Meanings of Offerings – Bhakal

Meanings of Offerings

1)    Any offering made to a deity is the symbolic offering of life of a devotee.
2)    Nepalis believe that human life is made of five elements such as a) water, b) air, c) earth (source of food), d) light or heat, and e) ether (soul or mind)
3)    Regular offering comprises five items such as a) holy water b) flower, c) rice d) tika (vermilion or amber) e) wicks soaked in oil
4)    These five items together represent a life. Holy water represents a) water, flower represents b) air, rice represents c) earth, burning wicks represent d) light and heat, and tika represents e) ether,.
5)    Anybody adds an egg (chicken or duck depending on a deity) to this regular offering for slightly upgrading the offering depending on the pledge made by a devotee for meeting his/her wishes.
6)    An Addition of one life after another such as chicken, duck, goat, sheep, and buffalo to the regular offering goes on depending on the one higher pledge after another made by a devotee for meeting his/her wishes.
7)    The highest offering is the offering of five male animals such as a) chicken, b) duck, c) goat, d) sheep, and e) buffalo together. This offering of five animals is called ‘pancha-vali’. This offering goes with the regular offering and an egg. This offering is made in a special case for achieving a special wish of a devotee.
8)    Devotees also make offerings of lakh batti, lighting of one hundred thousand (125,000) wicks soaked in oil in addition to the regular offering for achieving a special wish.
9)    Regular offering is made to an ear-ailment deity to get relief from the earache or problems.
10)    Driving a nail through a coin is the offering to a toothache deity, wasya deyo, to get relief from the toothache.
11)    A symbolic life offering is made to a serpent deity to get relief from burning sores. A symbolic cotton serpent is made, and then hung it from the top of a stick, and offered it along with cow milk, grains of buckwheat, tika, and ‘dubo’ (holy grass) to a serpent deity called Naga.
12)    An offering called ‘rudri’ is made to Lord Shiva. Devotees need to pay the fees for the size of ‘rudri’ they wanted to perform. The priest performs it at any shrine to Lord Shiva or at the home of a devotee. ‘Rudri’ is offering of five elements called panchamitra (cow milk, ghee, yogurt, honey, holy water).
13)    A priest usually performs ‘satya-narayan-puja’ to Lord Vishnu usually at the devotee’s home or at any shrine to Lord Vishnu.
14)    Devotees make additional offerings of fruits, sweets and other food items including coins or banknotes.