Devi
Annapurna nama-mantra
ॐ अन्नपूर्णायै नमः
Oṁ Annapūrṇāyai Namaḥ
Simple reading: Om an-na-poor-naa-yai na-mah
AbundanceDevotion
About this mantra
Salutation to Annapurna, the Mother as nourishment itself. Her best-known temple stands in Kashi, and her name is the kitchen's everyday grace.
Meaning
Om, salutations to Annapurna — anna, food; purna, full: she who is filled with nourishment and fills with it. In Kashi she stands ladle in hand beside Shiva the beggar — a whole theology in one image: even the lord of everything comes to the Mother to be fed. Said before cooking or eating, the mantra turns a meal into received grace.
When to recite it
Before cooking and before eating — daily; Annapurna Jayanti and Annakut hold it publicly, and many say it while serving food to others.
Word by word
- ॐoṁ
- the primordial sound
- अन्नपूर्णायैannapūrṇāyai
- to Annapurna, giver of nourishment
- नमःnamaḥ
- I bow, salutations
Source: Traditional nāma-mantra (Kāśī tradition)