AVTAR MOTA
“Matru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava, Acharya devo bhava, Atithi devo bhava”.
“May you be the one who worships mother, father, teachers and guests as God”……
(Taittiriya Upanishad)
An ancient Indian painting showcasing Abhimanyu seeking blessings from his mother by touching her feet
As children , we were taught Charan Sparash or touching the feet of our elders or saints or teachers or people with rich worldly experience . I remember as and when I went to some saint or some temple with mother , she would repeatedly remind me about it in Kashmiri saying , “ paran pezi ta aahi mangizeus “ or “ you must bow and seek blessings”.
In India, touching feet of elders is a common gesture. It is done to give respect to elders and seek their blessings. Known as Charan-Sparsh, it is practised in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh cultural traditions. Falling in Pranam ( pra means forward anam means bending in Sanskrit ) , it is a form of greeting our elders. Like Namaste , it is another popular form of greeting elders , saints, and worldly experienced people.
Charan -Sparsh finds clear mention in the dialogue between Yaksha and Yudhishthira in Mahabharata . Yaksha went on asking him questions on various concepts of Dharma and Yudhishthira answered successfully and revived his brothers . The Yaksha then revealed that he was none other than Lord Yama .At this, Yudhishthira bowed and touched the feet of Dharam-Raja or Lord Yama.
The Atharva-Veda says that when you touch the feet of the elders , you are respecting their knowledge and promising to carry forward their teachings to the next generation . It also says that the process of learning is incomplete until you start it with touching the feet of the teacher and also end it by touching the feet of the teacher or the Guru.
Even in Ramayana, one finds Sri Rama touching the feet of his mother and father and sages he meets. We also see Sita touching the feet of sage Valmiki.During Navratras , as Hindus perform Kanya -Pujan, they touch the feet of little girls worshipping them as goddess durga full of positive energy .According to the Bhagavad Gita, one needs to pay obeisance or touch the feet of superiors like father ,mother, spiritual teachers, saintly people, divine bodies and or all the above.(BG 17.14)
In cultural terms, it means “respectful salutation” or “reverential bowing” , usually elders or teachers or someone highly respected for his knowledge ,wisdom or wordly experience. In Hindu scriptures, there are stories of many Rishis having performed Shiva’s Charan Sparsh at Mount Kailasha . Accordingly, Charansparsh in Kailash Mansarovar Yatra means touching the feet of the lord Shiva. To do that, countless individuals have made every effort to reach the summit of this peak, and they have yet to succeed.
In Sikh scriptures the feet of the Guru are considered sacred. Like Hindu scriptures, they are comparable to a lotus flower and often referred to as ‘Guru Ke Charan Kamal ‘. In all forms of Buddhist belief, prostration is an accepted norm to show respect and regard to an enlightened teachers and Avalokiteshvara , the earthly manifestation of the self-born eternal Buddha Amitabha.
Charan-Sparsha is also practised by Shishyas ( students ) in Guru -Shishya parampara of learning . I have seen many musicians performing it. Sitar maestro , Pandit Ravi Shankar has been often seen touching the feet of Baba Allaudin Khan , his Guru .I have also seen videos of Infosys Chairman Sri Narayan Murti bowing and touching feet of Ratan Tata, PM Narendra Modi touching the feet of his mother or L K Advani and almost every disciple touching the feet of Shehnai player Ustad Bismillah Khan. I have also seen photographs of actor Rajnikant touching feet of Yogi Adityanath or Sukhbir Badal touching feet of elderly Balbir Singh , eminent hockey player of the country.
In Indian culture, children from a small age are taught to touch the feet of their elders that includes parents ,grandparents and elderly relations or acquaintances . A spirit of humility, surrender and respect for elders is taught to them right from teenage. I have also noticed that before commencing any job or leaving for work, people touch the feet of elders to seek their good wishes and blessings .It is believed that when a person bows down to touch the feet of elders, his ego vanishes. This vanishing ego has twin effects. It brings smile on the face of the elder and also gives a unique pleasure and humility to the person who is bending to touch the feet . The smile on the face of the elder is nothing but a bouquet of blessings coming from the depths of his heart. Consequently , a transfer of positive energy and positive vibrations takes place that does good to the both : the receiver and the giver. One certainly receives positive energy from a person who is on higher vibration like a saint or an elder who is more evolved.
This is certainly an amazing practice, specially to show our gratitude to our parents. They feel immensely respected . This humble gesture demonstrates a sincere gratitude to them . In Indian culture , the elders also respond lovingly and place their palm on the head of the young ones. By placing their palm, they intend to bless them with positive vibes as well as wish them joy and long life.Usually, elderly people can be heard saying, ‘ Jeete Raho ‘ to males and’ Jeeti Raho ‘ to females. The phrase means “have a long and satisfying life.”
Avtar Mota is a bloger and writes for local and national papers and magazines
