India Behind The Lens (News Centre)

What is the correct method of doing Namaskār?

A. 'While paying obeisance to God, bring the palms together.
1. The fingers should be held loose (not straight & rigid) while joining the palms.
2. The fingers should be kept close to each other without leaving any space between them.
3. The fingers should be kept away from the thumbs.
4. The inner portion of the palms should not touch each other and there should be some space between them.

Note : The stage of awakening of spiritual emotion (bhāv) is important to the seeker at the primary level. Hence, for awakening spiritual emotion (bhāv), he should keep space in between the palms, whereas a seeker who is at the advanced level should refrain from leaving such space in between the palms to awaken the unexpressed spiritual emotion (bhāv).

B. After joining the hands one should bow and bring the head forward.

C. While tilting the head forward, one should place the thumbs at the mid-brow region, i.e. at the point between the eyebrows and try to concentrate on the feet of the Deity.

D. After that, instead of bringing the folded hands down immediately, they should be placed on the mid-chest region for a minute in such a way that the wrists touch the chest; then only should the hands be brought down.

Underlying Science in this action



A. The fingers should not be stiff while bringing the palms together because this will lead to a decrease in Sattva component from the vital and mental sheaths and thus increase the Raja component in them. By keeping the fingers relaxed, the subtlest Sattva component will get activated. With the strength of this energy, embodied souls are able to fight powerful distressing energies.

B. In the Namaskār posture, the joined fingers act as an antenna to assimilate the Chaitanya (Divine consciousness) or the Energy transmitted by a Deity. While joining the palms, the fingers must touch each other because leaving space between the fingers will result in accumulation of energy in that space. This energy will be immediately transmitted in various directions; therefore the seeker's body will lose the benefit of this potent energy.

C. About the space to be maintained between the palms: For a seeker at the primary level, it is advisable to leave space between the palms; it is not necessary for a seeker at an advanced level to leave space between the palms.

D. After joining the palms, bow a little. This posture puts pressure on the navel and activates the five vital energies situated there. Activation of these vital energies in the body makes it sensitive to accepting sāttvik frequencies. This later awakens the 'ātmashakti' (i.e. energy of the soul) and later, bhāv is awakened. This enables the body to accept in large measures the Chaitanya emitted by the Deity.

E. Touch the thumbs to the mid-brow region. (Please see images above.) This posture awakens the bhāv of surrender in an embodied soul, and in turn activates the appropriate subtle frequencies of Deities from the Universe. They enter through the 'Ādnyā-chakra’ (sixth centre in the spiritual energy system located in the mid-brow region in the subtle body) of the embodied soul and settle in the space parallel to it at the back interior of the head. In this space the openings to all the three channels converge; namely, the Moon, the Central and the Sun channels. Due to the movement of these subtler frequencies in this space, the Central Channel is activated. Consequently it facilitates the speedy transmission of these frequencies throughout the body, leading to purification of both the gross and subtle bodies at the same time.

F. After doing Namaskār, to completely imbibe the Chaitanya of the Deity (that has entered the hands by now), instead of bringing the folded hands down immediately, place them on the mid-chest region in such a way that the wrists touch the chest.

The ‘Anāhat-chakra‘ is located at the centre of the chest. Akin to the Ādnyā-chakra’, the activity of the ‘Anāhat-chakra‘ is also to absorb the Sattva frequencies. By touching the wrists to the chest, the ‘Anāhat-chakra‘ is activated and it helps in absorbing more of the Sattva component.

Effect of this Posture : By doing Namaskār in this manner, the Deity's Chaitanya is absorbed to a greater extent by the body, as compared to other methods of doing Namaskār. This gives maximum distress to negative energies. The negative energies that have manifested in a person are unable to touch their thumbs at the mid-brow region in Namaskār. (The negative energies are subtle. But at times they enter an individual's body and manifest in it.)

Que. What is the reason for not wrapping a cloth around the neck while performing circumambulation, doing Namaskār, ritualistic worship, sacrificial fires, chanting and while visiting Guru and Deities?
Ans. When a cloth is wrapped around the neck, it does not activate the Vishuddha-chakra (fifth centre in the spiritual energy system located in the neck in the subtle body) and hence an individual gets less benefit of the Sattva component.

Related links: Why namaskar, not hand shake: Spiritual benefits of namaskaar

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All Pictures : Copyright holder Sanatan sanstha
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