Anjali mudra is not merely a way to greet someone with respect. Anjali mudra is a gesture that serves two key purposes.
The first aspect reflects knowledge of the self and supreme: that the same God who is within you keeping you alive is also outside the self to support your existence. The same is true with every being in the world. This knowledge makes one obedient to fellow beings, fellow creatures, and the environment. And thus, one’s head automatically bows down in humility. The gesture thereby creates a sense of positivity, calmness, and respect toward the recipient and inward with the doer.
The second aspect is that the gesture reflects submissiveness in the doer to seek God’s protection.
Am jalayithi iti amjalih
The letter అ (a) in Vedic scriptures represent God. జలయతి (jalayathi) represents melts. Amjali is therefore a gesture that melts God heart. Rushis who understood the nature of self and the supreme folded their hands and bowed their heads with the aim of seeking His grace.
Amjali hi parama: mudra:h kshipram de:va: prasa:dani:
Amjali mudra is a super powerful posture of worship towards God, a posture that deeply pleases the divine.
Amidst the deadly coronavirus situation, the world is adopting the amjali mudra to keep oneself clean physically. However, the mudra goes beyond a benefit at the level of physical health, it is a symbol of spiritual maturity and benevolence. Our rushis passed onto us a culture that encompasses more such healthy practices and healthy which holistically enrich all of us.
Let’s all pay our respects to those sages who originally witnessed such glory of God, and were compassionate to pass it onto us.
O:m namah parama rushibhyo: namah parama rushibhyaha
O:m namah parama rushibhyo: namah parama rushibhyaha
– From the teachings of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
– During Sundara Kanda Chanting, Divya Saketham
– Vasantha Navaratri Utsavasams 2020
