October 7-8, 1993
Paduka Puja was performed by 108 couples for 108 Padukas on 8th October. Bhagavan blessed all the couples with Padanamaskar. He sat on the special ‘Simhasana’ and placed His Lotus Feet on the golden sandals, both presented by the Paduka Pratishtha Committee. Sri Subramanya Chettiar and family performed Pada Puja to Bhagavan with silver coins. Bhagavan blessed Sri Chettiar for his sincere effort.
On the previous evening, He gave a Discourse at Poornachandra Auditorium elaborating on the significance of worshipping of Lord's Feet. He said:
"The Ramayana is regularly read and Rama is worshipped by the vast majority of the people in Bharat. There is a Rama temple in every village. But how many are living up to Rama's commands? Rama chose to go to the forest to comply with His father's promise. How many today obey their father’s injunctions? Rama sacrificed the Kingdom and all comforts for the sake of upholding Truth. He said his sole aim was to promote the people's welfare. He sought to serve the people in whom he saw the image of God.
No penance, no pilgrimages to sacred rivers,
No study of scriptures nor the recitation
Of the Lord's name will be of any use
For crossing the ocean of Samsaara
Without service to Sajjana.
Sajjanam refers to those in whom Sat, the Atma, dwells. As the Atma dwells in all beings, Sajjana refers to one and all. When you serve Sat, which is the Reality in every being, you get the Awareness of Chit (Consciousness). With this Awareness, the heart is filled with Ananda (Bliss).
Annamacharya (AD 1408 - 1503)
Annamacharya hailed the feet of the Lord as those which had been washed by Brahma himself which are of Brahman Itself, which bear the burdens of the entire universe, and the burden of all human bodies. How is this done. The Divine is Poorna-Svaroopa (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 its feet the entire universe. Without the feet the body cannot move.
Significance of greatness conferred on Lord's feet
Recognizing that the macrocosm and microcosm are constituted by the same five basic elements, man should realise 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. Annamachaarya declared: "Oh mind! Take refuge in the lotus feet of the Lord. They will relieve you of all your miseries and lead you to the Divine."
Bharata carrying the sandals of Lord Rama to Ayodhya
When Bharata enthroned the Padukas (sandals) of Rama, Ayodhya was really protected by Rama's sandals. Bhadhrachala Ramadas also sang in the same strain. "Oh Rama! I am holding on to your feet. I will not let you move even one step until you assure me your protection."
Thyagaraja, in a similar vein, declared that he would not allow himself to he tempted by the treasures offered by the Raja of Tanjavur and he preferred the lotus feet of Shri Rama to all the wealth of the world.
Thyagaraja (AD 1767 - 1847)
"Feet" do not mean sandals made in silver or 'gold. Feet refers to the Divine that sustains everything. Why is such greatness conferred on the feet? Viewing the matter from the point of view of science, it will be noted that 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 are essential for life itself. When you seek refuge in the Lord's feet, you can secure a vision of the Divine form.
Yashoda catches Krishna through His footprints
Here is a small example from the early life of Lord Krishna in Gokulam to show what the Lord's feet mean. Krishna was known as one who used to steal butter from all houses and feed his friends and playmates too. As there were a lot of complaints about this naughty child, Krishna's mother Yashoda caught hold of him one day as he was running away and asked him: "Why are you stealing butter from other houses while I offer you so much at home? Your mouth always smells of butter. Give up this habit. Otherwise, I will tie you to a mortar to restrict your movement. How do you do such things, being so small a child?" He smiled and ran away. Yashoda went from house to house in search of Krishna. He played a small trick. Yashoda could not move fast as she had a heavy body. She was in a fix how to trace him.
Krishna dipped his feet in milk in a house and ran from there, leaving behind the trail of his footprints caused by the milk. It was only with the help of Krishna's own footprints that she was able to catch him. In fact, because she was so eager to get at him, Krishna himself helped her to trace him. Yashoda was able to catch the Lord only through footprints of His Feet.
The Lord's feet are glorious in many ways. But they will confer blessings only if they are sought with real faith. The Lord's feet contain the Divine insignia, of Shankha (Conch) and Chakra (Discus). Shankha symbolises 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. Sound and Time are inseparable and interdependent.
It is a common practice among rural folk to advise anyone who has committed a wrong to hold the feet of the person whom he has wronged. Once a man holds the other's feet, it means that he has sought and secured the latter's forgiveness. Nowadays, with all the Courts and legal processes, no one attempts to hold the feet of anyone. In the old days in the villages, if a man fell at the feet of another, the latter had no options but to forgive the supplicant.
Seeking the Lord's feet is seeking forgiveness. The inner meaning of seeking the Lord's feet is that thereby the Lord will forgive the sins of the penitent. But mere holding of the feet is not enough. One must be genuinely repentant and declare that he will not commit similar offences again. Only then he will secure atonement.'
Embodiments of the Divine Atma! Different persons pursue different kinds of Sadhana. To realise the benefits of this Sadhana, they go to Ashrams. They adore elders and offer worship to them. As long as egoism remains in them, all these exercises are of no avail. Your egoism may even lead to your expulsion from the Ashram. Hence suppress the ego, bury the sense of possessiveness and develop attachment to the Atma to realise your true humanness. Envy, hatred and anger are causing havoc among men. Even residents of the Ashram are filled with anger. Anger has been described as incense offered to sin. Therefore, while you are worshipping the Lotus feet or writing the Lord's name, you have to get rid of these three evil traits.
Destroy the ego, do your duty and help mutually
At the outset, the ego has to be destroyed. Then anger will subside. Do your duty. Do not project your ego. Develop mutual helpfulness. Carry on your work with joy. Be friendly towards each other. It is only when you behave in this manner that you will realise the benefits of Likhita Japam and worship of the Padukas (Lord's Sandals).
In the Sai Organisations, the primary requisite is unity and mutual trust. Only with unity can you promote the well-being of the world. If there is discord within the organization, how can you serve others? Make forbearance your ornament. Through love, eliminate your bad traits. Leading members of the Sai Organisation, who undertake sacred activities such as Nama Likhita Japam and Paduka Seva should develop sacred qualities.
In Tamil Nadu, in numerous villages devotees are engaged in Nama Likhita Japa and offering worship to Padukas. Together with these they should also purify their hearts. Today in many parts of the world Nature is causing various disasters such as earthquakes, famines, floods and volcanic eruptions. What is the reason? The spiritual lapses of man account for these calamities. Disturbances in the heart (human heart) are reflected in earthquakes. Fill your minds with good thoughts and engage yourselves in good actions. Chant the Lord's name. When the ether is surcharged with the vibrations of the Divine name, the entire environment gets purified. Those who breathe this sanctified air will have pure thoughts. Purify the atmosphere, which is now polluted.”
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