Question: Guru, why do you tell us not to touch paper with our feet?

Sri Chinmoy: Paper means knowledge. It represents the wisdom of the human brain. The discoveries of human beings are written down on paper. If we kick or touch our discoveries with our feet, then we are not honouring our achievements and discoveries. If we look down on our own achievements and if we don't value our own discoveries, then how are we going to value anything? There is something higher and deeper inside the paper, and that is the supreme discovery of our human brain. This discovery is nothing other than light. Therefore, we should not touch paper with the feet. It is a crime. There is a special deity who embodies knowledge and wisdom. Her name is Saraswati. She represents wisdom or knowledge in boundless measure and according to our receptivity we receive from her. But we need a vehicle to contain what we receive, and the vehicle is a book. So books contain the inspiration from the goddess Saraswati. Whenever we see a thing, we have to go to its source. The source of the book is the living goddess Saraswati. How can we touch the goddess in that piece of paper with our feet? How can we kick her? Impossible! So we should not touch paper with our feet because inside it is the living presence of the cosmic goddess.

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