Here is a very good explanation about Naivedyam offered to God.
Does God eat our offerings?
Many of us could not get a proper explanation from our elders. An attempt is made here.
A Guru-Shishya conversation:
The shishya who did not believe in God, asked his Guru thus:
“Does God accept our naivedyam (offerings)?
If God eats away the prasadam, then from where can we distribute it to others?
Does God really consume the prasadam, Guruji?”
The Guru did not say anything. Instead, he asked the student to prepare for classes.
That day, the Guru was teaching his class about the Upanishads. He taught them the Shanti mantra from Ishavasya Upanishad:
Om poornamadah poornamidam poornaat poornamudachyate
Poornasya poornamaadaaya poornameva avashishyate
Om Shaantih shaantih shantih
And explained its meaning:
Om, That is complete, This is complete, From the completeness comes the completeness
If completeness is taken away from completeness, only completeness remains
Om (let there be) peace peace peace
Later, everyone was instructed to practice the mantra by heart. So all the boys started practising.
After a while, the Guru came back and asked that very student who had raised his doubt about naivedyam to recite the mantra without seeing the book, which he did.
The Guru smiled and asked this particular shishya who didn’t believe in God: “Did you really memorise everything as it is in the book?”
The shishya said: “Yes Guruji, I’ve recited whatever is written as in the book.”
The Guru asked: “If you have taken every word into your mind, then how come the words are still there in the book?
He then explained:
The words in your mind are in the sookshma sthiti (unseen form).
The words in the book are in the sthoola sthiti (seen).
God too is in the sookshma sthiti.
The offerings are made to Him in sthoola sthiti.
Thus, God takes the food in sookshma sthiti.
Hence the food doesn’t become any less in quantity.
While GOD takes it in the sookshma sthiti, we take it as prasadam in sthoola sthiti.
Hearing this, the shishya felt guilty for his disbelief in God and surrendered himself to his Guru.
When Bhakti enters food, Food becomes prasad…
When Bhakti enters hunger, Hunger becomes a fast…
When Bhakti enters water, Water becomes tirtham…
When Bhakti enters travel, Travel becomes a pilgrimage…
When Bhakti enters music, Music becomes Kirtan…
When Bhakti enters a house, the House becomes a Temple…
When Bhakti enters actions, Actions become Service…
When Bhakti enters work, Work becomes Karma…
When Bhakti enters a man, Man becomes Human.