Wednesday 30 April 2014

THE BENEFITS OF FEEDING PEOPLE OR ANNADANAM

Ram Dass (Love Serve Remember Foundation) shared publicly - Apr 26, 2014, "When I asked my guru to raise my kundalini, he said, "feed people."

Supramania Swami's last wish before his samadhi in Thiruvannamalai was to feed 1,000 people.


Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal has been doing this charitable act since his days of association to his Guru Chitramuthu Adigal and continues this act of compassion in his Kallar ashram till this day.






When Tavayogi came to my home the very first time he too read  a hymn that extolled the importance of feeding a monk or turavi from his book of compilation on Siddha Hymns.

Gnana Jyothi Amma has been asked to feed children which she has been faithfully doing at Kallar.

Agathiyar in the Jeeva Nadi told Surendaran Selvaratnam of Malaysia to feed the devotees coming to Kallar.

Rengaraja Desiga Swamigal has been carrying out this amazing feat through the many followers of his spread around the globe.



I was also told to feed the devotees at Agathiyar's ashram and at Supramania Swami's Samadhi through his Nadi revelation.

In the revelation of the origin of the very first temple for Agathiyar in this Kali Yuga by Agathiyar to Dr V.M.Jayapalan of Bangalore, Agathiyar who comes as a leper to cure the Asuric King, propagates the act of feeding the people.


Ramalinga Adigal started this feat back then in 1867 through the establishment of the Satya Dharma Salai at Vadalur for the sole purpose of feeding the people which is being done till the present day.





What is the significance of feeding or Annadanam then?

Sri Maha Periyava of Kanchi narrates the benefits of Annadanam to Sadhus at https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9vnMtrPKkYVZDNmMzhiNWItMzJlYS00ZDMzLTgxYzItZjZlYzMyYWNjMTA2/edit

"Give food, Give food. Give food", this is what Lord Krishna advises Yudhishtira in the Bhavishya Purana in his discourse on 'daanam' or the discipline of sharing."
"Yudhishtira asks Lord Krishna to enlighten him about the essence of Bhishma Pitamaha's erudite discourse on dharma in the 'santi parva' of the Mahabharata. Lord Krishna says: "The World, both animate and inanimate, is sustained by food. The giver of food is the giver of life and indeed of everything else. Therefore, one who is desirous of well-being in this world and beyond, should make special endeavours to give food. Also Food should be offered with venerable hospitality to the old, the child, and the tired traveller".
"Annadanam is performed for redemption of sins, to attain piety, to get speedy recovery from illness and also to attain moksha. There is a Hindu belief that sins committed in previous birth follows a person in successive births – Annadanam is performed to put an end to this."
My daughter posted the following on Fb,
"There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy."