ANNADHANAM

The Sanskrit word annadānam literally means the offering or sharing (dānam) of food (annam). In every ethnic and religious community across the Indian subcontinent, no festival or ceremony is complete without annadānam, or at least with the distribution of prasādam.

"Annadanam Samam Danam
Trilokeshu Na Vidhathe"

- a verse from Vedas

meaning Annadanam is supreme and incomparable to any charity.

Food is the basic requirement for all humans. According to Vedas, the one who does annadanam to devotees attains heaven (Punya Lokam) in this life itself (Piravi). In this whole universe, the creation and its progression depends on food. Hence giving food to the devotees is more than attaining heaven.

"Gaja turaga Sahasram Gokulam koti danam
Kanaka Rajatha patram Methini sagarantham
Upaya kula vishuttam Koti kanya pradanam
Nahi nahi bahu danam Annadanam samanam"

-Bhagavath Gita

Meaning: Donating 1000 elephants & horses, donating 10 million cows, donating any number of vessels of silver and gold, donating the entire land till sea, offering the entire services of the clan, helping in the marriage of 10 million women, all this is never ever equal to Annadanam, the feeding of hungry and needy.

"The World, both animate and inanimate, is sustained by food. The giver of food is the giver of life and indeed of everything else. Therefore, one who is desirous of well-being in this world and beyond, should make special endeavours to give food. Also Food should be offered with venerable hospitality to the old, the child, and the tired traveller".

- Bhagavan Sri Krishna in 'Shanti parvam' of the epic Mahabharata.

Therefore if you offer food to even an enemy who had come to kill you, the Gods will be pleased and bestow their boons upon you. The Gods appreciate the deed of regular annadanam.