I know I left you on the bed the last Sunday, having recited one shloka and wondering what to do next!
Well, after reciting कराग्रे वसते लक्ष्मीः shloka, don’t get out of your bed as yet. Before you take your first step of the day, recite –
समुद्रवसने देवि पर्वतस्तनमण्डले । विष्णुपत्नि नमस्तुभ्यं पादस्पर्शं क्षमस्व मे ॥
It means –
समुद्रवसने देवि - O Goddess (Earth), who dons the sea as clothes
पर्वतस्तनमण्डले - who has the mountains as her bosom
विष्णुपत्नि नमः तुभ्यम् - O wife of Lord Vishnu, (I) salute you
पादस्पर्शं क्षमस्व मे - Forgive my feet touching (you)
This beautiful shloka shows the humility, sensitivity, and empathy that our ancestors lived by. It makes one realize how much of a भोक्ता (Bhokta, can be loosely translated to “enjoyer” in the Queen’s language) one is right from the waking moment of your day.
You are now up from your sleep and out to start your day. Take a moment to know that the first foot you put forth is going to be on Mother Earth – the Mother that gave birth to you (from dust we come…), the Mother that nourishes you and gives you so much through the day!
Hence, start your day by being thankful to this Mother and being genuinely sorry for the disrespect you show by treading on her. In the deeper sense, it is not just walking on the ground, but the fact that many organisms will get killed, nature’s resources will get used by you during the day.
The way our motherland has been described in this shloka is also very enchanting. Reference to the clothes made from the sea point to the seas in three directions – East, South and West and the mountains in the bosom are the Himalayas at the North.
The Earth is also referred to as Wife of Lord Vishnu – which is Laxmi – the Goddess of Wealth. Our ancestors referred to Earth also as a form of Laxmi because it would give them wealth in the form of agricultural produce, minerals, and nourishment for livestock as well as humans.
Just as you wake up from your slumber, you become aware of “अहम् / Aham” once again (also called अहङ्कारः / Ahankar – the sense of “Me” as different from the “ब्रह्मन् / Brahman” – the Ultimate Reality). Through your इन्द्रियाः (sense organs), मनः (mind) and बुद्धिः (intellect), you will now engage with the प्रकृतिः (material world), forgetting that your आत्मा (soul) which is the real you is “one” with ब्रह्मन् (Brahman) – the supreme reality.
Reciting these two shlokas at this moment make you feel peaceful & optimistic about the day and at the same time stay grounded. They help you focus on doing धार्मिक /dharmik (righteous not religious) acts through the day while being humble.
And yes, now you can get to your phone or brush your teeth or whatever that you were planning to do “the first thing in the morning”!
wonderful article Prajakta .... keep up the wonderful work dear 🙏🙏