Does God Eat the offered food?

An Annakoot Mahotsav was going on in the revered presence of Guru. A Variety of food was being offered to Lord Shree Krishna. Everyone was engaged in devotion with great sentiments. A college-going young boy- a novice on the path of devotion with his intellect yet weighing the divinity, was also observing everything. The ceremony was going on very well.

After the Puja was over, the pujari announced that all the devotees must accept the prasadam and only then leave. That young boy saw that not a single thing was consumed by God and even then everyone was accepting the prasadam with great sentiments. His intellect started itching. He could not resist and went straight to His Guru. He asked his Guru, "This is something that I cannot digest. We keep offering food to God and nothing is consumed by Him. Does God really eat? or are we just doing a drama in the name of traditions?"

The enlightened Guru understood the plight of the intellectual beginners and responded to the devotee with compassion.

He told him to bring a rose garland and a weighing scale. He couldn’t understand the purpose but did it never the less. He brought a garland and weighing scale.

The Guru told him to weigh the garland. He did so and told the exact weight of rose garland. It was exactly 700 gms.

Then the Guru told him to smell the garland. He did so. The Guru told him to smell it as much as possible, again and again. He followed the words of Guru. It seemed like his entire existence was filled with the aroma of roses!

Now the Guru told him to weigh the garland again. He weighed it.

The Guru asked him, "Is there any difference in the weight?"

He said, "No, it is the same."

Now his Guru explained the answer, "You smelled so much of the fragrance of these roses but not a bit of its weight is reduced by that. Similarly, God does eat the offered food- not physically, but he accepts the sentiments poured in them. He is omniscient. Right from the stage of mere thought when you wish to offer something to God, He starts accepting your sentiments. The varieties you choose, the quality of ingredients you buy, the way you prepare varieties, the way you present food, the way you offer them and the way you keep faith in this entire ceremony- everything is observed by God and He starts relishing your offerings right from the time when you conceived the thought of those offerings. So, apparently, nothing is consumed by Him but yet the entire food becomes divine prasadam. and when you eat that prasadam, it spreads devotion in your entire inner system. The more sensitive you are to these, the more divinity you would experience within.”