By- Praharsh Mishra
Belonging to a Hindu family I was taught from the very beginning that whenever I meet elders(relatives, teachers, grandparents etc.) I must touch their feet to get their “blessings”. This is a tradition of blessing by elders when they greet someone younger in age or rank. And as I am a theist I pray to God for getting “blessings”. I have been using the word “blessings” till now. But what is the actual meaning of the word “blessings”.
Precisely blessings mean a protection or favour which God provides us when we pray. But are blessings merely showered by Gods? Well blessings are also showered by your father, mother, grandparents, some relatives etc. Mother is the only one who gives you blessings even if you don’t seek blessings from her. She prays to God for blessing you.But it is not only God and elders showering blessings. The younger ones too shower blessings.
Blessing is a word whose effect changes life completely. When the disciple goes to the battlefield then his teacher blesses him to be victorious. In villages and even in cities now also the words like live long and prosperous, be happy and be healthy are said as blessings.
The one who gives the blessings is not a mind reader and so he does not know what the other one wants. So in view of this maybe a new word was discovered which contained many meanings (according to the Hindi perspective i.e. आशीर्वाद). Thus, one word for each letter of “आशीर्वाद”.These four words are ayu(age), vidya(knowledge), bal(strength), buddhi(intelligence). Hence, blessing is something with which age, knowledge, strength and intelligence increases.
The more respect we have in our mind the more blessings will be showered upon us. You will only get blessings when you are ready to feel it’s effect. How will something that you don’t want will get into your life?
A farmer feels the blessings when his field being sown for one year and brings crops for three years. For a king and his army blessing is when enemies coming in large numbers from one direction and fleeing in seven directions. A person who has too much of debt feels blessed when someone lends him the money rather than letting him borrow the money. Different people gets blessings according to their needs.
Let’s talk about the scientific aspect behind blessings. For me in an easy language I see blessing as a form of energy. As science says that that nerves coming out of the brain are present all over the body. These nerves end at the fingertips of hand and feet. So, when you touch your fingertips to the opposite feet of the elder, the energies of two bodies are connected. Fingers and palms become the receptor of energy and feet of another person as giver of energy. So, when you touch the feet showing respect they emit positive energy. Also bowing down and touching the feet increases blood circulation which is good for health.
Spiritually, blessing is the infusion of something with holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will. So my concluding idea on blessing would be that “Blessing is like sowing one seed in the ground and having a whole field of wheat grown up overnight.”
Did you know?
-The word blessing is a translation of a Greek word “eulogy” which means “to speak well off”.