Marks on Radha Krishna’ Soles

 

Question

Dear Guru Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to You and Srila Prabhupada

 

The Srimad-Bhagavatam talks about Krsna having marks on His feet. Does Krsna really have these marks on the bottom of His feet?

Did Lord Chaitanya have these marks on the bottom of his feet?

Is looking for these marks at the bottom of the feet a way to figure out if it is really Krshna?

 

And, do all the incarnations of Krsna have these markings? For example, the tortoise, the boar, or the dwarf?  

 

Please clarify this for me. 

Thank you.

 

Your servant,

Bhakta Richard 

 

Answer

Dear Bhakta Richard,

Please receive my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. 

 

The marks on Radha Krishna’s soles are distinctive of Their divinity. Also, Sri Caitanya and Sri Nityananda have particular signs on Their soles.

There is no information (or at least not in the books I have read so far) of marks on other Avataras like the ones you mention. 

 

When I find some information about it, I will let you know.

 

We find a nice description of Radha Krishna’s lotus feet in the “A Glorification of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava” by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.

 

Text 1

candrardham kalasam tri-kona-dhanushi kham goshpadam proshthikam

sankham savya-pade ´tha dakshina-pade konashtakam svastikam

cakram chatra-yavankusam dhvaja-pavi jamburdhva-rekhambujam

bibhranam harim unavimsati-maha-lakshmy-arcitanghrim bhaje

“I worship Lord Hari (Krishna), whose feet are endowed with the 19 great opulences: On the left foot, a halfmoon, a water-pot, a  triangle, a bow, a sky, a cow´s hoofprint, a fish, a conch, and on the right foot, the eight-pointed star, a svastika, a wheel, a parasol, a barleycorn, an elephant-goad, a flag, a thunderbolt, a jambu fruit, an urdhva-rekha, and lotus.”

 

Text 2

cchatrari-dhvaja-valli-pushpa-valayan padmordhva-rekhankusan

ardhendum ca yavam ca vamam anu ya saktim gadam syandanam

vedi-kundala-matsya-parvata-daram datte ´nv asavyam padam

tam radham ciram unavimsati-maha-lakshmy-arcitanghrim bhaje

I worship Sri Radha, whose feet are endowed with the 19 great opulences of, on the left foot, the parasol, ari, flag, vine, flower, bracelet, lotus, urdhva-rekha, elephant-goad, halfmoon, and barleycorn, and on the right foot, the sakti, club, chariot, altar, earrings, fish, mountain, and conchshell.

 

This is a section of the book “A Sidelong Glance”. 

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