As a child I have been accustom to touching certain elders feet, mainly my parents and grandparents. I would always to do this on special occasions, like or New Year when I met my grandparents. My understanding…. To seek blessings when ever I embark on something new or have to do something new, special or auspicious I would seek blessings from my parents touching their feet. They would lovingly place their hands on my head and then I would also get the most comforting hugs.
So with everything else I wanted to find out more about this tradition…my inquisitive mind of why do we do this… So lets find out The Jai Jais way. As time goes on our culture is getting diluted, personally I feel these traditions are so special and have such deep meanings and I would like them to live on through generations. I want both my boys to understand these and continue to practice and believe. They will only continue if they understand the meaning behind what they are asked to do. Ancient Indian customs were born out of a deep understanding of life and its mechanics.
This practice has been observed since the Vedic times its is known as “Charan Sparsh”, In Sanskrit “Charan” means ‘feet’, and “Sparsh” means, ‘to touch’. So what I have found out is there are several reasons for touching feet let’s explore these:
- Destruction of the ego-Ego can be a hindrance, whilst touching someone’s feet we are letting go of our ego, maintaining a humble nature and spiritual growth.
- Channelling energy-We have nerves in our body running from head to toe. When we touch someone’s feet with your hands a complete energy cycle if formed between the two people, the cycle becomes complete when the person touches the head of the person touching the feet. Touching the feet we share the qualities of the other person such as love, wisdom and intelligence. Showing the person we respect them and receiving love and blessings in return.
- Health benefits-If we think about our posture bowing down its like a yoga pose, we stretch our bodies. It’s a great stretch for our bodies!!
- Emotions-I have to say when I touch my parents feet I always get very emotional and usually shed a few tears
