ANNADHAN – THE MAHADHAN

GIFTING OF SATTVIC FOOD FOR PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD

As a crucial step in imparting good health and nutrition for all, ShriKailasa carries out the service of Annadhan wherein organic sattvic food is gifted for millions.  

“You are what you eat” is a very well known quote implying the significance of the effects of food and its components on all aspects of health – physical, mental and every other aspect of health. 

Your daily food choices affect your health — how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future. Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. 

As highlighted elaborately by the Division of Food and Nutrition, His Divine Holiness Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam has time and again stressed on the effect of chemical based and animal based food on our brain, muscles, thoughts, ideas, emotions and the chemical responses it produces in the body and mind, and hence the need for detoxification and a change in our daily eating habits. 

The significance of Annadhan

Annadhan is Mahadhan i.e. the greatest donation as per Hinduism and is an essential part of the Sanatana Hindu Dharma. There are numerous stories in Hindu scriptures that extol the glory of Annadhan – prominent being Goddess Parvati appearing as Goddess Annapurnaeshwari and feeding Paramashiva.

In Sanskrit, the word “Annam” means food and “Daanam” means to donate. The sacred service of annadanam is stressed in ancient scriptures, including the vedas, upanishads, dharma shastras, damma pada, etc. 

#Taittriya Upanishad declares, “all life force comes from food(annam vai pranah)” and “Let food be produced in plenty(annam bahu kurveet)”. 

#In Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna declares, “From food all beings are evolved(annad bhavanthi bhutani)”.

The need for nutritious food explained..

A 2018 global report showed that:

*821 million people do not have enough food needed to live an active, healthy life.

*One in every nine people goes to bed hungry each night, including 20 million people at risk of famine

*In the hungriest countries, families struggle to get the food they need because of several issues: lack of infrastructure like roads and storage facilities, frequent war and displacement, violence and conflicts, natural disaster, climate change, and chronic poverty.

*More than 75 percent of the world’s malnourished children (122 million of 155 million) live in countries affected by conflict.

*Twenty percent of all children around the world are undernourished. And most of them are suffering from long-term malnourishment that has serious health implications including stunting, increased risk of death and lifelong illness. 

*Around 9 million people die of hunger and hunger-related diseases every year, more than the lives taken by AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

*Every 10 seconds, a child dies from hunger. Poor nutrition is responsible for nearly half of all deaths in children under the age of 5 — about 3 million children die each year because their bodies don’t have enough of the basic nutrients they need to function and grow.

What we are doing about it..

From time immemorial, feeding a hungry person has been treated as the greatest service to mankind. In Hinduism, there is no better puja or ritual than feeding hungry living beings. Annadhan is a sacred service carried out by Kailasas all around the world either daily or on specific occasions gifting sattvic nutritious food for all. ShriKailasa has touched and supported millions of lives through the service of annadhan.