Question: You don't really shake it, you just move it up and down once or twice.

Sri Chinmoy: We are in the highest height and we descend. In Sri Ramakrishna's case, his disciples used to offer him something to smoke so that he could come down and become part and parcel of the physical consciousness, the earth-consciousness. In my case, I do something else to come down to the level of my children. I have gone up and, when I descend, the foot represents solid earth, the material, earthly world. From my highest if I want to become one with the earth-consciousness, then the foot is the solid foundation. Again, the feet of the Master represent boundless compassion. This compassion you can pull, as though you were a magnet. I have given permission to very few disciples — I can count them on my fingertips — to touch my feet with their hands or head. The strongest magnetic pull of my feet takes away the problems of this incarnation, even of the past incarnations. When I want to bless someone by bringing down compassion, I can use my hands or my eyes. But the feet always keep infinite compassion for this world — for the disciples and for the seekers. Again, why do I not do it for everybody? Because everybody does not deserve it: everybody does not want it. They say, "Oh, we need compassion," but they are afraid that compassion is nothing but transformation. They say, "We want transformation," but as soon as they see the enormity of the result, they are frightened to death. We say that we want to be as bright as the sun, but when we see the effulgence of the sun, we are frightened to death. We ask God to make us as powerful and strong as an elephant. Then, when we see an elephant, we are frightened to death. We ask God to make us as strong as a lion, but when we stand in front of a roaring lion, we are frightened to death. Here also the seekers want something, but when they face the reality they are frightened to death by the reality. That is why I don't allow more people to touch my feet. My feet embody boundless, immediate compassion. This reality they don't want; it frightens them.

From:Sri Chinmoy,The jewel of humility, Agni Press, 1979
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/jh