श्रीगुरु-उपासना
Veneration of Shri Guru

For some months, I have been practicing awareness of shri guru charana kamala as I sing Shri Guru Paduka Panchakam, followed by my recitation of Shri Guru Gita. Recently I decided to sing Gurorashtakam, a hymn attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, every night before going to sleep. I do all this to nourish my goal of immersing my mind in an awareness of the Guru’s feet and witnessing the world, including myself, from that sublime space.

Plougonvelin, France

I recall witnessing the Brahmin priests offering puja to Shri Gurumayi’s feet—an age‑old tradition filled with beauty and reverence. This worship always awakens in me profound love, gratitude, and devotion.

Listening to Ami’s recording of shri guru charana kamala brought those same feelings back. It was as though the shakti of that moment reached across time, touching my heart once more and reminding me of the blessings that flow from the Guru’s lotus feet.

North Carolina, United States

Today I contemplated “Shri Guru’s lotus feet” while doing the housework. During cleaning, watering the plants, and tidying up, I pictured Shri Guru’s lotus feet situated in my head. Once the work was done, I sat down to meditate.

When I closed my eyes, I experienced white energy flowing downward in drops from Shri Guru’s lotus feet and spreading throughout my whole body. This energy flowed through the soles of my feet into the ground and, through my exhalation, out into the vast field of external energy.

After a while, I no longer perceived any boundaries between the inside and outside of my body. I was only aware of pulsating energy, which I observed and recognized as my true being.

I thought of Shri Gurumayi, and my heart filled with gratitude for my wonderful experience of oneness and for the grace that flows from her lotus feet, which are always with me.

Konolfingen, Switzerland

Verse 55 of Shri Guru Gita says, “I worship the Lord Guru, even a few particles of dust from whose feet form a bridge across the ocean of the world.”

What a precious experience it is for me to recall this beautiful verse extolling the sacredness and power of the Guru’s lotus feet on this day of “Shri Guru’s lotus feet.”

I feel so grateful to be a part of this wonderful community of seekers.

New York, United States

“Shri Guru’s lotus feet” reminds me of the thousand-petal lotus in the crown chakra.

It also reminds me of the sandals Bade Baba gave to Baba Muktananda, who, upon receiving them, wrapped them carefully in his shawl and placed them on his head. And it also reminds me of the mystical saying that even a speck of dust from Shri Guru’s feet could grant realization.

It is no wonder, then, that I would want to place my head on the Guru’s precious lotus feet! It is one of the reasons that I have a beautiful pair of sandals on my puja altar and that I imagine them to be Gurumayi’s feet when I bow to them each day.

California, United States

As I was listening to Ami’s melodious voice and contemplating what shri guru charana kamala means to me, my eyes gently closed, and my awareness shifted from the external world to the inner realms of the mystical heart.

The movement of my breath became slower and slower, and the rise and fall of my in-breath and out-breath felt in sync. As I turned within, I entered a dark cave. At the far end, I could see the scintillating Blue Pearl. Then, through the darkness, the light started changing into an effulgence of shimmering blue light. As I entered the Blue Pearl, the syllables ham and sa reverberated and led me to the mantra So’ham.

When I opened my eyes, my sense of the passage of time was lost. Tears were rolling down my cheeks, and my forehead was resting on the padukas before me.

I looked up at Gurumayi’s photo above my puja altar, and, with the palms of my hands in namaste, I expressed my gratitude to her.

Lucknow, India

I saw the phrase “Shri Guru’s lotus feet” on the Siddha Yoga path website at dawn this morning before meditating. Immediately my mind was drawn to my heart—where I felt a pair of padukas adorned with soft flowers was residing—and I became peaceful.

Throughout the day, repeating to myself the phrase “Shri Guru’s lotus feet” has brought me to a state of ease, freedom in breathing, and great comfort.

I am grateful to Shri Guru for this experience of the peace of the Self within.

Canberra, Australia

When I contemplated today’s phrase, “Shri Guru’s lotus feet,” I realized that for me, just as a lotus rises pristine from the mud, my Shri Guru exists in this material world yet remains untouched by worldly ego and negative tendencies.

I now see that, for me, surrendering all my actions—both worldly and spiritual—at the Guru’s lotus feet is the only way to keep them pure. As a disciple, I feel that this is the simplest way to sail through the cycles of birth and death.

I also feel that just as a lotus secretes sweet nectar to draw honeybees from afar, so my Shri Guru’s divine presence magnetically attracts true seekers who carry a deep, inner yearning.

From today onward, I am no longer dividing my life into “mundane” and “spiritual.” I feel that by surrendering each daily act at my Shri Guru’s lotus feet, everything will become pure. With this shift, my worry is gone, and I find absolute peace in this surrender.

Dombivli, India

Since childhood, I have witnessed my family members having deep respect for the feet and sandals of revered saints. Perhaps for this reason, I have offered abhishek to the Guru’s padukas in my own home every Sunday for more than twenty years.

Yesterday, during a Siddha Yoga Sadhana Circle focused on the Gurorashtakam, which is posted on the Siddha Yoga path website, we also read the introduction to the hymn Shri Guru Paduka Panchakam, also posted on the Siddha Yoga path website. One sentence in the introduction stayed with me —that a saint’s “inner shakti is said to flow from the crown of the head through the body to emerge at the feet.” I understood, for me, that when I honor the Guru’s sandals and the Guru’s feet, I am really worshipping the Guru and the grace that flows from her.

Today, while offering a paduka abhishek, this understanding made my offering feel even more loving and devotional.

This is something I cherish about the Siddha Yoga path—it reveals to me the “why” behind my practices. Then my conviction grows, and my devotion flows freely—clear and full of love.

Thane, India