This is an excerpt from devotional Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva’s Shivastotravali, Chapter 13 verse 5, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains what Utpaladeva (the author of the Shivastotravali) means when he says, “worshipping Your feet”.
Chapter 13 (10:07)
देवदेव भवदद्वयामृता-
ख्यातिसंहरण लब्धजन्मना ।
तद्यथास्थितपदार्थसंविदा
मां कुरुष्व चरणार्चनोचितम् ॥५॥
devadeva bhavadadvayāmṛtā-
khyātisaṁharaṇa labdhajanmanā /
tadyathāsthitapadārthasaṁvidā
māṁ kuruṣva caraṇārcanocitam //5//
O Lord of lords, yathāsthita padārtha saṁvidā, whatever is seen, whatever is perceived (śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, and gandha, all of these five kinds of perceptions), whatever perception is there–it may be touch, it may be taste, it may be smell, it may be something [else]–this perception should be born to me anew. This perception is old perception, e.g., eating, drinking, cheese, everyday cheese. It is a boring perception. But this perception must be born afresh.
How?
Bhavat advaya amṛta akhyāti saṁharaṇa labdha janmanā. Bhavat advaya amṛta, the nectar of Your oneness, the nectar of Your oneness of perception–that is nectar–and by that nectar, when this perception of śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, and gandha will be born anew by that nectar, . . .
Nectar of what?
GANJOO: Non-duality.
SWAMIJI: Nectar of non-duality. And that perception will be born anew, in a new way.
. . . and, that way, let me be worthy, let me become worthy, in that way of perception.
He wants to become worthy of that kind of perception, i.e., that perception, which has been born anew, afresh.
SCHOLAR: By winding up that old non-appearance of God consciousness, akhyāti samāhāraṇa.
SWAMIJI: Yes, akhyāti samāhāraṇa. Winding up . . .
SCHOLAR: Winding that up and revealing that.
SWAMIJI: . . . and revealing that direct God consciousness in śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, and gandha.
And when that janma, that new life, will be possessed by me, let me be worthy then of worshipping You. Let me worship You for always afterwards. Let me be capable of worshipping You (māṁ kuruṣva bhavat caraṇa arcana ucitam).
SCHOLAR: Yogyam.
SWAMIJI: Yogyam.
Let me be capable of worshipping You afterwards. Because, I am not capable of worshipping You unless there is śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, and gandha.186 [With] these śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, and gandha, as they are at present, I can’t be capable of worshipping You. They must get a new life. These śabda, sparśa, rūpa, etc.–these perceptions, organic187 perceptions–must get a new life, and that new life will [occur] only when they are ‘nectarized’ by Your God consciousness. Then, let me be worthy of worshipping You afterwards. I would worship You. I have nothing [else] to do here [except] just to worship You.
SCHOLAR: Swamiji, when Utpaladeva says, “worshipping Your feet”, is he just being poetical? [Is it] the same as “worshipping You”, or does he mean for us to understand by “feet” the energies of the Lord?
SWAMIJI: Energies.
SCHOLAR: Worshiping Your outward energy of manifestation.
SWAMIJI: Cit śakti, ānanda śakti, icchā śakti, jñāna śakti, kriyā śakti–they are [His] feet.
SCHOLAR: Or, otherwise, jñāna and kriyā?
SWAMIJI: Jñāna and kriyā, two feet. If you say “two feet”, yes.
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186 “So, it means all your senses, these are the energies of Lord Śiva. All the five senses are the energies of Lord Śiva. And they are bent upon carrying all these beautiful things inside and offering them to Lord Śiva who is residing in one’s own heart.” See chapter 2, verse 23.
187 Pertaining to the organs. [Editor’s note]
Source: Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva’s Shivastotravali, revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo
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