In many of us, it is ingrained in our subconscious since childhood, to pick up a pencil or a book that has fallen on the ground and immediately touch it to our forehead in reverence. You can also spot lawyers bowing their heads to the bench while entering or leaving court rooms.
Reverence towards all things – animate or inanimate – originates from the non-dualistic philosophy that has been expressed in the Mahavakyas, great statements, in the Upanishads, such as Aham Brahmasmi, I am Brahmn, the Absolute; Tat Tvam Asi, That Thou Art; and Ayam Atma Brahma, This Self is Brahmn. These mahavakyas convey the essential teaching of the Upanishads, that is the individual self that appears as a separate existence is, in essence, part and manifestation of the whole.
Reverence towards all things makes us expansive in our thinking; it strengthens our belief in truth, justice and dharma – right conduct. This is perhaps the reason why many of us won’t dare to lie while holding Ganga jal in our palms.
