What is Balabhogam
Balabhogam is a food offering (bhogam) made to the deity in the morning. In temple worship, food offered to the Lord is called naivedyam, and it is offered more than once a day. At Tirumala, Balabhogam is the first of the three main daily food offerings, followed by Rajabhogam at midday and Shayanabhogam at night.
At Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Yadagirigutta, Balabhogam is offered to Lord Lakshmi Narasimha. It comes third on the temple's daily list of sevas, after Suprabhatham, which wakes the Lord, and Archana. The same list also has a midday food offering, Araginpu.
What devotees seek
A food offering is made to please the Lord and seek his favour. Once offered, the food becomes prasada, a word often translated "gift" or "grace", and is shared with devotees.
Prasada is food offered with praise and thanksgiving, so Balabhogam suits occasions of thanks: a result that came through, a recovery, a first salary, a safe return. It also suits beginnings at home, such as a first meal in a new house.
What happens
In outline: fresh food is prepared and placed before the deity, and the priest recites mantras as it is offered. At Tirumala, for example, the priest recites the Vishnu Gayatri before offering the naivedyam. After the offering, the food is shared as prasada.
The idea behind every food offering is in one verse of the Bhagavad Gita, which the Bhagavata Purana also places in Krishna's mouth when a poor friend brings him a handful of flattened rice:
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
"Whoever offers me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water…" That story is told in A Handful of Flattened Rice.
What you receive
When you book through VedaJyoti, you receive a recorded video of the offering.