Anna Danam
Purnima Annadanam
The dharma devata had four legs like honesty, uprightness and charity in Satya-yuga. Now, within less than 5000 years, after the onset of the age of Kali, the dharma devata stands precariously only on one leg of Danam or charity. The other three legs stand eroded by the avarice of the human race the formidable combination of greediness and miserliness. (The greediness is defined as the insatiable desire to possess everything that appeals to the sight. Miserliness is the total unwillingness to part with any possession one has).This has become collective disturbance of ecology as enshrined in the divine.
For the past twelve years, on every Poornima day, Pune Math offers Annadanam to about one thousand civil construction workers and their children. The menu is sumptuous to meet what they would like to eat but can not otherwise afford. The quality is that of what we have on festive occasions. The serving is by the volunteers.
The expenses are met by contribution of Rs 2600 per annum ( Rs 200×12 poornima+ 1 mahalaya amavasya) donated by a core group of 100 devotees from not only across our country but also abroad.
Annadanam at Tiruchotruturai
Tiruchotruturai is a village near Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district presided by Devi Annapoorneshwari. The name of the village means rice yard. When there was a severe famine, she blessed fields to bear straightaway the crop in the form rice instead the usual paddy. Even to-day, some fields have shoots of rice and the farmers keep them as prasad.
The Pune branch of the Sringeri Math is actively involved in Anna-danam activities at this sacred place.
Annadanam at Thirupoonthuruthi
About 8 km from Tiruvaiyaru, the place of five rivers and also saint-poet Tyagaraja is Thirupoonthuruthi on the bank of river Kudamurutti, a tributary of cauvery in Thanjavur district.
Here lived another siddha, Narayana Tirtha who took Jiva Samadhi. For many families he is kula devata. It is also said he composed the musical stanzas of Sri Krishna Tarangini.
Every year in ashtami of month Maasi (magha), the aradhana is celebrated for three days. On the concluding day devotees bare footed trek with pots of milk on their heads from Thiruvaiyaru to reach Thirupoonthuruthi for the abhishekam at the Samadhi in abhijit muhurtam at 12 noon.
The Pune branch of Sringeri math conducts Annadanam every year to the pilgrims and residents of this village.
Annadanam at Harimangai
According to legend, In an earlier Yuga in the year Sarvajit, Parvati devi along with the Sapta-Matrikas performed sharan navaratri pooja in seven different temples near by to each other in Thanjavur district. The seven temples are known as Sapta-Mangai Sthalam. The Tamil word Mangai is derivative of Sanskrit ‘Mangala’. These are Chakra mangai, Pasu mangai, Soola mangai, Thazha mangai, Pulla mangai, Nalli mangai and Hari mangai.
In Hari mangai, Gnanambika sameta Harimukteeswar blessed Vishnu and Mahalakshmi after their marriage. This temple has a separate sannidhi for Ayur Devi, upasana devata of Sri Rama. Sri Agastya Nadi mentions that Sringeri Jagadguru Sachchidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati Mahaswamiji was one among the handful of blessed souls or saints to whom Ayur devi gave darshan in Arunachaleswara Kshetra (Thiru Annamalai).
Devotees of Sringeri Math at Pune served annadanam in this temple during consecration, completion of mandala pooja.
