God's Grace and Annapurna

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/11/1999 12:11:41 PM Central Daylight Time,

chandran writes:

 

<< rom: Ram Chandran <chandran

 

 

 

I welcome you on behalf of the members of this list. I read your posting

on Annapoorna in Advaita-L. For the benefit of the members, I suggest that

you post that article here. >>

 

Namaste,

 

(This was originally posted on another list in response to some questions

concerning the translation of the Sri Annapurna stotra. It is possibly

relevant to resent discussions on this list as the Goddess Annapurna can be

understood symbolically to be God has Divine Mother giver of Grace, though

she is the giver of "food" symbolically that food (grace) is the nourishment

we as divine children need in order to achieve the goal of realization. By

visualizing each and ever morsel that we eat as coming to us by the grace of

God and then seeing the food itself as God...we may begin to participate more

fully in living the truth of "all is Brahman."

 

Sri Annapurna-stotra of

Acharya Sri. Shankara

 

By

Vishvanath Hulikal

(Sunnyvale, California)

[ E-mail: <VHulikal ]

 

 

1. Annapurna

 

 

"anna-pUrNe, sadA-pUrNe, shanakara-prANa-vallabhe,

jnAna-vairAgya-sidhyartham bhikShAm dehi cha, pArvati !"

 

 

The name Annapurna means "She of Plenteous Food". As such, she is the one

who fills her devotees with food. She is called the "Mother of Three Worlds"

and she promises to those who comes to her what only a mother can give

naturally and freely: food. Worshippers of mother Annapurna are reminded

that there may be good and bad children, but there are not good and bad

mothers. Annapurna is a completely gracious and luminous Goddess. She bears

no weapon in her hands, but carries, rather, a cooking pot and a spoon. As

Mother, she will always provide the nourishment that sustains life in

abundance. The nourishment is anna, literally "food", but more broadly the

essence of life, the support of life. As giver of food, Annapurna is the

giver of life. It is said in Kashi that Shiva and Annapurna made an

agreement: she would provide food and abundance in life and he would provide

moksha at the time of death. Shiva himself depends on Annapurna for life and

sustenance.

 

 

There is a popular puranic story that once in the distant past the sage

Vyasa had a hard time getting alms in Kashi. In anger Vyasa put a curse on

the city: it would be without knowledge, wealth or liberation for three

generations. Still steaming with rage, Vyasa begged for alms at a house

where Shiva and Parvati had taken human form as householders. Parvati

invited the great sage and his entire entourage to receive her alms. So

delicious were they that Vyasa forgot his curse. "Who would not live in

Kashi," he said, "where one can get both delicious food and liberation!"

However, because of the sage's bad temper, Shiva banished Vyasa from Kashi,

permitting him to visit only on the eighth and fourteenth day of the

fortnight, which are days respectively to the Goddess and Shiva. In order to

be near at hand, Vyasa took up residence on the other side of river Ganges,

where his temple may still be seen at Ramnagar.

 

 

The story of Annapurna's establishment in Kashi is told in the popular Hindi

pamphlet, the Annapurna Vrata Katha. A Vrata is a "ritual observance" which

one undertakes for a certain amount of time, usually a number of weeks or

months. The vrata may include fasting, abstentions, and special observances;

it usually includes the recitation of stories (katha) which demonstrates the

effectiveness of the vrata. In the case of Annapurna, one of the stories

told is of a poor brahmin called Dhananjaya. According to the story,

Dhananjaya first appealed to Vishvanatha and slept overnight at the Jnana

Vapi. In a dream, Annapurna came to him and told him to observe her vrata.

Dhananjaya was eager to do so, but she had not told him as to how it was to

be done. How was he to make this observance? He inquired among the brahmins

of Kashi to no avail. Finally he traveled to the great pitha of the Goddess

Kamakhya in far-off Assam. There the Goddess, seeing his devotion, appeared

to him again. She instructed him to return to Kashi and to establish her

image there as Annapurna, just to the south of Vishvanatha. She promised

that she would grant the deepest wishes of those people who would worship

her there during her yearly seventeen-day vrata, beginning on the fifth day

of the waning fortnight of the winter month Margashira. It was this poor

brahmin who is said to have established the first image of Annapurna here.

Dhananjaya eventually became rich and had plenty to feed his family by

virtue of observing the vrata of Annapurna.

 

To exemplify Annapurna Stotra-dashaka included here are summary of the two

from it:

1. O Mother Annapurna, O Great Goddess, ever bestowing happiness, granting

gifts and dispelling fear, O Thou ocean of beauty who bestowest purity (on

Thy devotees) washing away all (their) sins, Thou art verify the Great

Goddess who purifiest the family of Himalayas; Presiding Deity of Kashi, O

Receptacle of Mercy! Grant me alms. (1)

2. O Mother Annapurna, Thou holdest a golden ladle adorned with various

kinds of gems in Thy right hand and a vessel full of delicious porridge in

Thy left; Thou art the Great Goddess of fortune, Thou fulfillest the desires

of Thy devotees and makest their destiny propitious; presiding Deity of

Kashi, O Receptacle of Mercy! Grant me alms. (8)

 

 

"mAtA cha pArvatI devI,

pitA devo maheshvarah;

bAndhavAh shiva-bhaktAsh cha -

svadesho bhuvana-trayam!"

 

 

Bibliography:

1. Altar Flowers, Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta

2. Banaras, City of Light by Prof. Diana L. Eck, Princeton University

Press, Princeton

 

This info. was found at:

http://hindunet.org/srh_home/1997_8/0073.html

 

If we each desired liberation as much as we desire food when we are very

hungry, realization might come much quicker,

Jai Ma,

Parvati