The practice of serving the Lord’s lotus feet is one of the fundamental processes of devotional service. Srila Prabhupada mentions it in his writings and spoken words nearly twenty-thousand times! It is recommended by Prahlada Maharaja in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Pada-sevanam is listed among the nine activities which are technically called bhakti.
Pada-sevanam, or service to the Lord’s lotus feet, is the constitutional position of an accomplished servant of Krishna such as Laxmi devi. Laxmi exemplifies pada-sevanam. She has the exalted service of carefully remaining at Her master’s feet, massaging them with great reverence and affection.
Sankirtana, hearing and chanting the holy names of the Lord, is recommended especially for Kali-yuga, while worship of the Lord’s lotus feet was more emphasized in Dwarpa-yuga. However, reference to Krishna’s lotus feet is often found in contemporary instructions on bhakti-yoga which are meant for beginners. In the seventh canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam Srila Prabhupada explains, “According to one’s strength and taste, hearing, chanting and remembering may be followed by pada-sevanam”.
Understanding “Lotus Feet”
As beginners to devotional service, the notion of service to the Lord’s feet seems a bit abstract or inconceivable. Meanwhile the counterintuitive quality of the term “lotus feet” beckons us to understand it. We have no experience of transcendental feet likened to a fragrant flower, what to speak of the exotic lotus. It is with good reason that the twin processes of hearing and chanting are given greater emphasis. Still, there is much to gain by at least trying to understand that we offer our service to the lotus feet of Krishna, even as only a concept or a metaphor, (though it is infinitely more than that).
The large, ethereal blossoms of the lotus plant appear as if by magic from out of muddy water. Similarly, when Krishna incarnates upon earth to kindly reveal Himself to His devotees, He appears to be born in the material world like an ordinary man. However His body is never sullied and always distinct from the ordinary material bodies that the souls of men inhabit. His two feet are celebrated because they do not walk upon earth as men’s do.
As explained in Sri Isopanishad, the Lord walks but at the same time He does not walk. His body is fully spiritual; He has no trace of muscles or veins. As commonly stated, man was made in the image of God. Similarly, the splendid silken petals of the lotus flower that bloom in this world were fashioned by the creator just to bear resemblance to His feet. Every attractive feature of this world emanates from Him.
It seems as if the very devoted creator had a secret plan; by seeing the lotus flower of this world we may easily remember Krishna. There are thousands of temples established by great acaryas in which the Deity is established upon a carved lotus petal pedestal. If there is no such pedestal is available then some image of the flower is painted at the base of His feet.
It is advised that this particular feature of the altar be given first attention by anyone who visits a temple altar. Our priority in visiting the Deity should be to see the Lord from His lotus feet, gradually raising our eyes to His thighs, waist, chest and face. Srila Prabhupada explains that one should not try to look upon the face of the Lord without being accustomed to seeing the lotus feet of the Lord, for we must learn that we are not spectators, we are servants. After seeing the face we may also wish to look back down at His feet. “In the round,” he explains, “everything there is in order.”
When one is particularly adherent to the process of pada-sevanam, this process gradually includes other processes, such as seeing the form of the Lord, circumambulating the temple of form of the Lord, visiting such places as Jagannatha Puri, Dwaraka and Mathura to see the Lord’s form, and bathing in the Ganges or Yamuna. Bathing in the Ganges or serving a pure Vaisnava is also known as pada-sevanam.
–Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.24
Serving a Vaisnava
The Ganges emanates from the toe of Visnu, so taking a holy bath in that water is pada-sevanam. Yet how is serving a pure Vaisnava also known as service to the lotus feet of the Krishna?
When there is someone in our lives who represents God’s benevolence, if we feel inspired to serve him we have achieved pada- sevanam. This is something very deep and rare. The pure devtoee’s feet do not necessarily have the physical appearance of Krishna’s lotus feet, however they are also respected as lotus feet. Why? It is through humble submission and service to his feet that we may access relationship with Krishna. Glancing upon the feet of that person is appropriate deference; diverting our attention from self-centeredness, deferring it to someone who actually knows how to be Krishna conscious.
A Vaisnava is by nature very kind, and after all, if one is indebted to someone for kindness shown, gratitude and a spirit of service to them naturally inspires humble feelings. Such feelings may not allow us to meet the eye of a respected superior with our own erring eyes. And so we serve at his feet.
In the morning program at all ISKCON temples a daily part of the devotional practice is to sing and dance during one joyful song which states that “the lotus feet of my spiritual master are the only way to attain to the state of serving Krishna, and the affection for those lotus feet is the perfection of all my desires. I only long for the shelter of those two lotus feet.”
What that poetic verse precisely means will be a little different for each person depending upon what they are able to offer to the spiritual master, but basically the song extols the lotus feet to fully emphasize the attitude of surrender, submission and obedience to his instructions.
Because he is the very dear servant of Krishna, the spiritual master’s instructions are the essential guidelines for our attempt to offer service to Krishna and return back home, back to Godhead. Sri guru carane rati, ei se uttma gati, this from another daily temple program song, “the lotus feet of the spiritual master lead me to my best ultimate destination.”
The Elevation of the Four Kumaras
Actually the famous sons of Brahma, the four Kumaras, were disciples of one of the original spiritual masters of the universe, Lord Brahma. Their story is the classic example of the power in serving Krishna’s lotus feet. Though the child-like Kumaras were transcendentalists from their very birth, when their devotee father, Lord Brahma, gave them instruction about the worship of Krishna, they did not so much care for it. Theirs was the conception in which God has no personal features, but is worshiped as only the energy or light which emanates from His transcendental body.
However, they were devotees at heart. Aspiring for something more, the Kumaras went to heaven’s door. Like children with innocent curiosity, they attempted to enter there. The guards were surprisingly demeaning and an argument ensued. To their innocent surprise the Lord and maintainer of all of heaven and earth, Lord Visnu, came to greet them and satisfy their latent desire to see Him and settle the dispute. The Srimad-Bhagavatam offers a complete description of their instant elevation to personalism upon meeting the Lord,
“When the breeze carrying the aroma of tulasi leaves from the toes of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead entered the nostrils of those sages, they experienced a change both in body and in mind, even though they were attached to the impersonal Brahman understanding. The Lord’s beautiful face appeared to them like the inside of a blue lotus, and the Lord’s smile appeared to be a blossoming jasmine flower. After seeing the face of the Lord, the sages were fully satisfied, and when they wanted to see Him further, they looked upon the nails of His lotus feet, which resembled rubies. Thus they viewed the Lord’s transcendental body again and again, and so they finally achieved meditation on the Lord’s personal feature.”
-Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.15.44-45
The Kumaras were stunned, and rested their eyes on Lord Visnu’s feet. This vision of the Lord matched what their father had described to them, and they were fully satisfied. The whole trouble of the conflict with the guards was caused by the power of His lotus feet not being understood by them. The Lord then gave instructions which further elevated them to experience uncontaminated personal affection and love for Him.
Akrura Seeks Immunity
Perhaps no one can hanker to take hold of the lotus feet of Lord Krishna as much as a devotee who feels strongly regretful. Although he was a Vaisnava devotee of Krishna, through destiny Akrura was the messenger of the despot king, Kamsa. Akrura was aware that Kamsa planned to kill his young nephew Krishna. In fact, he had been sent as a liaison to bring Krishna to Kamsa just for that purpose. Reluctant to bring danger to Krishna, he sought immunity at the two lotus feet of Krishna. He soberly analyzed his situation.
“Today all my sinful reactions have been eradicated and my birth become worthwhile, since I will offer my obeisance to the Supreme Lord’s lotus feet, which mystic yogis meditate upon. Indeed, today King Kamsa has shown me extreme mercy by sending me to see the lotus feet of Lord Hari, who has now appeared in this world. Simply by the effulgence of His toenails, many souls in the past have transcended the insurmountable darkness of material existence and achieved liberation.”
-Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.6.7
As Akrura traveled the long road to Mathura in his chariot he was so absorbed in thought of Krishna he did not notice his changing surroundings. He anticipated seeing the Lord’s lotus face and getting His embrace which would instantly sanctify his own body and remove his material bondage. Thus his reluctance easily subsided. Akrura finally reached Gokula in the light of the rays of the setting sun, where he came upon a cowherd pasture containing the Lord’s footprints.
Knowing this to be the very same dust that the rulers of all the planets in the universe hold on their crowns he jumped off of the chariot. Those footprints of the Lord, distinguished by such marks as the lotus, barleycorn and elephant goad, made the ground wonderfully beautiful. Akrura’s eyes filled with tears without even a thought of his position as a soldier or messenger; he began to fall and roll upon the footprints to get the dust from them upon his body.
The Perfect Shelter
The lotus feet of the Lord are the quintessential bodily feature by which He is worshipped. The conclusion of the Vedas is that there is no better topic of discussion than Krishna’s lotus feet, for they bestow the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those who are truly meek and humble believe they have no recourse in life other than to approach the service of His lotus feet.
“I have no love for Krishna, or for the causes of developing love for Krishna- namely, hearing and chanting. And the process for bhakti-yoga, by which one is always thinking of Krishna and fixing His lotus feet in the heart, is also lacking in me. As far as philosophical knowledge and pious works are concerned, I don’t see any opportunity for me to execute such activities. But above all, I am not even born of a nice family. Therefore I must simply pray to You, O Gopijana-vallabha, (Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis). I simply wish and hope that some way or other I may be able to approach Your lotus feet, and this hope is giving me pain, because I think myself quite incompetent to approach that transcendental goal of life.”
-Bhakti-rasa sindhu, (ch. 18 of NOD)
To fully explain the eternal mercy of serving guru and Krishna’s lotus feet is not possible. To grasp them is as precious as our budding love for Krishna, but we are unsteady and we may let go due to the contamination in our hearts. Then quite suddenly, thanks to that mercy we are grasping those feet again one day in desperation.
As a child catches sight of his parent’s shoes walking through a crowded place and simply toddles behind, so we must abide by the lotus feet of guru and Krishna within this material world and loyally attempt to follow. The lotus feet of guru and Krishna are the merciful shelter of our happy aspiration to love Krishna.
Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=97725
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