Anna

Anna is usually translated as food.

HH Paramahamsa Nithyananda Paramashivam takes us through a deeper meaning: The word Anna I am not translating as food or grain. I am translating as nourisher.

Because many of the senses they don’t need food to thrive. Your mind you don’t need grains, your thoughts are enough, ears sound, nose smell, tongue taste is enough. Only for the body where all these senses stay, you need food. Grains are required only for the house – the body. For the tenants eyes, earls, nose they are all the tenants. They can thrive even without food . They can thrive with the Vishayin – food of the senses. That is why I am translating the word annam not just as grains but nourishments..

Scriptural References

Bhagavat Gita, chapter 3, verse 14 –

“annad bhavanti bhutani parjanyad anna-sambhavah yajnad bhavati parjanyo yajnah karma-samudbhavah |”

All life forms come into being by the power of the nourisher (the Sun, food) which becomes possible by the shower (of grace) from sharing (sacrifice) the shower happens, the sharing (sacrifice) is possible only through performance (action).

Words have Taste

Negative memories gets nourished by agitation, mind by dilemma, eyes by the scenes, ears by the sound, nose by the smells, tongue by the taste…

Please understand each word you utter has a taste. Not just the food you eat has a taste, each word you utter has a taste.

Just sit and utter the word sugar, sugar for five minutes you will feel the tongue experiences the taste. Same way you utter chili pickle…because each word brings the visualization to your tongue….even if you don’t believe, sit outside your house and bless people walking through your street. Whoever is passing by, you don’t need to call and tell them, just tell by yourself – you live long, you have wealth, you have all auspicious things go on telling this just from sun rise to sun set, your tongue will have such joy! Anybody has any problem related to tongue like stammering, bad smell, communication problem. Just to do this as a technique for one day.

Of course in the US you will not have people in the street. Sit outside a mall. Go on saying let you live long, let you be blissful, let good things happen in your life. Nobody is going to disturb you for this. I tell you the power of this. You do not know the power of your vaak. When I only can bless you, you have no right to judge anybody. If I start judging, you are the last person to receive any good things. Be very clear, when you have good things in your life, the divine has not judged you. Don’t analyze how this can happen. Whether others get good or not, you will get good. Just sit and go on telling to people, you will be happy, you …

So much of good will happen from your navel to the throat. See this zone is the zone the prana travels and gets molded by our inner space and comes out of words. When from the navel to the other side how the air gets polluted by the smell, same way the words that come from navel and above gets polluted by your mind. Just one day do this – be blissful, let all the auspicious things happen with you, don’t tell I will be with you – you can’t be with them. leave that to me J but other things go on telling – let you have wealth, health, all good things. Suddenly you will see that you have raised to the level of God. The most simple way to be God is to behave like God. Don’t claim. Just live like God! Don’t sit and analyze how to make it true. Just sit and do. You will understand how much of joy…

Anna Dhan

Upanishads say clearly - Annam Bahu Kurvita Annam Na Nindyaath Tat Vratam

Food is the easiest way to spread positive energy

Anyone who visits our ashrams, temples or centers around the world, does not leave without having prasad (energized food). Well balanced pure vegetarian food that meets any normal child/adults normal nutritional needs is served freely to everyone who comes to the ashram.

As per the glorious tradition of Vedic culture, free food is served through out the day to all visitors in the form of Prasad (energized and food that is blessed by offering to the Divine) at the Anna Mandirs around the world. Meals are also served in schools, colleges and to the poor and needy in rural areas. Mobile Anna Mandir's serve meals in Mass meditation camps.

On an average, we are serving 10,000 free meals a day in our Anna Mandir's across the world. Next to Love and peace the third and the most important quality pre-eminently necessary for a human being is the act of charity – particularly Anna daan. While there is always a desire for more when monetary or other forms of charity are made, feeding a hungry being gives complete satisfaction to the receiver, and of course, the giver also.

Some statistics: Thousands of poor, visitors, mendicants (wandering sadhus) and devotees are served free food at Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam Ashram in Tiruvannamalai. On special occasions like full moon days, festivals etc., at least one lakh people (100 thousand) people are served in all our ashrams.

References

http://www.nithyananda.org/content/bhagavad-gita-morning-satsang-25#gsc.tab=0 http://www.nithyananda.org/donate/anna-daan-free-food-offering#gsc.tab=0