Many years ago, during a pūja, my Guru sat channeling the majestic Raja Muneeswaran: steady, regal, and utterly unshakeable. A few feet away sat a very different figure: a young sishya, just stepping into his first year as an oracle channelling the fierce ksetrapala: Sangili Karuppan. The young oracle? Me!
People arrived in waves, eager for blessings. As tradition goes, they first fell at my Guru’s feet, seasoned vessel of a great deity, with decades of tapas behind him. Then they turned toward me, the new oracle, ready to offer the same gesture of reverence.
Just as they began to bend, the old God thundered through my Guru’s voice:
“Don’t touch his feet directly. Touch the ground. He is still young, he has a life ahead.”
The crowd froze, confused then immediately obeyed. Even though the deity was moving through me, touching the physical feet of a young oracle carried karmic implications no one wanted to play roulette with.
That moment stayed with me for two decades. It taught me something simple yet profound about touching elders’ feet ,a gesture we see everywhere in Hindu culture, but rarely unpack with clarity.
The Truth About Touching Elders’ Feet
As a general rule, it is more appropriate and far safer to touch the ground before an elder or Guru rather than directly touching their feet, especially if they are not your Guru. If you do feel the urge to touch their feet, it is wise to ask permission first.
Respect doesn’t lose anything when wrapped in consent.
And while we’re at it here’s an important boundary most beginners are never told:
Never allow anyone to touch the crown of your head unless they are your Guru.
A seasoned practitioner can discern your upasana Devata by placing a hand on your crown: a gift when done by the right person, a disaster when done by the wrong one. A malicious or untrained person can disturb, dilute, or even drain your sadhana shakti.
In the spiritual world, not all smiles are friendly, and not all touches are harmless.
And finally don’t ever feel pressured into touching someone’s feet. A simple namaskar carries the same bhava. Age, after all, is no reliable indicator of spiritual maturity.
If this stirred a quiet recognition in you, come sit with us in our Tantra community https://shorturl.at/4Fs5a a space where respect, boundaries, and devotion move hand in hand.
Raja Muneeswaran Thunai
Karuppan Thunai
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