THE FEET THAT SAVE

THE FEET THAT SAVE*
Those who adore Lord Siva praise His dancing feet as their place of refuge, said M.A. Manickavelu in a discourse.
It is obeisance to His feet that saves. This is something all saints have known and they have therefore praised His feet.
Siva’s Cosmic dance is praised by Saint Thirumoolar, who says that the Goddess Sakti too dances with Him. It is an Ananda tandava — a joyous dance. It is a pleasant dance, as pleasing as honey.
To Manickavachagar, it was Lord Siva’s feet that gave deeksha.
The touch of the Lord’s feet worked like magic and the moment the Lord put His feet on Manickavachagar’s head, the saint stopped thinking of his relatives and concentrated all his thoughts on the Lord.
Appar’s verse talks of a woman surrendering at Lord Siva’s feet.
As a result of this, she forgot all about her family and became so immersed in the Lord that she even forgot her name.
In another verse, Appar sings of Lord Nataraja’s raised eyebrows, His red lips that sport a smile, His locks of hair, and His resplendent body that shines like a coral.
But Appar ends the verse praising Lord Nataraja’s lifted foot as He dances, and Appar concludes that if a person has the good fortune to see all of these, then he is truly blessed.
Markandeya, son of sage Mrikandu, was destined to die at the age of sixteen.
But when Yama came to take his life, the boy hugged a Siva linga. Yama was unable to take him away and so he cast his rope around the linga too!
Lord Siva then kicked Yama away and granted Markandeya the boon of immortality.
So here again it was His feet that saved a devotee.
*Faith, The Hindu, March 8,2017


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