Panchamrit

Panchamrit, "five nectars", is the mixture of milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar that is used to bathe the deity (abhishek) and is then shared as prasad.

Items

• Milk (cow's milk if possible)
• Curd
• Ghee
• Honey
• Sugar or mishri

Tulsi leaves are added to it for Vishnu and Krishna.

How to make it

Take about a cup of milk and add a spoon each of curd, ghee, honey and sugar. Stir well in a clean bowl. Some families add a few drops of Ganga water or a tulsi leaf. Make a small quantity, as it does not keep.

How it is used

Pour a little over the image, one ingredient at a time or all mixed, and then rinse with clean water. The mixture that is collected is taken as charanamrit (the water of the feet) or kept as prasad; a spoonful in the right palm is the custom. If you have diabetes, a very small amount is enough, and anyone with a milk allergy can skip it.

This page describes common practice in plain words. Families, regions and priests differ in the details, and your own family tradition or your priest comes first. Dates and muhurat (auspicious times) change every year: ask a priest or use a trusted panchang. Nothing here promises any result.