Annapurne Sadapurne, the Food Shloka for Children
अन्नपूर्णे सदापूर्णे शङ्करप्राणवल्लभे ।
ज्ञानवैराग्यसिद्ध्यर्थं भिक्षां देहि च पार्वति ॥
Annapūrṇe sadāpūrṇe śaṅkara-prāṇa-vallabhe
Jñāna-vairāgya-siddhy-arthaṃ bhikṣāṃ dehi ca pārvati
“O Annapurna, ever full, beloved of Shankara as his very life, grant me alms, O Parvati, so that I may attain knowledge and freedom from craving.”
Annapūrṇā Stotram, attributed to Ādi Śaṅkarācārya
Word by word
A shloka a child understands is a shloka they keep. Here is what each word is actually doing.
Before meals, and when serving food. Also during Navaratri and Annakut.
- Concrete and easy to explain, a request for food
- Builds gratitude before eating
- Shorter and simpler than Brahmarpanam
- Good group chant at school lunch or a hostel table
The turn in this verse is what makes it worth teaching: it asks for food, but says the food is for the sake of knowledge and freedom from craving. A child who notices that, usually around age eight, has understood something real about why we eat.
Shloka Classes
Reading a shloka and chanting it correctly are different things. In our live online classes a mentor corrects your child’s pronunciation in the moment, teaches the meaning alongside the sound, and builds a repertoire verse by verse. Ages 4-14 · 45 min · Weekly.
Questions parents ask
It addresses Annapurna, the ever-full goddess of food and beloved of Shiva, and asks her for alms so that one may gain knowledge and freedom from craving.
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All 28 shlokas
Teach your child Annapurne Sadapurne, properly
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