pranama
प्रणाम pranamaA respectful bow or obeisance offered to elders, teachers, the divine, or holy people. It ranges from joined palms and a bow of the head to touching the feet (charan sparsh) to full prostration (sashtanga pranama). The scripted Vedic form of the salutation to an elder is called abhivadana.
Where this term appears
- Why Hindus touch elders' feet (charan sparsh) Journal
…n , "feet," and sparsh , "touch." Its older and more formal names are pranama , a respectful bow, and abhivadana , the scripted Vedic salutation to an elder.
- Surya Namaskar: The Sun Salutation Yoga
It is the posture of sashtanga pranama , the full-length prostration a devotee makes before the deity or the guru, the bodily grammar of surrender, the ego stretched out on the earth.
- The real meaning of Namaste Journal
Pranama is one of the classical forms of respectful salutation, and it shades toward the deeper bow, the touching of an elder's feet, the reverence offered to the divine or to those who stand in for it.