“Guruparshad,” or “Prashad” for short, is the Guru’s vegetarian prashad (Guru’s gift) or blessed food which is made of butter, flour, honey or sugar and water, and nothing else.

Traditionally, Guruparshad is distributed to the Sadh Sangat at the end of each Gurdwara program or ceremony. It is given to the Sangat after the Hukam is read.

Guruparshad is symbolic of the abundance and sustenance that Sikhs receive from the Guru, and that everything coming to one in life is the Guru’s gift (parshad), and is therefore sweet.

The person who is overseeing the distribution of the Guruparshad will stand in front of it during the Ardas (Sikh prayer) with kirpan (sword) drawn. When in the Ardas the Guruparshad is blessed, the Guruparshad is cut with the clean kirpan.

After the Hukam is read, the Guruparshad is first symoblically served to the Panj Piaray. This may be done by actually serving it to any five people present in the Gurdwara. All members of the sangat are equal in the Gurdwara. These five sangat members are served again when the general sangat is served. Or, the server may meditatively place five servings of the Guruparshad into a separate plate and then mix it back into the original bowl. Then a small amount of the Guruparshad is placed into a small steel bowl for the person serving as the Guru Granthi. Then the entire sangat is served Guruparshad.

Guruparshad is received by each sangat member with cupped hands, receiving the Guru’s blessing.

Click Here for Instructions and Recipes on How to Prepare Guruparshad

~Resource: Victory & Virtue: Ceremonies & Code of Conduct of Sikh Dharma (2001) by the Office of the Bhai Sahiba of Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere