Annapurna (goddess)


Annapurna or Annapoorna is 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. She is a manifestation of the goddess Parvati, the consort of Shiva, and is eulogized in the Annada Mangal, a narrative poem in Bengali by Bharatchandra Ray. The Annapurna Sahasranam is dedicated to the goddess and praises her one thousand names, while the Annapurna Shatanama Stotram is dedicated to her 108 names.
A few temples exist that are dedicated to her, the most prominent being the Annapurna Devi Mandir in Varanasi. Since Akshaya Tritiya is considered to be the birthdate of the goddess Annapurna, the day is believed to be very auspicious for buying gold jewelry.

Etymology

Annapurna is derived from Sanskrit meaning the giver of food and nourishment. Anna means "food" or "grains" and pūrṇa means "full, complete and perfect."
It is believed that Mount Annapurna in the Himalayas is named after her as the goddess is believed to be one of the daughters of Himavat, the king of the mountains. The Western world names her the "Hindu God of Cooking," considering her association with food items.
The other names of Annapurna are:
One day, the god 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, 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.

Iconography

The Agamas describe the iconography of Annapoorna as a youthful goddess having red complexion with a face round like the full moon, three eyes, high breasts, and four hands. The lower left hand is depicted as holding a vessel full of delicious porridge. The right hand with a golden ladle adorned with various jewels. The other two hands depict the Abhaya and Varada poses. She is depicted with wristlets and golden jewelry on her chest. She is seated on a throne with the crescent moon adorning her head.
In some depictions, Shiva is shown standing to her right with a begging bowl, begging her for alms. Shiva in Annapoorna Stotra described the deity always holding a scripture, akshamala and opener of doors of Moksha in her hands in place of vessel and ladle, indicating his prayer to Annapoorna being spiritual perfection rather than food.

Literary sources

Annapurna is mentioned in Hindu religious texts such as the Rudrayamala, Sivarahasya, Annapurnamantratsava, Maha Tripurasiddhanta, Annapurna Kavacha, Annapurnahavamti, Annapurnamalininaksatramalika, and Bhairvahyantantra. The Kumara Sambhavam by Kalidasa makes vivid mention about Varanasi and the deity Annapurna. The goddess is also described as the source of knowledge and the main deity in the Annapurna Upanishad, which is considered a minor Upanishad among the 108 Upanishads. In this text, praying to Annapurna is the means by which the sage Ribhu attains knowledge.
The Devi Bhagavata written during the 3rd and 4th centuries CE refers to Annapurna as the goddess of Kanchipuram and Vishalakshi as the goddess of Varanasi. The Skanda Purana, written during the 7th century, states the sage Vyasa was led to Varanasi by a curse, and Annapurna came as a housewife and offered him food. The Linga Purana mentions that Shiva was begging for food for his children as he could not get food in the world due to a miracle created by his consort Parvati. Parvati came out as Annapurna and offered food to Shiva at his doorsteps. The legend of Kasi Viswanath Temple in Varanasi is associated with the story that Shiva built the temple there in her honour. Adi Sankara, the proponent of the Advaita school of Hinduism, has written Annapurna Stotra, a book glorifying the deity.
The mention of Annapurna is also found in Kumara Sambhava, a Telugu literature, by Nannechola, a Saiva poet of the 12th century. There is also a mention of the deity in Kasikhanda by Srinatha, a Telugu poet of the 13th century.

Worship

Food is considered sacred in Hinduism, and prayers are offered before consuming it. The person who identifies the importance of Annam within the five layers of the body helps carry life in the worldly process and subsequently seeks to identify Brahman, the enlightenment. Annadana, the donation of food, is highly praised in Hinduism. The importance of Annadana is prescribed in the Vishnu Dharamottara, Agni Purana, Padma Purana, Kurma Purana, Nandi Purana, and Vayu Purana.
Annapurna is worshipped through the recitation of her thousand names and her one hundred and eight names. The 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:
The Annapurna Vrat Katha containing stories of her devotees are also recited by her devotees.
In Marathi weddings, the bride is given metal idols of goddess Annapurna and Bala Krishna by her mother. She worships them before the wedding, by offering rice and grains to the idols. This Viddhi is known as Gauri Harap. She also takes images of her husband`s house and places the idols on them.

Temples

Though Annapurna is a popular deity, there are few temples dedicated to her.