Worship

Two separate words can be used to
describe Hindu worship, with two
groups of assumptions that come with
it. The first and most common act of
worship is called darshan (“seeing”), in
which devotees (bhakta) view the image
of the deity, and believe that the deity
is also looking at them. Darshan is thus
an interaction between deity and
devotee, an exchange of glances
that carries understanding. Worship
involving offerings and objects
usually falls under the rubric of the word
Puja (“homage”).