Bhoga

Etymology

Bhoga is a Sanskrit term derived from the root bhuj-, meaning to enjoy, consume, or relish. Its semantic range covers delight, enjoyment, consumption, indulgence, experience, and sensual pleasure, with a connotative sense of experiencing pleasure without attachment. As an ontological category, bhoga is understood as an object of delight for the experiencing self, or bhogin. Derivative terms include Bhogaadhikaaras (ownership of property), Bhogabhuta (involuntary action), Bhoganga (pleasure-seeking individual), Bhoga-sthana (abode of enjoyment), Bhoga-vastu and Bhogya (object of enjoyment), and Bhogopakarana (means of enjoyment). The terms Bhokta and Bhoktru refer to the enjoyer or experiencer.

Bhoga in religion

In Hindu mythology, the deity Ganesha is associated with bhoga as the god of enjoyment and happiness. In Dvaita Vedanta, bhoga is understood as enjoyment or unending bliss in the state of liberation. Shaiva Siddhanta holds that the power of Maya provides the individual with means, places, and objects of enjoyment, collectively called Bhogya-kanda, for the maturity of the experiencing soul. The Shvetashvatara Upanishad describes a living entity as bhoktaa bhogyam, the enjoyer of nature.

Vātsyāyana states that the self can have bhoga only while embodied, and the Mīmāṃsākas assert that the self has no consciousness without a body. In the Śrāddha ritual, a deceased spirit forms an intermediate body called bhogadeha on its way to the ancestors' abode. The Bhagavad Gita refers to bhoga in various contexts, including material enjoyment, sense enjoyment, necessities of life, reason of distress, pleasures of the gods, and sexual pleasure.

In yogic terminology, bhoga is a synonym for bliss experienced at all levels of existence, as described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Yogis regard bhoga as pleasure without attachment, acquired through the practice of Asanas, though they reject the term bhogis for themselves as it suggests excessive indulgence in biological needs and worldly desires.

Bhoga and food

The Upanishads give food high prominence, believing that god is life and life is food, and that the food one eats is god and the eater is also god. Hindu deities are worshipped by offering food as naivedya, which is symbolically consumed by the deity, becoming bhogya and then prasad taken by devotees. The food offering as bhoga is mostly vegetarian, consisting of milk and fruits, but varies by tradition: Shiva is given raw unprocessed milk, while Vishnu receives processed food.

Hindu goddesses are often offered blood sacrifices of animals such as goats, buffaloes, and birds, as they are renowned as raktvilaasini (one who loves blood). The goddess Lakshmi is provided sweet food inside the house, while her sister Alakshmi is offered a lemon with seven chillies outside. In West Bengal, the derivative term Bhog refers to consecrated food distributed during major Hindu festivals like Durga Puja, served as a complete meal at large temple complexes, commonly consisting of Khichdi with semi-dry vegetables, sweet tomato chutney, and payesh (kheer), served on flat plates of Sal tree leaves. In Sikhism, the Karah Prasad distributed at congregational services is sometimes called Bhog.