| That is why the
Gita says that of all yajnas (sacrifices) japa-yajna is the highest. In other yajnas a man
sacrifices something else, but in japa-yajna he sacrifices his own self and becomes the
self of-the Devata whom he worships. This process of deification is further strengthened
by Mudra and Nyasa. Mudra is a gesture of the hand employed to emphasize and visualize the
intention of the mind. It is a recognized part of Hindu ritual. Nyasa comes from a verb, which means to place.' It consists in placing
the hands of the worshipper on the different parts of his body and imagining that the
corresponding parts of the body of the Devata are placed there. The whole rite ends with a
movement of the hands indicating the spreading, as it were, of the Devata all over the
body of the worshipper.
Thus in the Hindu system of ritualistic worship, the worshipper
selects a particular form of the Divinity (Istadevata) with a particular set of
attributes. He worships it externally, with flowers, incense and camphor. That is his
Puja. Then he meditates on it internally through Japa. That is his Dhyana. Continued
thought and repetition and the engagement of the body in cooperation with the mind are
calculated to produce a change in the worshipper |
