History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c37.104

v3.c37.104

Pradakṣiṇā (going round the image with the right hand always turned towards the image) and namaskāra constitute only one upacāra (item of worship) according to many. The namaskāra to the image is either aṣṭāṅga (with eight limbs) or pañcāṅga (with five limbs.) The first occurs when a person prostrates himself on the ground in front of the image in such a way that the palms of his hands, his feet, his knees, his chest and forehead touch the ground and his mind, speech and eye are fixed on the image and the latter occurs when he prostrates himself with his hands, feet and head.¹⁷⁵² There are other definitions of the aṣṭāṅga namaskāra. These several parts of the worship of images have been judicially noticed in *Ram brahma Chatterji v. Kedar Nath* 36 Calcutta Law Journal 478 at ‘p. 483 (where the normal type of the continuous worship of an idol is described) and *Pramatha Nath Mullick v. Pradyumna Kumar Mullick* 52 Cal. 809 at p. 815 (P. C.).