Annadaan, the Sacred Food Offering
Annadaan or the offering of free food that is first offered to the divine and then shared with the hungry is considered the foremost of social and spiritual services in the Vedic tradition.
Launched on 27th April 2012 this year, the Annadaan scheme in Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetham has received an overwhelming response, just within few days.
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam already has a service record of feeding 1000s of people per day at its 
international headquarters at Bidadi Ashram, Bengaluru and its Tiruvannamalai Ashram, the sacred energy field, which is the birth place of the 293rd Guru Maha Sannidhanam, Srila Sri Paramahamsa Nithyananda Swamigal.
In Tiruvannamalai, on special occasions such as the monthly Pournami (full moon day) and annual Karthigai Deepam festival, close to 100,000 people a day are offered the Annadanam.
The 293rd Guru Maha Sannidhanam Srila Sri Paramahamsa Nithyananda beautifully says
– “there is an old saying, ‘instead of giving a fish to the poor, teach him how to fish’ but what will he do till he learns how to fish? So I give a new saying, ‘Give the fish to the one who needs till he learns how to fish”.
In the true spirit of continuing the real vedic spirit, the Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetham‘s Annadaan service is rigorously serving the needy with divine food.
- Annadaan is offered to around 2500 people every day.
- On an average, an astounding figure of 125 kg of rice are cooked each day
.
- Food is served thrice a day at the Aadheenam premises prepared in the most hygienic manner in the energy field of the Aadheenam.
- The food is prepared to the accompaniment of mantras or keertans (sacred hymns), infusing positive vibrations in the food that has the power to heal people.
- Ananda Sevaks, the blissful volunteers of Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam cook and serve hot, nourishing sattvik meals (the purest food) with rice, dal and vegetables.
On special occasions, the Aadheenam feeds over 5000 people a day. This service is 24/7, open to all.
Future Plans
- Efforts are on to extend both these services of ‘Annadaan’ and the ‘Jnana Paal, the Enlightening Milk’ to other locations of the Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetham as well.
- In the first phase, this spiritual service will serve the pilgrims and Sannyasis (spiritual mendicants) at all the 5 temples being maintained by Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetham.
- Free meal schemes in schools are also envisaged as part of the next phase of this project.