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There is a mantra concerning eating that I was asked to translate. It is called "Anna." The word is written like the name Anna, which is a beautiful name found in many places, such as Czechoslovakia. But here, "anna" refers to corns, rice, wheat, barley—the seeds of various plants that we consume. It is said that the sun, from the astral world, returns to this world and makes contact with the five elements. Space is already present, as is air. Through water, it descends to this planet and enters the vegetation, particularly taking the form of seeds. The seed itself represents the earth element, and the process of ripening occurs through the fire element. Thus, the soul wanders through the seeds. This means there is already a soul, a life, within the seed. You place a seed in the ground, and it grows into a beautiful plant. But if you put a seedless seed into the earth, nothing will grow. Nowadays, however, seeds are manipulated. You can grow them only once, and then you must buy new ones. This is marketing. It has become very difficult to find original, ancient grains; they are manipulated and lack their original taste and essence. Nevertheless, "anna" means the seeds, the corns, the grains. And this is nourishment, especially for human beings. Concerning these seeds or grains, it is said they are anadevatā—they are gods. They are the source of your life. If you do not eat, you will die. Therefore, do not regard your food merely as something you are eating. You should know that this food is your life. There is no other god who will keep you alive; it is the food that sustains you. Perhaps you could wait half your lifetime for God to come, but if you do not eat for just a few months, you will go to God very quickly. Thus, it is your nourishment that keeps you alive. "Annapūrṇā" means completeness, signifying that there is enough—unpourné, saddhāpourné. Where there is enough food, everything is sufficient. Where there is no food, there is no happiness. This is what we all strive for; we work for our bread. No one says they are working for their clothes. In India, we say, "Bhagavān dāl rotī dete hai"—God gives us lentils and chapatis. This is a very old saying. If you eat only dal and roti (chapati) every day, you receive all necessary nutrition. You need nothing more, and dal was very easy to grow. Similarly, these corns and grains were easy to cultivate and were very cheap, though now dal has become more expensive because people do not grow as much. "Annapūrṇe saddhā pūrṇe"—where there is enough food (anna), there is everlasting happiness. In the house where grains are preserved, the goddess Annapūrṇā resides. She is the goddess Annapūrṇā. Even God Himself goes to her for bhikṣā (alms). She is the mother. You must understand that the highest principle in the universe is the mother. Those who can comprehend what a mother is can understand what God is, what the father is. And those who understand what a mother is will always help and serve the mother. A mother can never be a bad mother, except in cases of certain psychic illnesses. "Annapūrṇī sadāpūrṇī śaṅkara prāṇa vallabhī"—and Śiva is the prāṇa (life force) within. That is God. Śiva is the inner prāṇa. The prayer continues: Please give me the food for jñāna, so that I may realize and achieve ātma-jñāna (self-knowledge) in this life, that I may maintain my vairāgya (dispassion) to attain ātma-jñāna and the siddhi (perfection) for self-realization. O Mother Pārvatī, please give me food. "Mātāca Pārvatī Devī"—Mother Pārvatī Devī is the mother, the faithful consort of Śiva. She was first Śakti, then passed away and returned as Pārvatī. One must read the Śiva Purāṇa to understand this fully. "Mātā ca Pārvatī Devī"—Devī is a goddess. "Pitā Devo Maheśvara"—and the father is the Lord Śiva, Maheśvara. Prāṇa is the nourishment, and within the nourishment is prāṇa. Where there is no prāṇa, it is dead—be it prāṇa, the body, or food. "Bandhava Śiva Bhaktāśca"—all my relatives are devotees of Lord Śiva, and my home is the entire universe. This is the translation for these two lines I was asked to interpret. If they had asked for more, I would have translated more. If you ask for more, I will add more. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar