Annapurne Sadapurne

Food is considered sacred in Hinduism, and prayers are offered before consuming it. Hence this prayer is chanted before we consume food. It is important to note that even here, food is considered only a means towards the ultimate goal of human birth, which is Moksha, Jnana or Liberation attained through Vairagya, detachment. The person who identifies the importance of Annam (food) within the five layers of the body helps carry life in the worldly process and subsequently seeks to identify Brahman, the ultimate Reality, God or Self. This Shloka is part of the Sri Annapurna Stotram composed by Sri Adi Sankaracharya.

Annapurna (Annapoorna, Annapurneshwari or Annada ) is the goddess of food and nourishment. She is a form of Parvati, the inseparable shakti of Lord Shiva. Anna is translated as “food” and “grains” and Purna means “full” or “complete”. Annapoorna literally means filled with food. Annapurna devi holds in one hand a jeweled bowl full of grains and in the other a golden ladle, symbolizing the abundant nourishment she gives to all. She is the Mother Goddess, the sustainer of all life. Annapurna is an aspect of Devi Adishakti and is known as the Hindu Goddess of food and nourishment. Worship and offering of food are highly praised in Hinduism, and therefore, the Goddess Annapurna is regarded as a popular deity. A few temples exist that are dedicated to her, the most prominent being the Annapurna Devi Mandir in Varanasi.

Legend
One day, Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati got into an argument about the material world. Shiva said that everything materialistic was just an illusion, including the food that the humans ate. This infuriated Parvati, who governs materialistic aspects. To show Shiva and the world her importance, she disappeared, saying that she wanted to see how the world would survive without her.

With Parvati’s disappearance, the world was deprived of food, and there occurred a famine. Shiva’s followers begged him for food; even the Gods were forced to beg for food, but could not find any food. Finally, Shiva and his followers came to know that there was only one kitchen on earth, in the city of Varanasi (Kashi), where food was still available. Shiva went to Kashi to beg for food. To his surprise, the kitchen was owned by his wife Parvati, but in the form of Annapurna. She wore celestial purple and brown garments, which were lightly adorned with ornaments. She was seated on a throne, serving and distributed food to the starving gods and hungry inhabitants of the earth. Annapurna offered her food as alms to Shiva and made him realize that as Brahman, Shiva might have outgrown hunger; but his followers had not.

There is also another legend from the southern Indian states that the Shiva was cured of a curse of bharamahatidosha (for removing one head of Lord Bhrama’s five heads) after getting food from the hands of Devis (Saraswathi, Lakshmi, Parvathi). The skull of Bhrama deva stuck to the hands of lord Shiva, hence the name Kapalieshwara. It fell from his hands after he was offered food from Annapurani Devis hand. Hence all tri-devi goddesses are called Annapurani devis.