Kara darshanam (I worship my hands)

[Guest guest]

My hands are in a terrible state. Arthritis has

swollen most of my finger joints, and I have gouty

tophi in many places under the skin. On Ammachi's

website I found a lovely prayer to the hands. It goes

like this:

 

karagre vasate lakshmi/

karamadhye saraswati//

karamule tu govindah/

prabhate kara darshanam//

 

and it means:

 

In my fingertips dwells Lakshmi (goddess of

abundance), in my palm is Saraswati (goddess of

knowledge), in my wrists art Thou, Govinda (Krishna as

cowherd). To bless my day, I worshipfully observe my

hands.

 

Please, do any of you sadhus know why these Deities

are associated with these parts of the hands? Are

there gestures associated with the prayer? And is

this a good mantra for me to start doing to heal my

hands? (I've been going through a major Mercury dasa,

astrologically, and Mercury rules the hands.)

 

-- Len/ Kalipadma