Defining Indian Identity-The Worship of Feet

“viṣṇōḥ padē parama” ityudita praśaṃsau
yau “madhva utsa” iti bhōgya tayā’pyupāttau ।
bhūyastathēti tava pāṇitala pradiṣṭau
śrīvēṅkaṭēśa charaṇau śaraṇaṃ prapadyē ॥ 10 ॥

I seek refuge of Sri Venkateswara’s feet,
which are extolled (in the Rg Veda)
as “Visnoh parame pade” (in the most exalted abode of Vishnu),
which are, (again) extolled therein
as “madhva utsa” (meaning the fountain the honey)
as extremely enjoyable
and which are indicated as such by
the show of the palm of Thy hand.

Pada Vandanam, Pada Namaskaram, Pada Archanam, Pada Sevanam, Pada Puja or Worship of Feet: 

The land of India is a very unique place on this planet where people are culturally endowed with an ardent desire to worship feet.No other society or social community has openly exhibited this behavioral trait and feet worship could be described as the hall-mark of Indian Identity.This tradition and literal practice of feet worship was well established by the time the epic poem of Ramayana was composed. In AYODHYA KANDA,we read the very moving account of Rama touching the feet of His father Dasaratha and queen mother Kaikeyi after having received the orders for his banishment to live in the forest for fourteen years. Later in ARANYA KANDA, we read about the younger brother Bharata who literally clung to the feet of Rama seeking His refuge. Eventually,Bharata carried Rama’s sandals keeping them on his head and installs them on the throne (PADUKA PATTABHISHEKAM) and served them with great devotion for fourteen long years during Rama’s exile.  

India is the land where you witness people touching the feet of living persons as an act of worship.This is a fairly common event and sometimes the remembrance of such worship lingers in your mind.I would like to narrate one such event that I had witnessed in the past and my act of remembrance may add-on to the blessings these feet worshipers may be receiving even today.  

I was traveling by train from Rajahmundry to Lucknow City to serve in the Indian Army Medical Corps. I was motivated by a desire to see the land of India with my own eyes and know its people. For the first time, I was traveling in a first class compartment and was the sole occupant. Later in the night, a lady entered the compartment and was apparently traveling alone. She was elegantly attired, looked modest and the picture of an upper middle class house wife. Early morning, when the train halted at a station, I did not realize that she had reached her destination. She was quietly seated, was not gathering her belongings and was not even looking outside to check if some one had arrived to receive her. After a little while, I had noticed three young men, well- dressed and well-groomed, all of them little older than me, checking the list of passenger names on the door of the train compartment and entered the compartment. They did not pay any attention to my presence. One after the other, they went forward to bend and touch her feet and paid their respects. The behavior of the young men that I was keenly observing was natural, spontaneous and unpretentious. That early morning hour, they were not putting up an act in a public place to impress any one. They acted in a deliberate, purposeful and reverential manner and I am very sure that they grew up in that manner and clearly they were not inhibited in displaying their respect in front of strangers. I was a silent spectator of this scene wherein an unassuming woman suddenly got transformed into a living deity. I can assure you that you would witness such a scene only in the Land of India. Hence, I would claim that the desire to worship the feet of a living person would define Indian Identity.  

Every deity that Indians seek to worship are better pleased when we worship their feet. PRAHLADA  describes “PADA SEVANAM” as one of the nine ways to worship VISHNU.

Indians worship feet not only as a sign of humility but also as a mark of submission, total surrender to the will of God. They touch feet as a plea for protection. This is not a mere religious rite or ritual and it actually shapes the attitudes and behavior of people. The final resting place for the individual souls (JEEVATMA)has been described as the Lotus Feet of the Lord. This is described as ‘CHARANAM’ (Feet of the Lord) ‘SHARANAM’ (Ultimate Refugee).