Annapoorna is the Hindu Goddess of nourishment. She is the consort of Shiva. Anna means food and grains. Purna means full, complete and perfect. Annapurna is the respected Supreme Goddess who is full, complete and perfect in food and grains. She is the symbol for the One who grants nourishment on every level. Annapoorna is Kasi's queen , the Supreme Goddess of the city of Kasi (now known as Varanasi, U.P., India). Kasi is the City of Light. Ka means the cause, a means the manifestation of consciousness, sa means peace and I is the causal body. Kasi is also the place which causes consciousness to manifest the highest peace of the causal body. She is known in the Kasi Khanda as Bhavani, the female shakti of Bhava, "Being," one of the names of Shiva. She is called the "Mother of the Three Worlds," Iconography :
Physically, Goddess Annapurna is described as holding a golden ladle adorned with various kinds of jewels in her right hand and a vessel full of delicious porridge in her left. She is seated on a throne and in some depictions Lord Shiva is shown standing to her right with a begging bowl begging her for alms . It is said that she does not eat a morsel unless all her devotees have been fed in her temple.
Evolution and Legends :
Once Shiva told his consort Parvati that the world is an illusion and that even food is just part of this illusion (Maya). The Divine Mother who is worshipped as the manifestation of all material things, including food, became angry. To demonstrate the importance of her manifestation of all that is material she disappeared from the world. Her disappearance brought time to a standstill and the earth became barren. There was no food to be found anywhere and all the beings suffered from the pangs of hunger. Seeing all the suffering, Mother Parvati was filled with compassion and reappeared in Kasi and set up a Kitchen. Hearing about her return, Shiva ran to her and presented his bowl in alms saying, "Now I realise that the material world, like the spirit, cannot be dismissed as an illusion." Parvati smiled and fed Shiva with her own hands. Since then Parvati is worshipped as Annapurna, the Goddess of Nourishment.
Once Shiva told his consort Parvati that the world is an illusion and that even food is just part of this illusion (Maya). The Divine Mother who is worshipped as the manifestation of all material things, including food, became angry. To demonstrate the importance of her manifestation of all that is material she disappeared from the world. Her disappearance brought time to a standstill and the earth became barren. There was no food to be found anywhere and all the beings suffered from the pangs of hunger. Seeing all the suffering, Mother Parvati was filled with compassion and reappeared in Kasi and set up a Kitchen. Hearing about her return, Shiva ran to her and presented his bowl in alms saying, "Now I realise that the material world, like the spirit, cannot be dismissed as an illusion." Parvati smiled and fed Shiva with her own hands. Since then Parvati is worshipped as Annapurna, the Goddess of Nourishment.
Another legend says :
When Vishnu adopted the Vamana avatar, the sky provided him the umbrella, Kubera provided him the bowl and Goddess Annapoorna, the gracious hostess herself, offered bhiksha to Him. The idol of Annapoorna always has a small vessel/ladle containing Annam (food) signifying that the
worshipper is assured of food throughout his/her life time.
The other legend is as follows :
The origin of Goddess Annapurna is related to the mythological tale of Lord Brahma and Vishnu being worried about the extinction of food from earth resulting in perishing of many human beings. These gods pleaded to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva made an agreement with Goddess Annapoorna that she look after life before death, ensuring that no one went hungry in the sacred city of Kasi, while he would ensure they received moksha (freedom from the cycle of birth & death).
Worship :
Annapurna Puja is dedicated to Goddess Annapurna and is a major ritual in eastern parts of India, especially in West Bengal. The puja is mainly performed by women and it is dedicated to Goddess Annapurna an aspect of Parvati, which nourishes the world through food. It is observed during the waxing phase of moon (Shukla Paksha) in Chaitra month as per Bengali calendar. In 2009, the date of Annapurna Puja is April 3.
Annapurna Jayanti is a festival dedicated to Goddess Annapurna . It is observed in North India , on the full moon day , in the Margashirsh Month (December).
Annapurna has many names. The Annapurna Sahasranam presents her one thousand names and the Annapurna Shatanama Stotram contains 108 of her names. Sri Annapurna Ashtakam composed by Shankaracharya is chanted by several devout Hindus around the world as a prayer for nourishment, wisdom, and renunciation. Before partaking of any food, Hindus chant the following prayer:
"Annapoorne sada poorne sankara prana vallabhe Gnana vairakya sowbagya sidhyartham biksham dehicha parvathi"
Meaning :
“Oh Annapurna, who is always full, complete, and perfect. Beloved energy of Lord Shiva, for the attainment of perfection in wisdom and renunciation, give me alms, Parvati. "
She is variously described as:
- She who is full, complete and perfect with food and grains
- She who gives nourishment
- She who is the strength of Shiva
- She who is the grantor of knowledge
- She who takes away all fear
- She who is the Supreme welfare
- She who manifests truth and efficiency
- She who is beyond Maya
- She who is the cause of creation and dissolution
The most well-known temple dedicated to Goddess Annapurna is in Varanasi, U.P., India. Adjacent to the Sanctum of the Goddess is the Kasi Viswanath temple. The two are separated only by a few yards. In the temple, at noon time, food offerings to the Goddess are distributed to the elderly and disabled daily. During the Autumn Navaratri food is distributed on a larger scale.
Source : wikipedia , http://www.festivalsinindia.net/
