The ''Annapurna Stotra'' () is a
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
''
stotra
''Stotra'' (Sanskrit: स्तोत्र) is a Sanskrit word that means "ode, eulogy or a hymn of praise."Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'Stotra'' It is a literary genre of In ...
'' written by the philosopher
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...
. Comprising 12 verses, the work extols the goddess
Annapurna
Annapurna (; ) is a mountain situated in the Annapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. It is the 10th highest mountain in the world at above sea level and is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its as ...
, an aspect of the goddess
Parvati
Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...
.
Description
The hymn is based on the legend of Annapurna, a form of the goddess Parvati who represents nourishment and sustenance. Her consort,
Shiva
Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
, is regarded to have begged for food from her to save the inhabitants of earth from starvation after she withdrew all sources of food from living beings.
The ''Annapurna Stotra'' is popularly sung in
Varanasi
Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...
in performance of the
arati
''Arti'' () or ''Aarati'' () is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, part of a '' puja'', in which light from a flame (fuelled by camphor, ghee, or oil) is ritually waved to venerate deities. ''Arti'' also refers to the hymns sung in praise of t ...
ritual to propitiate the goddess.
Hymn
The first hymn of the mantra describes the attributes of Annapurna:
{{Blockquote, text=''O benign Mother, who pourest out upon us everlasting bliss! Thou, the ocean of beauty! Bestower of boons and fearlessness! O supreme purifier, who washes away all sins! Thou, the visible ruler of the world, the sanctifier of King Himalaya's line! O thou, the Queen Empress of holy Kashi! Divine Annapurna! Be gracious unto me and grant me alms.''
See also
* ''
Shiva Panchakashara Stotra''
* ''
Mahishasura Mardini Stotra
The ''Mahishasura Mardini Stotra'' (, ) is a Hindu ''stotra''. Comprising 21 verses, the work extols the goddess Durga, a principal aspect of the supreme goddess Mahadevi, and her act of slaying the asura Mahishasura.
Etymology
''Mahiṣāsurama ...
''
* ''
Ganesha Pancharatna''
References
Hindu mantras
Shaktism
Hindu devotional texts