Is there anything in Sikhism where it says you have to touch the feet of your elderly relatives or Saints as a sign of respect? Or is it a Punjabi cultural thing?
Is there anything in Sikhism where it says you have to touch the feet of your elderly relatives or Saints as a sign of respect? Or is it a Punjabi cultural thing?
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Respected Guntaj Ji;
Thank you for asking this question.
I am unaware of any such instruction in SGGS.
As best as I can tell it is cultural.
In addition, It is claimed by some Sikhs that a Sikh should only bow in front of the SGGS and no one else. This comes from the understanding that bowing to any entity, one is expressing that one is accepting the wisdom of that entity over one’s own. And for Sikhs, only such wisdom is the wisdom of Gurbani.
No where it is mentioned in Guru Granth Sahib that one has to touch the feet of elders.
The most important is to follow the teachings of the Guru. All the other formalities are secondary.
ਗੁਰ ਕੇ ਚਰਣ ਧੋਇ ਧੋਇ ਪੀਵਾ ॥੧॥ – 239
it is a culture