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Annapoorna Kshetra Kanya Kitchen
Continued....
Feed man and God will be fed.— Sri Swami Satyananda
Saraswati
Throughout 2008, the mammoth undertaking to construct the Annapurna Kshetram
Kanya Kitchen has been going on relentlessly. This grand venture is the
latest project of Sivananda Math and is nearing completion. The scriptures
have said that the giving of grains is one of the highest forms of giving.
It is known as anna daan, giving food to the hungry. If man suffers and
dies hungry then God also suffers and dies. It is our responsibility to
serve God through serving suffering humanity. It is the birthright of
everyone to have prosperity and contentment; it is not an exclusive right
of some. How can our civilization claim to be advanced when there are
people within our society who still go hungry? Hunger and starvation exist
not only in India but throughout the world. All the technology, modernization
and advancements are a farce when the basic needs of life are not fulfilled
for one and all.
 Since
coming to Rikhia panchayat in 1989, Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati has
made every household his household. This is known as atmabhava in Vedanta.
He has said: “The entire panchayat is my ashram. Every house here
is my house. Their pains and pleasures are my own. Their poverty is my
poverty.” This Vedantic philosophy teaches that you have to see yourself
in everyone and everyone in yourself. Such profound empathy towards the
needs of his first neighbours, the villagers of Rikhia panchayat, led
Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati to take the sankalpa to provide one nutritious
and balanced meal daily to the kanyas and batuks and the senior citizens
of Rikhia.
For many years, Sivananda Ashram has frequently conducted bhoj for the
kanyas and batuks and senior citizens during all major festivals and programs.
However, as there wasn’t an adequate all-weather dining hall to accommodate
the 2,000 people, this effort was often hampered. Sri Swami Satyananda
Saraswati had raised it as a most urgent need. For Sivananda Math to commit
to the daily feeding of kanyas and batuks, preparation of an appropriate
all-weather dining hall was necessary.
To fulfil this requirement, Annapurna Kshetram Kanya kitchen is being
developed in a disused factory. This huge structure is being completely
transformed into a modern and spacious dining area which will facilitate
the daily feeding of over 2,000 people in rain, hail and sunshine. The
Annapurna complex consists of an enormous dining area with a newly tiled
floor, adequate store rooms and offices, an open air langar and facilities
to store wood and coal. The original structure has been given a new lease
of life and although it is still under construction, it is easy to imagine
this well-ventilated space filled to capacity and perfectly serving the
purpose for which it is intended. This massive construction effort has
been made possible due to the support and contributions of Bokaro Steel
Plant and City.
 The
Kanya Kitchen has most appropriately been named Annapurna in praise of
and dedication to Ma Annapurna, as she is the goddess of abundance and
nourishes the entire creation. Goddess Annapurna loves to give and give
and give, just like our beloved Sri Swamiji. Food nourishes and nurtures
our lives. Without proper nutrition we are unable to discover our full
potential and seek higher states of consciousness. By giving food, we
give the greatest gift of all, the opportunity to rise above animal nature
and seek higher planes of consciousness.
In ancient times, the first form of God that our forefathers discovered
was fire, and the second was grain. After the discovery of grains, human
beings crossed the threshold of instinctive animal nature and entered
higher planes of consciousness. The discovery of grain and its potential
was a giant leap from animal to human awareness. By food grains, whether
it is wheat, rice, maize or any other type of grain, we live and prosper,
as these foods are most essential for the survival and evolution of human
beings.
Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati received the mandate from his guru Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati, ‘Serve, Love and Give.’ These precepts became the
sadhana which he lives and has perfected. The activities which he has
inspired through Sivananda Math have all been a part of fulfilling this
sankalpa and the Annapurna Kshetram Kanya Kitchen is an essential part
of it. The construction and preparation efforts are nearing completion
and soon the daily bhoj will commence. You are welcome to Rikhiapeeth
to witness and partake in this latest project of Sivananda Ashram to fulfil
the sankalpa of Sri Swamiji to uplift the most neglected within our society.
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