What is Pada Sevanam?

 

"According to one's taste and strength, hearing, chanting and remembrance may be followed by pada-sevanam. One obtains the perfection of remembering when one constantly thinks of the lotus feet of the Lord. Being intensely attached to thinking of the Lord's lotus feet is called päda-sevanam. 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, touching the form of the Lord, circumambulating the form or temple of the Lord, visiting such places as Jagannatha Puri, Dvärakä and Mathurä to see the Lord's form, and bathing in the Ganges or Yamuna. Bathing in the Ganges and serving a pure Vaisnava are also known as tadiya-upäsanam. This is also päda-sevanam. The word tadiya means 'in relationship with the Lord.' Service to the Vaisnava, Tulasi, Ganges and Yamunä are included in pada-sevanam. All these processes of pada-sevanam help one advance in spiritual life very quickly." -SB 7.5.23-24p

 

SERVING THE LOTUS FEET OF THE LORD
Feet means person. Only a person or living entity has feet. Thus God is not impersonal. Serving His lotus feet, therefore, is the beginning of personal service to Him.

 


One Devotee wrote:
"Pada-Sevanam means 'serving the feet' of the Krishna. Why feet? To approach a person's feet is a sign of humility. Even today in India children learn to touch their parent's feet as a token of respect....
Pada-Sevanam comes after the devotional practices of hearing about Krishna, chanting about Him and remembering Him. It is a logical progression. After hearing and repeating someone's glories, we naturally remember that person and in time seek the intimacy of service. Pada-Sevanam offers a tremendous spiritual lesson: It means approaching the Lord from the most humble position, as supplicants at His feet."

 

SEEING THE FORM OF THE LORD (DARSHAN)
Everyday we may view the transcendental body of the Lord, beginning from His feet upwards, and carry that vision of His lotus feet with us always.
Tips for taking darshan:
1. Ring a bell, knock or make some sound before entering temple.
2. Say Their Lordship’s names aloud in greeting.
3. Pay obeisances to Their Lordship's right.
4. Say pranams aloud.
5. View Their form from Their lotus feet upward.
6. Sing, chant or offer prayers for the Lord’s pleasure

 

TOUCHING THE FORM OF THE LORD
Pujaris especially have this good fortune, but in some temples there are engravings or castings of the Lord's and His associate's lotus feet to facilitate pilgrims. In some temples, also, there is a bell-shaped form of the Lord's lotus feet, made of copper and sometimes silver and gold, which is worshiped along with the main Deity and then placed on the heads of pilgrims passing by the altar.

 

CIRCUMAMBULATING THE FORM OR TEMPLE OF THE LORD (PARIKRAMA)
Many temples and holy spots have special parikrama paths for this purpose.

 

VISITING HOLY PLACES TO SEE THE LORD'S FORM (PILGRIMAGE)
During His various pastimes in various incarnations, the Lord's lotus feet have traversed all the holy lands and bathed in all the sacred rivers.

 
 



BATHING IN THE GANGES OR YAMUNA
The Ganges emanates from the hole in the universe made by His big toe.DRINKING CARNAMRTA . We also drink the holy water in the form of carnamrta which washed the Lord’s feet. All these things are included in pada sevanam.

 

SERVING TULSI DEVI
While viewing the arca-vigraha form of the Lord, note what is surrounding the Lord’s feet. There is Tulsi devi and the acaryas or pure devotees.

 
 



SERVING A PURE VAISNAVA
Vaisnava's devotees are compared to the bees always hovering around the tulsi at His lotus feet:
"The essence of everything is the Supreme Lord: He is called the säram. And those who sing and talk about Him are called the särangas, or the pure devotees. The pure devotees are always hankering after the lotus feet of the Lord. The lotus has a kind of honey which is transcendentally relished by the devotees. They are like the bees who are always after the honey.

 

Srila Rüpa Gosvämi, the great devotee acarya of the Gaudiya-Vaisnava-sampradäya, has sung a song about this lotus honey, comparing himself to the bee: 'O my Lord Krishna, I beg to offer my prayers unto You. My mind is like the bee, and it is after some honey. Kindly, therefore, give my bee-mind a place at Your lotus feet, which are the resources for all transcendental honey. I know that even big demigods like Brahmä do not see the rays of the nails of Your lotus feet, even though they are engaged in deep meditation for years together. Still, O infallible one, my ambition is such, for You are very merciful to your surrendered devotees.

 

O Madhava, I know also that I have no genuine devotion for the service of Your lotus feet, but because Your Lordship is inconceivably powerful, You can do what is impossible to be done. Your lotus feet can deride even the nectar of the heavenly kingdom, and therefore I am very much attracted by them. O supreme eternal, please, therefore, let my mind be fixed at Your lotus feet so that eternally I may be able to relish the taste of Your transcendental service.' The devotees are satisfied with being placed at the lotus feet of the Lord and have no ambition to see His all-beautiful face or aspire for the protection of the strong arms of the Lord. They are humble by nature, and the Lord is always leaning towards such humble devotees." --SB 1.11.26

 

"The dust of the feet of a devotee, the water that has washed the feet of a devotee, and the remnants of food left by a devotee are three very powerful substances. By rendering service to these three, one attains the supreme goal of ecstatic love for Krsna. In all the revealed scriptures this is loudly declared again and again." CC Antya 16.60-61

 

MEDITATION
This includes various symbols that mark the soles of the Lord's lotus feet. There may be information available on the Internet as well as books by senior devotees concerning these markings.

 

"O Lord, Your lotus feet are like an umbrella for the surrendered souls, protecting them from all the miseries of material existence. All the sages under that shelter throw off all material miseries. We therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto Your lotus feet." --SB 3.5.39

 

 

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