Blessings from my elders

Those who were born and brought up in America are lucky! In India, when you become one year older, there is a special puja and you are compelled to touch the feet of your elders. Since I was the youngest, God knows how many times I had to touch people’s feet! There would be thirty or forty people whose feet I had to touch. I touched the feet of my father and mother, plus my relatives. We needed their blessings once a year. It was compulsory; I had to do it.

At the end of Durga Puja, always we had to touch the feet of our superiors, even if somebody was only one or two years older. In my case, I had a cousin who was younger than me. She was the only one who touched my feet. Others’ feet I had to touch. At the Ashram, I used to touch only the Mother’s feet and Nolini’s feet. Nolini’s feet I touched on very special occasions, on his birthday and my birthday. In the Mother’s case, very devotedly I used to place my head on her feet.

My eldest brother, about whom I was telling stories, blessed me so many times. Then, when I became a Guru, the same brother would not allow me to touch his feet. He would not allow me even to bow to him. He would not place his hand on my head; my shoulder was enough for him. How many times I had to touch the feet of my aunt, who died at the age of 103. In later years, the same aunt would not touch my head and she would not allow me to bow to her. I would just bend my head a little. She would grab my hand and say, “Bless me, bless me.” How the story changed!

I begged both my brother and my aunt to allow me to bow to receive their blessings, but they would not allow it. Touching my shoulder was their blessing. At that time it was too much for them to bless me on my head.