Annapurani

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva once decided that as they had created, maintained and destroyed this earth on their own, they did not need the help of their wives, the goddesses. When the Divine Mother came to know, she absorbed her forms of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati into her great aura. The Divine Mother represents the supreme and active energy of God that performs all life functions. So, as these goddesses had returned to their source, the great primordial Shakti, all knowledge, strength and food totally disappeared. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva could not do their work and had to acknowledge the supremity of the goddess and they called her Annapurani or Annapoorna. She was pleased and she returned to the three Gods. There is another legend, which states that the fight for supremacy was between Shiva and Shakti only and Lord Shiva went dressed as a beggar to ask for food from the Divine Mother in the famous city of Kasi and she served Him. Annapurani is the Mother who is filled with food. She is the nourisher of all beings - as Parvati she is wild and beautiful nature - the vastness of the skies that shower rain, the earth that contains all elements to feed all living creatures, she is the energy in life-giving water. As Lakshmi she is the fountainhead of all life, the energy of fertility and regeneration. She is the energy within everything. She is the sustainer of the whole world. As Saraswati, the Mother feeds everyone too - she feeds us with knowledge that enables us to live in the world and divine wisdom that allows us to reach Her in Her true form of pure energy.