Sanatan Dharma or Hinduism is a goldmine of sublime spiritual symbolism. Some of the most inspiring symbols relate to the form of God. Every atom of God’s
human form is divine. When one worships with this belief one attains great spiritual heights.
And in this form, the charanarvind, holy feet, of God carry the most profound significance.
Even from a secular viewpoint, in the olden days, people would bow at the feet of a ruler as an act of submission. This act of surrendering oneself and seeking refuge ‘at the feet’ of someone more powerful and capable provides one with protection and support.
So, to surrender at the feet of God and dedicate oneself totally to him is the ultimate acknowledgment of one’s subservience to God, the cause and creator of all. This sentiment has always played a central role in the Bhakta-Bhagwan tradition of Sanatan Dharma.
Bhagwan Swaminarayan manifested on earth in human form from 1781 to 1830. A measure of his divinity is gauged by the fact that over 3,000 sadhus and two million devotees worshipped him, with the firm conviction that he was God incarnate. He taught the Vedic philosophy that one has to become Aksharrup and worship at the feet of Purushottam. Describing this doctrine, Bhagwan Swaminarayan explains in the Vachanamrut, a sacred Hindu scripture of his teachings that “a devotee should firmly keep his mind at the holy feet of God. Just as an iron nail that is firmly affixed to an iron surface can never be separated, similarly, one’s mind should be fixed firmly at the feet of God.” This is articulated in Vachanamrut Gadhada III-7.
Thus, the feet of God are worshipped with the utmost reverence, and in doing so, one progresses spiritually. Yet, even when one attains the elevated God-realized state, one still remains subservient to God.
Bhagwan Swaminarayan describes this characteristic of devotees in Vachanamrut Gadhada II-67, “Those devotees of God who become brahmarup still behave as God’s servants and engage in his worship. In this way, devotees of God attain qualities similar to those of God, and yet, the master-servant relationship between them is maintained.”
This principle is exemplified in the lives of the Gunatit gurus – the succession of God-realized Sadhus established by Bhagwan Swaminarayan and through whom he remains manifest on earth. Pramukh Swami Maharaj and Mahant Swami Maharaj have repeatedly taught and practiced this principle of servitude to God as a key pillar in the philosophical doctrine of BAPS. Their every thought, word and deed reflects worship at the feet of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
- Amrutvijaydas Swami
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha
