation is God By God it is offered into the Fire of God God is That which is to be attained by him who sees God in all
Aham Vaishvanaro Bhutva Praninaam Dehamaa Ashritaha Prana Pana Samayuktah Pachamyannam Chaturvidham	Becoming the life-fire in the bodies of living beings mingling with the upward and downward breaths, I digest the four kinds of food.

The two verses are from the Bhagavad Gita: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter IV, verse 24,
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter XV, verse 14.