Tiruvadigaḷ (tiru — sacred or auspicious; aḍi — foot; kaḷ — plural or honorific marker) refers reverentially to the sacred feet of Bhagavān, an Āzhvār, or an Āchārya. The plural-honorific form expresses deep reverence. Expressions such as tiruvaḍi-t-tāmarai or 'lotus feet' evoke the beauty, tenderness, and purity of the refuge sought by the devotee.
In devotional practice, taking shelter at Bhagavān's tiruvadigaḷ is both theological and lived: the Āzhvārs repeatedly praise His feet as refuge, goal, and the locus of kainkaryam. Prapatti declares that the soul has no independent refuge apart from the Divya Dampati's feet. It is therefore better to say that the Tiruvāymozhi repeatedly unfolds this orientation than to claim that its opening verse explicitly defines the feet as both upāya and upeya.
The Āchārya's tiruvadigaḷ are likewise honoured with exceptional devotion, since the Āchārya reveals the soul's Bhagavat-sambandha and teaches the rahasyas. Disciples bow at and serve the Āchārya's feet in accordance with sampradāya practice. Placing the disciple's head beneath the Āchārya's feet, however, is not one of the five named pañca-saṃskāras; those are tāpa, puṇḍra, nāma, mantra, and yāga. Reverence for the Āchārya's feet should be preserved without turning a devotional act into a sixth formal saṃskāra.