ANNADANAM and VIDYAADHAANAM
cnu pne
ANNADANAM and VIDYAADHAANAM
Annadana or the gift of food is one kind o service or paropakara. We talk of service to the poor, social service and so on. Today all this is done with much fanfare and publicity. In the past the needy were served naturally, without making any noise.
With education we purify our intelligence, with meditation we purify our mind, with sloka or poetry we purify our speech, by exerting ourselves in the service of others one must purify the physic or body.
Many slokas indicate the importance of the annadanam.
gajathuragasahasram gokulam kotidhaanam
kanakarajitha paathram medhinee saagarantham
ubhayakula visudham kotikanyaapradhaanam
nahi nahi bahudhaanam annadhaanassamaanam
says annadhaanam is greater than donating many horses, elephants, gold ornaments, vessals, land, kanyadhanam etc.
The importance of feeding a knowledgeable person indicates the importance given to education and learning and teaching.
sudrakoti sahasraanaam, ekam viprathu bhojayel
viprakoti sahasraanaam, ekam Vishnu prathishtitham
vishnu koti sahasraanaam ekaarudra prathishtitham
rudrakoti sahasraanaam ekojnaanihi bhojyathaam
meaning; donation to one Brahmin is equal that to a crore sudras – feeding one crore Brahmins is equal to constructing a Vishnu temple – making a siva temple is equal to making a crore Vishnu temple – feeding a knowledgeable person is equal to making one crore siva temple.
This inner meaning can be read in many ways, in this context it says all Brahmins are supposed be knowledgeable but not. The real knowledgeable person if not Brahmin too is seen as higher. Thus the learning and teaching is the best service to the people and to god.
The importance of vidyadaanam is given here
annadhaanam param dhaanam, vidyadhaanam athath param
annena kshanikaa thrupti yavath jeevancha vidyaya
Feeding is a good philanthropy activity. But educating is much higher. The food will get digested soon. The education will remain the whole life.
" Annadanam maha danam - vidya danam mahattaram |
Annena kshanika thripthihi - yavajjivanthu vidyayaa || "
Meaning : Feeding a person is the greatest donation that a man can do. Helping the same person by transferring the knowledge is far more than that. Because he gets a momentary satisfaction through food, where as the satisfaction he gets through the knowledge is of life long.
This sloka was written in SivaPurana.
நல்லதுசெய் நல்லதே நடக்கும்
जन सेवा ईश्वर सेवा
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