Namaskara

(“reverential salutation”) Both a
phrase and a gesture used to greet
another person respectfully. The gesture is done by joining both palms,
pointing the fingers up, with the base
of the thumbs touching the chest.
Namaskara is the fourteenth of sixteen
traditional upacharas (“offerings”)
given to a deity as part of worship,
treating the deity as an honored guest.
In this action, the deity is given a gesture of respect, which can take a variety of forms: joining the palms with
the fingers pointing upward (anjali
hasta), kneeling and touching one’s
head to the floor, or a full prostration
(dandavat pranam). The underlying
motive for all the upacharas is to show
one’s respect and love for the deity by
ministering to the deity’s needs.