Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

We should partake of food with a Sathwic mind. Our ancestors recommended the offering of food to God before partaking. Food so partaken becomes ‘Prasad’ (consecrated offering). Prayer cleanses the food of the three impurities caused by the absence of ‘Patra Shuddhi’ (cleanliness of the vessel), ‘Padartha Shuddhi’ (cleanliness of the food stuff and ‘Paka Shuddhi’ (cleanliness in the process of cooking). It is necessary to get rid of these three impurities to purify the food; for, pure food goes into the making of a pure mind. It is not possible to ensure the purity of the cooking process, since we do not know what thoughts rage in the mind of the man who prepares the food. Similarly, we cannot ensure ‘Padartha Shuddhi’ (cleanliness of the food ingredients) as we do not know whether this food grains were acquired in a righteous way by the seller who had sold it to us. Hence, it is essential on our part to offer food to God in the form of prayer, so that these three impurities do not afflict our mind. The prayer: