Meaning:
Nirdhūtākhila-ghora-pāvanakarī pratyakṣamāheśvarī .
Prāleyācala-vaṁśapāvanakarī kāśīpurādhīśvarī
Bhikṣāṁ dehi kṛpāvalambanakarī mātānnapūrṇeśvarī ..1..
O mother Annapurna, who extends compassion to all, who gives eternal happiness, who gives blessings and fearlessness, who is the ocean of beauty, who purifies all evil, who is the great goddess visible to the eye, who purified the lineage of the snowy Himalaya, and who rules the city of Kashi! Give me alms.
Nānāratna-vicitrabhūṣaṇakarī hemāmbarāḍambarī
Muktāhāra-vilambamānavilasad-vakṣojakumbhāntarī .
Kāśmīrāgaru-vāsitā rucikarī kāśīpurādhīśvarī
Bhikṣāṁ dehi kṛpāvalambanakarī mātānnapūrṇeśvarī ..2..
O mother Annapurna, who extends compassion to all, who is decorated with many varieties of gems, who wears luxurious golden garments, who has a string of pears hanging in the space between her full breasts, who is perfumed with saffron and aloe wood, who creates taste, who rules the city of Kashi! Give me alms.
Yogānandakarī ripukṣayakarī dharmārtha-niṣṭhākarī
Candrārkānalabhā-samānalaharī trailokyarakṣākarī .
Sarvaiśvarya-samastavāñchitakarī kāśīpurādhīśvarī
Bhikṣāṁ dehi kṛpāvalambanakarī mātānnapūrṇeśvarī ..3..
O mother Annapurna, who extends compassion to all, who gives the bliss of yoga, who destroys her enemies, who gives dharma, wealth, and devotion, who emanates waves with the combined radiance of the sun, the moon, and fire, who protects the three worlds, who gives all opulence and all that is desired, and who rules the city of Kashi! Give me alms.
Kailāsācala-kandarālayakarī gaurī umā shaṅkarī
Kaumārī nigamārtha-gocarakarī oṁkārabījākṣarī .
Mokṣadvāra-kapāṭa-pāṭanakarī kāśīpurādhīśvarī
Bhikṣāṁ dehi kṛpāvalambanakarī mātānnapūrṇeśvarī ..4..
O mother Annapurna, who extends compassion to all, who lives in the caves of Kailasa, who is white, who is Uma, who gives prosperity, who is the energy of Subrahmanya, who makes the meaning of the Vedas perceptible, who has "Om" as her seed syllable, who throws the gate of salvation open, and who rules the city of Kashi! Give me alms.
Dṛśyādṛśya-vibhūti-vāhanakarī brahmāṇḍa-bhāṇḍodarī
Līlānāṭaka-sūtra-khelanakarī vijnānadīpāṅkurī .
Śrīviśveśa-manaḥprasādanakarī kāśīpurādhīśvarī
Bhikṣāṁ dehi kṛpāvalambanakarī mātānnapūrṇeśvarī ..5..
O mother Annapurna, who extends compassion to all, who carries visible and invisible attributes, who holds within herself the whole universe, who directs the sporting drama of the world, who is the seed of the lamp of knowledge, who pleases the mind of Shiva, and who rules the city of Kashi! Give me alms.
Ūrvī sarvajaneśvarī bhagavatī mātānnapūrṇeśvarī
Veṇīnīla-samāna-kuntaladharī nityānnadāneśvarī .
Sākṣānmokṣakarī sadāśubhakarī kāśīpurādhīśvarī
Bhikṣāṁ dehi kṛpāvalambanakarī mātānnapūrṇeśvarī ..6..
O mother Annapurna, who is the earth, who is the mistress of all people, who is the goddess and the mother Annapurna, who has braided hair which resembles indigo, who is always engaged in distribution of food, who gives direct liberation, who always gives auspiciousness, and who rules the city of Kashi! Give me alms.
Ādikṣānta-samasta-varṇanakarī śambhostribhāvākarī
Kāśmīrā trijaleśvarī trilaharī nityāṅkurā śarvarī .
Svargadvāra-kapāṭa-pāṭanakarī kāśīpurādhīśvarī
Bhikṣāṁ dehi kṛpāvalambanakarī mātānnapūrṇeśvarī ..7..
O mother Annapurna, who creates all the letters beginning with A and ending with Kṣa, who creates the three forms of Shiva, who has the colour of saffron,who is the mistress of the three states and the three energies, who is always sprouting, who is the night, who throws the gate of heaven open, and who rules the city of Kashi! Give me alms.
Devī sarvavicitra-ratnaracitā dākṣāyaṇī sundarī
Vāme svādupayodharā priyakarī saubhāgya-māheśvarī .
Bhaktābhīṣṭakarī sadāśubhakarī kāśīpurādhīśvarī
Bhikṣāṁ dehi kṛpāvalambanakarī mātānnapūrṇeśvarī ..8..
O mother Annapurna, who extends compassion to all, who is decorated with various gems, who is the beautiful daughter of Daksha, who holds sweet milk in her left hand, who causes happiness, who is the goddess of fortune, who fulfills the desires of her devotees, who always gives auspiciousness, and who rules the city of Kashi! Give me alms.
Candrārkānala-koṭikoṭi-sadṛśī candrāṁśu-bimbādharī
Candrārkāgnisamāna-kuṇḍaladharī candrārka-varṇeśvarī .
Mālāpustaka-pāśasāṅkuśa-dharī kāśīpurādhīśvarī
Bhikṣāṁ dehi kṛpāvalambanakarī mātānnapūrṇeśvarī ..9..
O mother Annapurna, who extends compassion to all, who resembles billions of suns, moons and fires, whose lips resemble the crescent moon, who wears earrings which shine like the sun, the moon and the fire, who is the goddess of the brilliance of the sun and moon, who holds a rosary, a book, a noose, and a goad, and who rules the city of Kashi! Give me alms.
Kṣatratrāṇakarī mahābhayaharī mātā kṛpāsāgarī
Sarvānandakarī sadāśivakarī viśveśvarī śrīdharī .
Dakṣākrandakarī nirāmayakarī kāśīpurādhīśvarī
Bhikṣāṁ dehi kṛpāvalambanakarī mātānnapūrṇeśvarī ..10..
O mother Annapurna, who extends compassion to all, who protects the warrior class, who removes the greatest fears, who is the mother of all, who is the ocean of compassion, who gives all happiness, who always gives auspiciousness, who is the mistress of the world, who is the store of prosperity, who made Daksha cry, who removes all diseases, and who rules the city of Kashi! Give me alms.
Annapūrṇe sadāpūrṇe śaṅkara-prāṇavallabhe .
Jñānavairāgya-siddhyarthaṁ bhikṣāṁ dehi ca pārvati ..11..
O Annapurna, who is always complete! O beloved of Lord Shiva! For the attainment of knowledge and detachment, give me alms.
Mātā ca pārvatī devī pitā devo maheśvaraḥ .
Bāndhavāḥ śivabhaktāśca svadeśo bhuvanatrayam ..12..
My mother is the Goddess Parvati, my father is Lord Shiva, my relatives are the devotees of Shiva, and the three worlds are my motherland.
This hymn was composed by Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada.
Notes
This hymn has been composed in praise of Annapurna, the presiding goddess of the city of Varanasi. The city Varanasi is also called Kashi or the city of light. The temple and the city are very sacred spots. The goddess here is also called Vishalakshi.
One day, Shiva and Parvati entered into a philosophical argument. Shiva said that the soul is alone true and that the whole universe, including food is an illusion. Parvati, the goddess of the material world, was displeased and asked Shiva to accept that food is not an illusion. Shiva did not yield, causing Parvati to disappear. This caused widespread famine on the Earth.
Seeing the suffering of her children, the divine mother came to the city of Kashi and started feeding all creatures from the gods in heaven to the dogs on the street. She would not eat a morsel unless all those who came to her were well-fed. This earned her the name Annapurna. People from all over the Earth came to her for food. Eventually, Shiva too started feeling hungry and went to Kashi. He was shocked on seeing the masses that approached Annapurna for food. He went to her with begging bowl in hand and told her he realized that food was essential for the survival of the soul. The Goddess Annapurna is considered the goddess of food and nourishment. She is depicted with a ladle and a bowl of rice in her hands.