Having led a life of leisure, luxury, laziness and lethargy for over three years with my children in USA, my sudden active life now is really interesting. I like it. I learn many new dishes. Vicha wanted Roti for dinner. Came up well, especially the potato curry, thanks to Aparna’s guidance.
When Vicha says, ‘Anna, pasikkarathu- I’m hungry’, I see the picture of a kid crying for mother’s milk. For a moment, I see myself elevated to the seat of MAta Annapurneswari, ready to serve food for all. Being an insulin- dependent diabetic, his system craves for food every two hours. And I have to be ready with my dishes to feed him, as he likes good food and enjoys eating.
My wife had always satisfaction on her face. Now, I know the reason. She was cooking and feeding us! I was not helping her in her routine duties not even pressing and folding my washed clothes. Now, everything I have to do myself. Busy through out.
Happy as I’m busy, happy as I’m of some use to my brother. Happy I’m not wasting my time.
Oh, that exactly is the reason why gods smile, all gods invariably, unless they are on the way to kill demons.
God’s won’t smile while going to kill; some men do.
You would have observed that everyone returns with a few Gangagel pots and Annapurneswari idols from Kasi, not idols of Baba Biswanath ( Viswanayptha swamy, Visalakshi or Kalabhairavaswamy) reason is simple- every one’s priority is Annam and Jalam, food and water!
The Annapurneswari idols are amazing. The Devine Mother, holding a vessel and spoon in her hands , ready to serve food. I have quite a few of them. And Sankaracharya’s Annapurneswari stotram too is Devine. The very start itself is superb- ‘NithyAnanda karee!’
Perennial aanandam- Mother gives that. Everything has a date of expiry. Even aanandam too . But Annapurneswari gives aanandam everyday. It comes from the food she serves. Food is the base for all our happiness. Food is Devine. ‘Annam Brahma ‘, says Vedam.
But Samkracharya is not seeking food for hunger. His request is for food for ‘jnAnana vairaghya sidhi’ jnAnam is absolute awareness of the absolute and vairaghyam is asceticism, freedom from all worldly desires. So when I see the array of Annapurneswari idols in my pooja, I should remember not idly, sambar but the need of learning the supreme knowledge. And what we bring back from Kashi is not roti, paani, but real knowledge for Devine aspiration, That is the real food. .
But to survive, we need food. That was why Vedas said, ‘Annam Brahma’. But ultimate ‘annam’ is brahmajnAnam.