Depending upon ones intrinsic faith, conviction, mental make up and religious training his/her mode of Upasana might vary. It begins with a simple practice of worshiping and praying to the Almighty. With the piety and depth of emotions and surrender of the devotee to the Deity of worship, Upasana could gradually become a sublime source of living linkage between the Upasaka (worshiper, devotee) and
the Upasya (the divine object of reverence or worship, God). These majestic effects are not just mythological, occult or mysterious magic; rather, these are natural outcome of the scientifically affirmed immense potentials of Upasana in relation to human psychology, intrinsic tendencies and the inner mind. Upasana is one of the central practices of almost all Hindu spiritual traditions, regardless of their philosophical or theistic orientations. Often translated as worship or meditation it comes from the Sanskrit root ‘up’ and ‘asana’ which means ‘to sit near’ or ‘to stay close by’. The oft-used phrase ‘Devata Upasana’ would thus imply being near the Devata by continuously either fixing up the mind on the form of the Devata or directing the mind to meditate on the formless Brahman, who is the substratum of all manifestation and who Himself manifests as different Devatas.
