I clearly remember my childhood days when I and my siblings used to impatiently wait for Prasad and Panchamrit during any special puja. Don’t judge! Such is the taste of panjiri (Prasad made of dry fruits and roasted wheat flour) and the holy concoction. In the Hindu religion, Panchamrit or Panchamrutham holds great significance. It is a holy drink that’s made of five ingredients – milk, honey, sugar, curd, and ghee. Each of these items has its importance. While milk signifies piousness and purity, sugar represents bliss. On the other hand, honey indicates unity and dedication as it is the result of thousands of bees' hard work. In addition, curd signifies prosperity and ghee is for strength.
Panchamrit is prepared and offered to deities first. It is used by Pandits to do abhishek of deity idols. Further, it is distributed amongst devotees. Panchamrit has got a mention in Veda Vyasa’s spiritual epic, Mahabharata. According to the book, Panchamrit was one of the ingredients that came out during Samudra Manthan, a significant event in which Devtas and Asuras participated with a motive to get the elixir of immortality. The word Panchamrit is made of two words namely ‘Panch’ which means five and ‘Amrit’ that signifies nectar of immortality.
Janmashtami is an annual festival that marks the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. On this auspicious day, Panchamrit is prepared for bathing the Lord’s baal roop. Having it is associated with various health benefits. Ingredients present in Panchmrit are known to improve immunity, balance Pitta Dosha and boost your brain function.
If you want to prepare this holy drink on Janmashtami this year, do refer to its recipe provided below.
Ingredients
- Milk: 1 cup
- Curd: ¼ cup
- Honey: 1 teaspoon
- Ghee: 1 tablespoon
- Sugar: 1 teaspoon
Method
- Take a small vessel and add milk and curd to it. Mix them nicely.
- Now, add ghee, sugar, and honey. Use a spoon to give the mixture a nice mix.
- Take a few Tulsi leaves and garnish the Panchamrit.
- Tip- If you want to make Panchamrit more flavourful, you can add gangajal, rose water, and even dry fruits to the holy drink.
