Upanishads · Varāha 3.12
॥
Devanāgarī
मम चरणस्मरणेन पूजया च स्वकतमसः परिमुच्यते हि जन्तुः । न हि मरणप्रभवप्रणाशहेतुर्मम चरणस्मरणादृतेऽस्ति किञ्चित्
Transliteration (IAST)
mama caraṇasmaraṇena pūjayā ca svakatamasaḥ parimucyate hi jantuḥ | na hi maraṇaprabhavapraṇāśaheturmama caraṇasmaraṇādṛte'sti kiñcit
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
मम चरण-स्मरणेन पूजया चmama caraṇa-smaraṇena pūjayā caby remembering my feet and by worship
स्वक-तमसः परिमुच्यते हि जन्तुःsvaka-tamasaḥ parimucyate hi jantuḥa creature indeed is freed from its own darkness
न हि मरण-प्रभव-प्रणाश-हेतुःna hi maraṇa-prabhava-praṇāśa-hetuḥfor there is no other cause of the destruction of birth and death
मम चरण-स्मरणात् ऋते अस्ति किञ्चित्mama caraṇa-smaraṇāt ṛte asti kiñcitbesides remembering my feet
Translation
"By remembering my feet and by worship, a creature is freed from its own darkness; and there is no other cause of the destruction of birth and death besides remembering my feet."
Version
1906c4c3b8e4 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
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Here is the verse most Vaishnava in this whole book, and it deserves word-by-word examination. Mama charana-smaranena, "by remembering my feet"; pujaya cha, "and by worship." And an exclusion is added, sharper than the preceding: mama charana-smaranad rite nasti kinchit, "besides remembering my feet — there is nothing."
That is, what is named is not knowledge, not discernment, not dissolution, but remembrance of the feet. It is worth examining why specifically the feet, for this runs throughout Vaishnava practice. The feet are the lowest part of the body, and what one who bows touches.
That is, the object of remembrance is chosen so as to be accessible only through a bow: one looks at a face standing, at the feet bowing. Hence its whole literature is full of the expressions pada-padma, "lotus feet," pada-rajas, "dust of the feet," charana-amrita, "nectar of the feet"; and of the last, discussed when reading the Bhasma-jabala (2.42). Let us add what follows from this, and deserves holding onto.
Memory of a face is memory of an equal or of a superior from a distance. Memory of feet is memory of one before whom you have already bowed. And hence it requires neither knowledge nor capacity: anyone can bow.
Let us compare to the Bhagavatam, where a verse on the same is among its chief ones: tavat karmani kurvita na nirvidyeta yavata, mat-katha-shravanadau va shraddha yavan na jayate — as long as faith in hearing about Him has not arisen, do deeds; but once it arises, leave them. That is, the transition from deeds to remembrance is described as natural, not as a command.