In the Lord's body the feet are the most important part for any devotee. It is said that even while the Lord assumed Visvaroopa, the devas and others occupied different parts of His body. But the feet alone were left for the devotees. In many of the Archa vigrahas the Lord himself is seen pointing with one of his hands towards His feet giving us a broad hint that it is those feet which will ensure our salvation. Whenever the God is described in literature, people follow the padadi desantha varnana technique. i. e. the divine figure is described feet upwards up to the crown. In Tamil this is known as Thiruvadi to thirumudi darshanam. The Dvaya mantra which says "Sriman Narayana Charanam saranam Prapadye" clearly states that our salvation lies in resorting to the feet of the Lord Sriman Narayana.
The word Padham has got three meanings. Pad means to go to. So padam is one that is reached. That is why the feet of the lord is padam. and we all have to aim to go to those feet. The word padam also means his abode. Vaikunta which again all would like to reach. The third meaning is The Lord himself. He is the goal. Sri Ramanujacharya in his Vedartha Sangraha gives these three meanings.
Vishnu sukta of the Rig veda says " Tad Vishno pade parame madhva utsah" It means in theHighest abode of Vishnu there is a spring of honey or immortality. it also means that is the most exalted feet of the Lord Vishnu where lies the sweet honey. The rig veda also says " Tad Vishno paramam padham sadaa pasyanthi surayah" meaning the wise always behold the exalted abode of the Lord.
Sankara Bhagavatpada in his Vishnu padaadi kesanta Varnana stotra devotes eight stanzas to describe the greatness of the Lords Divine feet. he says that the particles of dust on the lotus feet of the lotus eyed Lord are capable of eleminating all the accumulated sins of all His devotees. he goes on to say the extremely jealous group of demons do not even go near those feet for fear of touching them but the entire celestial group always desire them to adorn their heads. he says the sole of the lords feet one can see lines in the form of a wheel, fish etc and those emblems confer auspiciousness on us and are adored by god.
During the Lords trivikrama avatara one of the two feet spread as a emerald flag star in the sky from which arose the Ganges. the other which was resting on the earth, had the beauty of a big pillar to house the universe. the two feet are delicate, graceful and red and confer abundant prosperity on the seekers. he says the toes on his feet are shining with resplendent brilliance and the nails on them look like spotless shining gems. He says the celestials who come and bow down at his feet become jealous seeing their reflection on them thinking there are yet another set of celestials who are closer to the lord.
Sri Venkatesa Prapatti also gives soul stirring description of the divine feet. The feet add fragrance to the flowers at his feet and those feet are enjoyable for ever and ever and look newer and newer on every occassion. another stanza says the feet bear the mark of a banner, a pot of abrosia, an umbrella, the thunderbolt, lotus, kalpavriksha, conch and disc.
Perialvar and Yamunacharya also give similar description of the lords feet saying he sports "samrajya lakshna."(seen only on the emperor) the conch confers knowledge while the disc destroys enemy and rids us of our sins. {Dushta nigraha sishta paripalana}
The reddish sole surpass the luster of the ruby, and their brilliance excel the dazzle of sapphire and the shine of the nails out beat the cool moon too. the tenderness of the feet is beyond the scope of speech or imagination they having been massaged by the goddess.
Those were the feet shown to Arjuna in the battle field while propounding the "Charma sloka" and exhorting him to seek refuge at those feet.
Yamunacharya in verse 6 of his stotra ratna says Padaara vindam aravinds vilochanasya In verse 28 and 30 he refers to the feet as Paada Pankaja will bestow enormous punya even if one just folds his hands in abhaya towards the feet, He says the Anjali offered to the lotus feet is never lost. Swamy desikar has written an entire commentary on this single verse of Yamunacharya known as Anjali Vaibhavam. again in verse 31 of Stotraratna Yamunacharya impatiently asks when those feet are going to adorn his head. similarly Perialwar says whenever the Lord walked in ayarpadi the village hamlet he left the mark of all the insignia that adorned his feet. (pasuram91)
Koorattalvan in his Sri Vaikuntastava verses 70 and 71 expresses a desire to receive the Lord's feet on his head. also in other works Sundara Bahustava verses 62,65,67 and 111 where he praises the Lord at Thirumaliruncholai and in his Varadarajastava Lord of kanchi verses 59 to 62, the Lords feet are praised describing the softness sweetness and their grandeur. they are Makaranda pravaha flow of honey. these are the feet washed by brahma during the trivikrama manifestation and the water that flowed from the foot covering Brahmaloka took a three fold course. one stream is called Ganga, the second Dhruva and the third known as Alakananda. he also says the Sundarabaahu is a fragrant flower that has blossomed on the creeper called the Veda. he says in another verse the beauty of the lord's toes is like the waves of the ocean of nectar and the nails seem to reflect the moon.
In Varadarajastava he asks the lord which is more comfortable for your lotus feet: Is it the lotus like heart of your devotees? or is it the lotus that is described as the seat in Vaikunta? or is it the crown of the vedas meaning Upanishads? or is it the head of Sathakopa? or is it the Hastigiri where you have manifested in archa form?
Parasara Bhattar, son of Koorathalvan in the Sri Rangarajastava relates the beautiful different roles played by the lotus feet of the Lord. He says these are the feet that wandered brindavana; these are the feet which learnt the art of the Thandava dance from the Gopikas; these are the feet which enjoyed the rare privilage of being pressed gently by the delicate hands of Lakshmidevi; these are the feet that ex cell the lotus flower itself in beauty, charm, brilliance, fragrance, softness and tenderness. it is those feet which ignored the difference between high and low, rich and poor, birds and brutes, mighty and meek giving asylum to one and all. yes those feet ran errands for the pandavas. (for the sake of dharma)
The Kattiyam which is rendered before the Lord Parthasarathy in the Triplicane temple madras describes the beauty of the Lord Parthasarathy and the greatness of his Thiruvadi. This Kattiyam found in the Triplicane stalapurana runs like this:
"Kalla sakatathai kala kazhia sachi" (The feet which broke and destroyed the demon Sakatasura who came in a disguise to kill the Lord)
"Kandu mariththodi" (The feet which ran and controlled the calves which were running hither and thither)
"Kaliyan meethaadhi" (The feet which dances on the hood of Kaliya, the venomous serpent)
"Kaalindhi neeraadi" (The feet which were washed by the river yamuna)
"Kuraivai pinainthu paadi" (The feet which danced to the beat of Kuravai koothu where Lord Krishna danced with each gopika, having manifested Himself in myraid forms)
"Kudameri aadi" (The feet which performed the kuda koothu a peculiar type of dance among the cowherds where the pots are balanced on the shoulders as well as the head while dancing)
"Karunaiyaal thoothu oodi" (The feet out of their magnanimous character traversed as the emissary on behalf of the Pandavas to Kauravas)
"Kanniyarodu oodi" (The feet which danced enjoyed the company of the gopikas)
"Kazhaga mithithu aeri" (The feet which ascended and sat majestically on the throne kept with evil designs over a deep pit by Duryodhana in his court)
"Sitrill azhithu aadi avai" (The feet which playfully destroyed the house built out of sand on the banks of river Yamuna by the cowherd children)
"Saranam thanthu ozhyinda thiruvadigal" (These are the feet which are for ever and ever are our certain saviours)
The Mind which is the Rajahamsa desires to enter and be seated permanently in the bird cage which is the lotus feet of the Lord. these words from Kulasekhara alvar's Mukundamala, here the poet being afraid that in old age when his life is ebbing out his mind may not have the ability to think about the Lord. as the swan is seen sitting on the lotus flower the poet in comparison says the mind is like a swan and wants to sit on the lotus feet of the lord. {"Krishna thvadeeya pada pankaja panjarantam adyaiva me visatu maanasa raaja hamsaha"}
The feet of the lord are used for four different styles of walking "Chaturgatih" 1. Simhagathi the majestic gait of the lion. 2. Vyaaghra gathi majestic stance of a tiger which will pounce upon its enemy with the speed of lightning. 3. Gajagati the majestic gait of an elephant. 4. vrishabha gati the gait of a bull which is confident and proud of its strength.
Andal refers to the incident when the feet measured the three worlds, "Anru ivvulagu alandayi adi pottri". Praise be to those feet which measured the three worlds. Perialwar too says, "Menakaiyodu, Thilothama, Rambai, Urvashi yaravar velgi, mayangi, vaanagam padiyill vaai thirappinri aadal, paadal avai marinar thaamae." Menaka, Thilotama, Menaka and Urvashi who were known for their beautiful gait, on seeing the beauty of the Lord's gait, felt ashamed and could not say anything and decided to give up their song and dance.
Kulashekar alwar refers to the relationship between the god and devotee to that of mother and child, and says though the mother may push the child away she ultimately showers comfort and love to the child. so too the divine feet are the rakshakas for the devotee. "Evvaru nadandanai emmi Raama"
Thondaradippodi alwar says "Kattrinam meitha endhai kazhalinai pani minn neerae" Pray to the feet which grazed the calves.
Thiruppan alwar is famous for having given a description of Lord Ranganatha from foot to crown. He says the thiruvadi of the lord are always present in his mind's eye and that even as he goes searching for them they appear before his mind's eye and have enslaved him.
Thirumangai alvar says, what is it that you have not done to those who seek succour at your feet? refering to Sandeepani Maharishi's gurudakshina story. Krishna was his student, when he asked his guru what he should give as guru dakshina, the guru asked him to bring back his son who was washed away by the ocean some time ago. Krishna fulfills the wish and brings back his son from Yamaloka.
Bhoothat alwar says "Nemi adiyal yaar otha vallaar arindhu"
Pey alwar relates an interesting and an unusual anecdote to relate about the divine feet, while doing mangalashasana at Tirupati. He says Aren't you the one who wanted to lie down as a child on the lap of Brahma and counted one by one your toes ten in order to give a hint to Brahma that he should not be in a hurry to give a boon to the person who was standing before him in disguise. The same story is also related by Thirumazhisai alwar, " Kondu kudan kaal male vaitha kizhaviyaa; thanda varakkan thalai kaal pandu enni oru Kumaran"
Nammalvar in the famous words "Uyarvara uyar nalam udayavan evan avan? exhorts his mind to bow down at the feet of the Lord who has all the Kalyana gunas, who is capable of releasing us from ignorance and confer Jnana. he then says "Thuyararu sudar adi thozhudezhu en manane" Oh mind surrender to those brilliant feet which rid your ills.
When thousands of verses can be written on the Padukas on which the lord rest his feet one can go on and on to describe his myraid acts which he performed.
The word Padham has got three meanings. Pad means to go to. So padam is one that is reached. That is why the feet of the lord is padam. and we all have to aim to go to those feet. The word padam also means his abode. Vaikunta which again all would like to reach. The third meaning is The Lord himself. He is the goal. Sri Ramanujacharya in his Vedartha Sangraha gives these three meanings.
Vishnu sukta of the Rig veda says " Tad Vishno pade parame madhva utsah" It means in theHighest abode of Vishnu there is a spring of honey or immortality. it also means that is the most exalted feet of the Lord Vishnu where lies the sweet honey. The rig veda also says " Tad Vishno paramam padham sadaa pasyanthi surayah" meaning the wise always behold the exalted abode of the Lord.
Sankara Bhagavatpada in his Vishnu padaadi kesanta Varnana stotra devotes eight stanzas to describe the greatness of the Lords Divine feet. he says that the particles of dust on the lotus feet of the lotus eyed Lord are capable of eleminating all the accumulated sins of all His devotees. he goes on to say the extremely jealous group of demons do not even go near those feet for fear of touching them but the entire celestial group always desire them to adorn their heads. he says the sole of the lords feet one can see lines in the form of a wheel, fish etc and those emblems confer auspiciousness on us and are adored by god.
During the Lords trivikrama avatara one of the two feet spread as a emerald flag star in the sky from which arose the Ganges. the other which was resting on the earth, had the beauty of a big pillar to house the universe. the two feet are delicate, graceful and red and confer abundant prosperity on the seekers. he says the toes on his feet are shining with resplendent brilliance and the nails on them look like spotless shining gems. He says the celestials who come and bow down at his feet become jealous seeing their reflection on them thinking there are yet another set of celestials who are closer to the lord.
Sri Venkatesa Prapatti also gives soul stirring description of the divine feet. The feet add fragrance to the flowers at his feet and those feet are enjoyable for ever and ever and look newer and newer on every occassion. another stanza says the feet bear the mark of a banner, a pot of abrosia, an umbrella, the thunderbolt, lotus, kalpavriksha, conch and disc.
Perialvar and Yamunacharya also give similar description of the lords feet saying he sports "samrajya lakshna."(seen only on the emperor) the conch confers knowledge while the disc destroys enemy and rids us of our sins. {Dushta nigraha sishta paripalana}
The reddish sole surpass the luster of the ruby, and their brilliance excel the dazzle of sapphire and the shine of the nails out beat the cool moon too. the tenderness of the feet is beyond the scope of speech or imagination they having been massaged by the goddess.
Those were the feet shown to Arjuna in the battle field while propounding the "Charma sloka" and exhorting him to seek refuge at those feet.
Yamunacharya in verse 6 of his stotra ratna says Padaara vindam aravinds vilochanasya In verse 28 and 30 he refers to the feet as Paada Pankaja will bestow enormous punya even if one just folds his hands in abhaya towards the feet, He says the Anjali offered to the lotus feet is never lost. Swamy desikar has written an entire commentary on this single verse of Yamunacharya known as Anjali Vaibhavam. again in verse 31 of Stotraratna Yamunacharya impatiently asks when those feet are going to adorn his head. similarly Perialwar says whenever the Lord walked in ayarpadi the village hamlet he left the mark of all the insignia that adorned his feet. (pasuram91)
Koorattalvan in his Sri Vaikuntastava verses 70 and 71 expresses a desire to receive the Lord's feet on his head. also in other works Sundara Bahustava verses 62,65,67 and 111 where he praises the Lord at Thirumaliruncholai and in his Varadarajastava Lord of kanchi verses 59 to 62, the Lords feet are praised describing the softness sweetness and their grandeur. they are Makaranda pravaha flow of honey. these are the feet washed by brahma during the trivikrama manifestation and the water that flowed from the foot covering Brahmaloka took a three fold course. one stream is called Ganga, the second Dhruva and the third known as Alakananda. he also says the Sundarabaahu is a fragrant flower that has blossomed on the creeper called the Veda. he says in another verse the beauty of the lord's toes is like the waves of the ocean of nectar and the nails seem to reflect the moon.
In Varadarajastava he asks the lord which is more comfortable for your lotus feet: Is it the lotus like heart of your devotees? or is it the lotus that is described as the seat in Vaikunta? or is it the crown of the vedas meaning Upanishads? or is it the head of Sathakopa? or is it the Hastigiri where you have manifested in archa form?
Parasara Bhattar, son of Koorathalvan in the Sri Rangarajastava relates the beautiful different roles played by the lotus feet of the Lord. He says these are the feet that wandered brindavana; these are the feet which learnt the art of the Thandava dance from the Gopikas; these are the feet which enjoyed the rare privilage of being pressed gently by the delicate hands of Lakshmidevi; these are the feet that ex cell the lotus flower itself in beauty, charm, brilliance, fragrance, softness and tenderness. it is those feet which ignored the difference between high and low, rich and poor, birds and brutes, mighty and meek giving asylum to one and all. yes those feet ran errands for the pandavas. (for the sake of dharma)
The Kattiyam which is rendered before the Lord Parthasarathy in the Triplicane temple madras describes the beauty of the Lord Parthasarathy and the greatness of his Thiruvadi. This Kattiyam found in the Triplicane stalapurana runs like this:
"Kalla sakatathai kala kazhia sachi" (The feet which broke and destroyed the demon Sakatasura who came in a disguise to kill the Lord)
"Kandu mariththodi" (The feet which ran and controlled the calves which were running hither and thither)
"Kaliyan meethaadhi" (The feet which dances on the hood of Kaliya, the venomous serpent)
"Kaalindhi neeraadi" (The feet which were washed by the river yamuna)
"Kuraivai pinainthu paadi" (The feet which danced to the beat of Kuravai koothu where Lord Krishna danced with each gopika, having manifested Himself in myraid forms)
"Kudameri aadi" (The feet which performed the kuda koothu a peculiar type of dance among the cowherds where the pots are balanced on the shoulders as well as the head while dancing)
"Karunaiyaal thoothu oodi" (The feet out of their magnanimous character traversed as the emissary on behalf of the Pandavas to Kauravas)
"Kanniyarodu oodi" (The feet which danced enjoyed the company of the gopikas)
"Kazhaga mithithu aeri" (The feet which ascended and sat majestically on the throne kept with evil designs over a deep pit by Duryodhana in his court)
"Sitrill azhithu aadi avai" (The feet which playfully destroyed the house built out of sand on the banks of river Yamuna by the cowherd children)
"Saranam thanthu ozhyinda thiruvadigal" (These are the feet which are for ever and ever are our certain saviours)
The Mind which is the Rajahamsa desires to enter and be seated permanently in the bird cage which is the lotus feet of the Lord. these words from Kulasekhara alvar's Mukundamala, here the poet being afraid that in old age when his life is ebbing out his mind may not have the ability to think about the Lord. as the swan is seen sitting on the lotus flower the poet in comparison says the mind is like a swan and wants to sit on the lotus feet of the lord. {"Krishna thvadeeya pada pankaja panjarantam adyaiva me visatu maanasa raaja hamsaha"}
The feet of the lord are used for four different styles of walking "Chaturgatih" 1. Simhagathi the majestic gait of the lion. 2. Vyaaghra gathi majestic stance of a tiger which will pounce upon its enemy with the speed of lightning. 3. Gajagati the majestic gait of an elephant. 4. vrishabha gati the gait of a bull which is confident and proud of its strength.
Andal refers to the incident when the feet measured the three worlds, "Anru ivvulagu alandayi adi pottri". Praise be to those feet which measured the three worlds. Perialwar too says, "Menakaiyodu, Thilothama, Rambai, Urvashi yaravar velgi, mayangi, vaanagam padiyill vaai thirappinri aadal, paadal avai marinar thaamae." Menaka, Thilotama, Menaka and Urvashi who were known for their beautiful gait, on seeing the beauty of the Lord's gait, felt ashamed and could not say anything and decided to give up their song and dance.
Kulashekar alwar refers to the relationship between the god and devotee to that of mother and child, and says though the mother may push the child away she ultimately showers comfort and love to the child. so too the divine feet are the rakshakas for the devotee. "Evvaru nadandanai emmi Raama"
Thondaradippodi alwar says "Kattrinam meitha endhai kazhalinai pani minn neerae" Pray to the feet which grazed the calves.
Thiruppan alwar is famous for having given a description of Lord Ranganatha from foot to crown. He says the thiruvadi of the lord are always present in his mind's eye and that even as he goes searching for them they appear before his mind's eye and have enslaved him.
Thirumangai alvar says, what is it that you have not done to those who seek succour at your feet? refering to Sandeepani Maharishi's gurudakshina story. Krishna was his student, when he asked his guru what he should give as guru dakshina, the guru asked him to bring back his son who was washed away by the ocean some time ago. Krishna fulfills the wish and brings back his son from Yamaloka.
Bhoothat alwar says "Nemi adiyal yaar otha vallaar arindhu"
Pey alwar relates an interesting and an unusual anecdote to relate about the divine feet, while doing mangalashasana at Tirupati. He says Aren't you the one who wanted to lie down as a child on the lap of Brahma and counted one by one your toes ten in order to give a hint to Brahma that he should not be in a hurry to give a boon to the person who was standing before him in disguise. The same story is also related by Thirumazhisai alwar, " Kondu kudan kaal male vaitha kizhaviyaa; thanda varakkan thalai kaal pandu enni oru Kumaran"
Nammalvar in the famous words "Uyarvara uyar nalam udayavan evan avan? exhorts his mind to bow down at the feet of the Lord who has all the Kalyana gunas, who is capable of releasing us from ignorance and confer Jnana. he then says "Thuyararu sudar adi thozhudezhu en manane" Oh mind surrender to those brilliant feet which rid your ills.
When thousands of verses can be written on the Padukas on which the lord rest his feet one can go on and on to describe his myraid acts which he performed.
I have left out Swamy Vedanta desikars paduka sahasram there is another article exclusively for that.
For now let us with sincere devotion rest our thoughts on those glorious feet and wish to be blessed with his kindness.
For now let us with sincere devotion rest our thoughts on those glorious feet and wish to be blessed with his kindness.
