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Summary of Question:	How To Serve Parsaad
Category:	Sikh Practices
Date Posted:	Monday, 5/28/2001 2:30 PM MDT

Dear Sir/madam,

We have a small gurudwara where i stay. Over the last couple of weeks the committe in our gurudwara has started a new practice of serving the panj pyaare share of the prasaad to the sangat. I want to know if this ritual is necessary and i also want to know if this ritual is necessary then is it also necessary that the five people who are given this share should be full sikhs ?

Please reply soon

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REPLY
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Dear Aman P Singh:

Sat Siri Akal Ji.
The correct way to serve Gur-prashad after blessing it with a kirpan is to put a serving in a small dish and cover and set it by the Guru; this is the Guru's share. [Later, the one who read the Hukum would eat this after Gurdwara is over.]

The prashad servers then give prashad to ANY five members of the sangat who are present; Guru does not discriminate! Then everyone is served prashad; this means the Panj get a second helping of prashad.

Note: Sometimes people say no to prashad or to the second serving, or they indicate they only want a little. This is not correct: Guru's prashad is a gift from the Guru, who would turn down such a gift? If you cannot eat all what is served to you, then share it with someone else or even save it for a pet or leave it out for the birds. (We have a lot of pet dogs who hang out outside of our Gurdwara waiting for prashad. Depending on the constitution of the dog, this may or may not be a good idea. My point here is that prashad should, ideally, never be wasted or turned down.)

I hope this answers your question. Guru Rakha--
-DKK