Annapurna Stutih

Annapurna Stutih is among the most beloved hymns to the Goddess of food and fullness at Kashi, traditionally attributed to Sri Adi Shankaracharya. Each of the first ten verses closes with the beggar's refrain *bhikṣāṃ dehi kṛpāvalambanakarī mātaḥ*: "Mother, give alms and be my refuge of grace." The poem is inseparable from the legend of Shankara's encounter with Annapurna in Varanasi, where he receives the bowl of food that sustains both body and contemplative life.

The final two verses are widely memorised on their own: the prayer for alms that ripen knowledge and dispassion (*jñāna vairāgya*), and the reimagining of family and homeland in Shiva and the three worlds. In a life-wisdom reading, "food" can include material sustenance, learning, and the inner fullness that makes generosity possible.