Offerings:
What flowers, what scent, what prasad to be offered to Bhagavan Nityananda?
Different things are prescribed for different gods and saints. For example:
1. Lord Dattatreya Jasmine – Parijat flowers, Chaffha fowers are recommended for flowers. Henna scent is recommended. Dhoop is recommended. Kesar Goda Bhaat- saffron infused rice is made as offering
2. Swami Samartha, Heena scent is offered. Besan laddoos are offered. He smoked hooka. Chaffa flowers or Son Champa, Son Chafa, – Michelia champaca, are offered. Devotees offered him Tulsi leaves, Bel leaves too.
Bhagavan Nityananda had no such specific offerings. He did not allow anyone to garland Him. He ate food offered by specific people. He did not partake offerings made by visiting devotees. He distributed to everyone, especially children, whatever was offered.
However, devotees often offered Him garland made of Tulsi leaves. Thick garland of fresh Tulsi leaves were hand made. Very rarely He allowed to place it around His neck, that too, for few minutes. Otherwise it was placed on His Feet.
He liked Shuji Seera as offerings so that it could be distributed to village children. Early days beaten rice with jaggery was distributed to the children. He Himself ate rice and sambar. Pickles, papad, vegetables seasoned with mustard seeds, curry leaves were often made. Maharashtrians and Konkani devotees offered their specialties, which He ate in small quantiles. He often mixed with His hand everything into one irrespective of whether the items were sweet, spicy, sour etc. He ate it as a Krishna Kaala. Sometimes He ate rice kanji with mango pickles or lemon marinated with salt, ginger, green chilies.
Among scent, we offered Him sandalwood oil. In those days pure oil was available. My father brought from Masjid Bundar from one devotee. It came in a long aluminum bottle with the typical cork (a light soft material which comes from the outside of a type of tree.) He kept the bottle in his pockets. When ever he got opportunity he took some oil on his palm and delicately applied on Bhagavan’s Feet and massage His legs. The room used to get filled with the sweet aroma of sandalwood oil.
The Tulsi leaves with manjari, represents pristine love.
Tulsi manjari, rice and sambhar, sandalwood oil were offered to Him. He was okay with anything offered with devotion. There were nothing so to say His favorite, though.
