What is the correct method of doing Namaskar to Saints?

Do's: Correct method of doing Namaskar by placing the head on the Lotus feet of Saints

1. The portion of head, which should be placed at the feet :

We can imbibe maximum Chaitanya through the Brahmarandhra (the seventh chakra of the Kundalini system located in the crown of our head). Since it (Brahmarandhra) cannot be placed at a Saints's feet, the part of head beginning above the forehead is to be placed at the feet of Saints. Due to this, maximum Chaitanya emanating from Their feet can enter into the one doing Namaskar.

2. The exact spot to place one's head on a Saint's feet:

The big toes of Saints emit maximum Chaitanya; hence we should place our head on the big toe, than on their foot. If we are in a position to touch both the toes, then place the head on the right big toe.

3. The position of hands when placing the head on a Saint's feet:

a. Some interlock their hands behind their backs at the waist and do Namaskar. If we are in a position to touch both their toes, then we should place the hands one on each foot and the head should be placed on the big toe of the right foot. If we are in a position to touch one of Their toes, then place both the hands on it and keep the head on the big toe.

b. Some doNamaskar by placing hands on the ground. This is also wrong because if the hands are placed on the ground then the Chaitanya emanating from the Saint's feet are absorbed by one and then returns to the earth through the hands of the one doing Namaskar. Thus the person does not benefit from it.

c. Some cross their hands and place them on the feet of Saints, that is, their right hand on the right foot of the Saint and their left hand on the left foot of the Saint while doingNamaskar. This is a crude imitation of the manner in which Christians place their crossed hands on their chest. Instead, our right hand should be placed on the left foot of the Saint and our left hand on the right foot of the Saint. This is convenient also. However, if a Guru has started some procedure in a particular sect, then the hands are to be placed in that manner only.

d. The hands are to be positioned in such a way that the palms are placed on the feet..

Don'ts: Incorrect methods of placing the head on a Saint's feet and its effect

1. Some place their nose on a Saint's feet. Due to this they receive less Chaitanya emitting from the feet.

2. Some rub their nose on a Saint's feet. This stops the flow of Chaitanya coming towards us.

3. Some do Namaskar by placing their forehead, nose and lips respectively on a Saint's feet. Very little Chaitanya can be imbibed by doing this.

4. Some kiss a Saint's feet. This is an imitation of Christians who kiss the hand of their priests. One can imbibe very little Chaitanya through the lips.

5. Some place their head first on one foot and then on the other. There is no need to do this as placing it on any one foot is convenient and adequate.

How to do Namaskar to the wooden footwear (paduka) of Saints?

Namaskar to the wooden footwear (paduka) of Saints

'The left paduka symbolises Lord Shiva and the right symbolises Divine Energy. The left paduka is the unmanifest saviour energy and the right is the unmanifest destroyer energy of the Supreme God. The saviour or destroyer energy of the Supreme God emanates from the 'pegs' of the paduka as per the need. When we do Namaskar by placing our head on the 'pegs' of the paduka, some may experience distress due to the inability to tolerate the manifest energy emitting from it. Hence, while doing Namaskar to the paduka, instead of the pegs, place the head on the foremost part i.e. the place where the Saints place their toes.'

Spiritual experiences upon paying Obeisance (Namaskar) by placing the head on a Saint's feet

From the examples given here it will be clear how one gets spiritual experiences by doing Namaskar in the correct manner as described in the article above.

A. By placing the head at the feet of HH Bhaktaraj Maharaj, the mind became thoughtless and I felt He belongs to us: Once, at Mortakka in Indore Dist. (Bharat) I attended a Bhandara of HH Bhaktaraj Maharaj (also addressed as Baba). When I met Him, I placed my head on His feet. At that time I suddenly lost my bearings - who am I or where am I etc. After doing Namaskar we were taken to some other place to keep our luggage. I went to off load my luggage but realised that since I was in an altered state of consciousness I had forgotten all my bags at Baba's place. In the very first meeting with Baba, I had started feeling as if He belonged to us and I belonged to Him. - Ms. Sudha Manjrekar, Borivali, Mumbai.

(The seeker benefited from purification of her 'mental' sheath through the help of Chaitanya emitted from the Saint's feet. Creation of thoughts or wishes is the work of the 'mental' sheath. Due to purification of the mental sheath, the creation of thoughts or wishes ceased for some time. This means that the seeker attained the thoughtless state. - Editor)

B. The tiredness due to satseva (service unto God) vanished after placing the head at the feet of HH Bhaktaraj Maharaj: In 1995 there were 'Amrut Mahotsav' celebrations of HH Bhaktaraj Maharaj at Indore. In preparation for this celebration many months in advance, many seekers worked hard and stayed up late nights. While at Indore, I had an opportunity to render satseva. While leaving from Indore, we had an opportunity to visit HH Bhaktaraj Maharaj. During those days I was running a high fever. While placing my head on Baba's feet, I felt like sleeping there in that position. When I got up after doing Namaskar I felt very fresh and all my tiredness and fever vanished. - Mr. Sudhakar Manjrekar, Borivali, Mumbai.

(The energy of Chaitanya emitted from the Saints' feet helps in purification of the vital body, which leads to an increase in vital energy. Hence, the seeker's tiredness was reduced and he felt energetic. - Editor)

How should a Husband and Wife do Namaskar together?

1. Spiritual significance of Marriage

Marriage means uniting two principles; i.e. the principles of Lord Shiva in the form of the husband and the principle of Goddess Parvati as His wife. Lord Shiva represents the Will for an action and Goddess Parvati represents Divine energy. For a successful completion of any action both aspects are required, i.e. the Will for the action and the energy to actually perform it. The Will in the form of Lord Shiva is unmanifest, but it comes alive when it is charged with Divine Energy, which manifests bringing the action to completion.

2. Why do Namaskar together to elders after marriage?

After marriage both the embodied souls enter the householders stage. It is very important to obtain the blessings of the elders jointly to perform various activities in life in this stage; when the couple is complementary to each other. Thus doing Namaskar together leads to the activation of frequencies of Lord Shiva and Divine Energy from the Universe, which also help in developing humility in the embodied souls. It results in the fulfilment of every deed in the householder stage and yields desired fruit, leading to a minimal give and take account being generated. That is why after marriage, a couple is required to perform every action together, complying with each other even in a deed like paying Obeisance (Namaskar). If a husband and wife have more than 50 percent spiritual level or spiritual emotion towards God then, their doing Namaskar together or individually or even mentally will bear the same fruit. That is why, instead of the actual deed, the actual spiritual emotion towards God while performing a deed has extraordinary importance. (Namaskar can be paid individually too, if the partner is not available. - Editor)

3. On which side of her husband should the wife be while doing Namaskar?

While performing any act the wife should stand to the right of her husband. The husband represents the 'Moon' channel. The wife is considered to be the other half of her husband and represents the 'Sun' channel. The Sun channel is symbolic of the manifest functional Divine Energy of the Adishakti, which is the provider of energy to any action. The Moon channel, indicative of the God principle, is symbolic of Lord Shiva who actually functions on the strength of the energy provided by the Adishakti. As the Divine Energy of Lord Shiva, the wife should stand to the right of her husband and support him in every action. In every ritual the wife without performing any actual act, provides him with the 'Energy for Action' of Goddess Durga which is required for a ritual, by placing four fingers of her right hand on his right arm. This is why the act performed by the host and his wife by virtue of being complimented by Lord Shiva and Divine Energy bear fruit in a short period.

4. Why should a married woman bow thrice to the elders?

A married woman symbolises the hidden energy of the unmanifest Adimaya in its unmanifest stage. She is the one who is a manifest form of Adishakti, one who achieves non-duality from the duality prevailing in the Maya (Great Illusion). When we perform any action thrice or pronounce anything thrice, God's resolve becomes operational at the three levels of Will, Action and Knowledge. This results in the completion of a task. A married woman has the seed of Adimaya and Adishakti in a dormant stage. When she bows thrice, raja component gets activated and along with the manifestation of the spiritual emotion of humility within her, the Godliness in the elderly person is also activated. This Godliness provides her with manifest energy to perform a task. This energy in turn activates her 'soul' energy and provides momentum to her willful actions and with the strength of Adimaya, she takes her family to a higher level. Since her husband receives the benefit of raja component of Chaitanya emitting from her, he too can actually work in the form of Lord Shiva in the midst of Maya.'

Why should one always do Namaskar to elders?

Why should one always do Namaskar to elders?

Meaning: When an elderly person arrives, the vital energy of the young person starts rising and when he gets up and does Namaskar, it returns to normal. - Manusmruti 2.120; Mahabharat, Udhyog, Chapter (Section) 38.1, Sr. no. 104, 64-65

Explanation: 'As the sojourn of the elderly person is gradually towards the southern direction, that is, towards the region of Lord Yama (towards death), his body starts emitting raja and tama frequencies on a high scale. When such an elderly person comes in the vicinity of any younger individual, these frequencies start affecting the younger person. A subtle magnetic field is created between the two. Consequently, the vital energy of the younger person is pulled upward. This way the younger person can suffer due to sudden momentum to his vital energy. When this younger person doesNamaskar to the elderly person, some amount of the Central channel of his Kundalini system is activated and the Sattva component in it starts increasing. Consequently the raja and tama components in him are influenced by the Sattva component and the vital energy comes back to normal state. Hence on arrival of an elderly person, it is customary for the younger individuals to do Namaskar to them.'

Doing Namaskar to elders

When travelling, prior to the commencement of a journey and upon returning, why should one do Namaskar to elders in the family?

'Namaskar to the elders in the family is one way of surrendering to the God principle in them. When an embodied soul bows in Namaskar to an elder by surrendering to the God principle in him, at that time a sense of compassion is created in his body. This compassion percolates right upto his subtle body. At that time, energy of his mind is activated and in turn activates the five vital energies, which are located at the seat of the Manipur chakra (situated in the Naval region). Transmission of these five vital energies all over the body then awakens the soul energy. With the strength of the soul energy, the Central channel gets activated and converts the expressed energy of spiritual emotion to the unexpressed energy of spiritual emotion. With the help of this unexpressed energy of spiritual emotion, the embodied soul, through the medium of elders, gains the required Deity's principle from the Universe. For this purpose, while leaving the house on a journey, the embodied soul should do Namaskar to elders and with the strength of Sattva frequencies has to protect himself from distressing frequencies in the atmosphere. Similarly, returning from a journey, one should immediately do Namaskar to elders and awaken the God principle in them, which would disintegrate the raja-tama particles from the air around him, which might have been brought along.