TOUCHINF FEET OF ELDERS / SAINTS IN INDIAN CULTURE / बड़ो बुझुर्गो और संत महात्माओं के चरण स्पर्श

DIFFERENT VIEWS ON THE TOPIC

1.      Indians touch the feet of saints, sages and their elders,parents.There are several benefits behind this convention. According to scriptures, the act of touching feet is a mark of kindness and in return the elders bless the person which reduces his/her misfortune and calms down the mind.
There are some physical, mental and ideological developments are associated with it. The person is not only benefited with the blessings but unconsciously the person reveals his/her modesty and humble nature.
-It is also a sort of exercise. There are three methods of touching the feet. The first is to lean forward and touch the feet, second way is to sit on knees and the third one is the 'Sashtaang Pranaam'.
-Leaning forward and touching the feet stretches the waist and back bone.
-The second method relieves pain of the knees as the person bend his/her knees. All the joints of the body get stretched in the third method which removes stress and cures body pain.
-Besides these, bowing down increases blood circulation which is beneficial for a good health.
-Touching the feet reduces ego as it indicates respect and subservience. When the feeling of respect and dedication arouse automatically it suppress the egoistic nature of the person.
-Touching the feet of elders and parents before venturing any new task or assignment, ensures success and confidence.
With all these benefits and advantages, the custom is being practiced whole heartedly and it indicates India's rich heritage.

2.      Touching feet of Elders or Saints is a unification of point of SHRADDHA & KARUNA .
" SHRADDHA " reduces "ego" & lower emotions along with
Solar plexus chakra .
" KARUNA " activates HERT- CHAKRA of the saints or elders.
" SHRADDHA " increases receptivity of the person ,while
" KARUNA " Start to discharge energy from HEART CHAKRA towards
the person who is reseptive with " SHRADDHA "
THIS TECHNIQUE IS ALSO APPLICABLE IN DIVINE PUJA.
IF THER IS NO SHRADDHA TOWARD GOD,
DEVOTEE CANT GET " KARUNA " [ Energy of blessings] FROM GOD.
THUS,
WHEN WE TOUCH THE FEET OF ELDERS /SAINTS WITH 'SHRADDHA'
WE RECEIVE ENERGY OF 'KARUNA' / BLESSINGS FROM THEM.

3.      It is not merely 'touching' somebody's feet!
The ancient practice is to 'submit' ourselves, along with our 'bio-data' for their evaluation, information, guidance, grace, blessings etc.
The process is getting connected to their 'energies'.
When we touch, the palms are receptive centres.
When consciously allowed a touch, the feet become 'giving' out channels. Then the left and right are connected to the other person's right and left respectively. So the circuit is completed. The transfer of 'life-energy', the positive vibrations flow, in full awareness, with full knowledge about the right type, kind, and measure(that is why the bio-data).
While giving the biodata before actually prostrating (eight limbs touching the ground, known as Sa-Ashtanga-namaskar), the palms are placed gently on ears and the biodata is 'pronounced' in a proper chronological order, mentioning the root of heritage, ancestry, right from a sage, who started that lineage.
Oh! So much of it there in it.
Most of it is very difficult to be grasped by a logical mind (since the very perception requires 'beynd-sensory-level-perceptions'!). So very difficult to accept this explanation.
To what ever extent the 'diluted' explanation appeals, people follow this tradtion to that 'diluted' extent (just bowing, lightly touching with few of fingers of one hand, or just a short-cut of touching the knees etc!). The benefits too are proportinately 'truncated'!
Science is ill-equipped to fathom the deeper significance of such tradions.....
So, the absence of proof need not be proof of absence!!
Good going.
Happy to note that there are a few around, ready and inquisitive to take a look at these 'silly-looking' traditional practices!
A little more details may be liked by those inquisitive.
It may not be the case that ALL those persons, whose feet we touch are equally capable of giving all types of benefits. At the least they should be capable of acting like a mobile battery charger. A good charger may not hold that charge, but can charge a mobile well, affording good ‘talk-time’. By mere reason of being elderly, though themselves physically weak, some elders can become chargers of energy when we touch their feet, since they MIGHT have acquired that knack of plugging themselves to ‘existence’ the universal energy! The younger ones who might be good processor-chips, cannot do well without that periodical re-charge and back up energy!
Then, during the lifetime of the great famous person Bhagwan Ramana Maharishi, it is said that there were volunteers around him to warn the visitors, not to look into his eyes, while they touch his feet! Usually, when we bend to touch, our head remains bent down, so very little chances of eye-to-eye contact. Yet there was that abundant caution, ONLY in case of this ‘Being’. Even now we can see that unusual ‘glow’ or ‘charge’ in the eyes when we look at photographs of Ramana Maharishi, and this seems to ‘substantiate’ the practice!
In puranas(Ramayana), it seems Ravana was more skilled and yet lost to Rama , simply because Ravana was reluctant to touch anybody’s feet, where as Rama was an embodiment of humility, and never lost a chance to pay respects, seeking blessings by touching a ‘worthy’ elder’s feet!
(And by the way, one of the answerers happened to ‘touch’ a very significant ‘point’. Usually, such aspects are not revealed so casually/carelessly! It may be counter-productive if noticed and grasped by negative type of people! Obviously, it does not warrant any further elaboration to its reference.)