Annadhanam Mahadhanam – Break Vicious Circle Of Hunger & Poverty

Starvation & Hunger – Facts and Figures

Globally 690 million people do not have enough food to eat and are going hungry. As per statistics every ten seconds, a child dies from the effects of hunger and two billion suffer from malnutrition.

The Vicious Circle Of Hunger And Poverty

If mothers are already undernourished, their children cannot grow properly during the pregnancy and are frequently born prematurely and/or underweight. If a child already suffers from malnutrition in the womb, it has little chance of catching up on its underdevelopment. It often has a very weak immune system and thus more prone towards infectious diseases. The physical and mental development of the child is restricted and it will increase the difficulty in concentrating and produces poor education and knowledge. Adding to it, a malnourished child is also more prone to developing chronic diseases in adulthood. Both tend to lead to reduced physical and mental capacity in adulthood. And so earning opportunities decrease and the risk of poverty increases – the vicious cycle thus will be in never ending loop.

Annadhanam To Break This Vicious Circle

We are not here to campaign on completely eradicating the world poverty and starvation. But this video is to plant an idea of “Annadhanam” at individual level and to their best on eradicating this vicious circle around them. As per our old traditions, in Indian households, we followed a habit of saving one handful of grains per day to offer the needy. Let us do the best we can.

Adi Sankracharya, in his slokam indirectly refers on breaking this vicious circle, below the sloka and its meaning.

“Annapurne Sadapurne Sankarapranavallabhe Gyanavairagya Siddhyartham Bhiksham Dehi Ca Parvati”

Meaning: “Annapurna Devi, Goddess of Plenty, You are Lord Shiva’s Eternal Consort, give us alms together with wisdom.”

Annam Parabrahma Swaroopam

According to our culture, food is truly an aspect of Brahman (Annam Parabrahma Swaroopam). Because it is a gift from Mother Nature, it should be treated with great respect. The gross physical body is called Annamayakosha or the food body, because it is nourished by food and grows by absorbing the energies from the food. It is also regarded as offering to the Agni inside one’s body. Hence it’s not mere ‘eating’ or ‘ingestion’ of food but it’s a Yagna. When one offers Annadhanam he or she is actually performs Mahayagna.

The physical body is called the Annamaya Kosha, because it is made up of food. In Kumarasambhava, Kalidasa says. “Sharira Madhyam Khalu Dharma Sadhanam”, meaning, “body is instrument for all (good) deeds”. Food is the source of health. Proper healthy food will keep one healthy thus it will give them the opportunity of self-realization, which our Shirdi Sai Baba always insist to His devotees. That is why Baba too gave lots of importance to Annadhanam. One who is not healthy cannot attain Moksha because his/her focus will be always on the troublesome body. Apart from yoga and workouts, one should need proper healthy food to attain the moksha, the final goal everyone should go towards.

Dear devotees of our Beloved Sadhguru Shirdi Sai Baba, kindly give a thought and try your best and offer Annadhanam to the needy around you, let it be humans or animals or birds, do the best you can and try to break the cycle of vicious cycle both in terms of physical existence and Moksha.

Contributed by a Member of Sai Yug Network.com

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