”Glory of the Lord’s Lotus Feet
Manasa bhajore guru charanam
Dustara bhava sagara tharanam”I called on all those suffering in the endless round of birth and death to worship the Feet of the Guru that was announcing Himself, who had come once again for taking upon Himself the burden of those who find refuge in Him. That was the very first Message of Mine to Humanity, “Manasa Bhajore”. “Worship in the Mind!” I do not need your flower garlands and fruits, things that you get for an anna or two; they are not genuinely yours. Give me something genuinely yours, something which is clean and fragrant with the perfume of virtue and innocence, washed in tears of repentance.
The Divine is “Poorna-Swarupa (all encompassing form). Just as the feet of the individual bear the burden of the human body, the subtle body of the Divine bears on it’s feet the entire universe. Without the feet the body cannot move.
Recognizing that the macrocosm and the microcosm are constituted by the same basic elements, men should realize that the Divine is present in everything. Hence, man should chant the name of the Lord from the core of his heart and take refuge in the Feet of the Lord.
When Bharatha enthroned the Padukas (sandals) of Rama, Ayodhya was really protected by Rama’s sandals. Bhadachala Ramdas also sang the same strain, “Oh Rama I’m holding your feet. I will not let you move even one step until you assure me of your protection”. Thyagaraja, in a similar vein declared that he would not allow himself to be tempted by the treasures offered by the Raja of Tandore and he preferred the lotus feet of Sri Rama to all the wealth in the world. Annamacharya declared, “ Oh mind! Take refuge in the Lotus Feet of the Lord. They will relieve you of all miseries and lead you to the divine.”
“Feet” does not mean sandals made of silver or gold. “Feet” refers to the Divine that sustains everything. Why is such greatness conferred on the Feet? Viewing from the scientific point of view, it will be noted that the blood flows from the feet upwards to all parts of the body. It is this blood which sustains the entire body. The feet that bear the burden of the entire body is essential for life itself. The inner meaning of seeking the Lord’s Feet is that, thereby, the Lord will forgive the sins of the person. But the mere holding of the feet is not enough. One must be genuinely repentant and declare that he will not commit similar offences again. When you seek refuge in the Lord’s Feet or when writing the Lord’s name, you have to get rid of the evil traits of envy, anger and hatred, then you can secure a vision of the Divine form.
The Lord’s Feet are glorious in many ways. The Lord is like the Lotus – unaffected by the environment where he is; that is the reason why his eyes, Face and Feet are all compared to the Lotus. But the Lord’s Feet will confer blessings only if they are sought with real faith. The Lord’s Feet contain the Divine insignia of Sankha (conch) and Chakra (discus). Conch symbolizes Shabda Brahman (the cosmic divine sound). The Discus represents the “wheel of time”. The sound and time together represent the different cosmic aspects of the Lord. The entire universe originated from sound vibrations. These vibrations are related to time.
SRI SATHYA SAI BABA
A TRIBUTE TO SRI SATHYA SAI BABA
