Pradakṣiṇā

Pradakshina is the devotional practice of walking clockwise around a sacred object such as a temple, deity, sacred fire, or holy person. The worshipper keeps the object of reverence to their right side, which is considered the auspicious side. It is one of the most common acts of worship across all Hindu traditions and is also performed around the sacred fire during weddings and yajnas.

Pradakshina symbolizes the recognition that the Divine is the center of one's existence, around which all of life revolves. Each circuit represents the soul's journey through cycles of experience while remaining anchored to the supreme truth at the core. The practitioner surrenders the ego by placing the sacred at the center rather than the self, cultivating humility and devotion with every step.

At the highest level of understanding, Pradakshina enacts the cosmic truth that all manifestation orbits the one unchanging Brahman. Just as planets revolve around the sun, the individual ātman moves through the phenomenal world while the Absolute remains the immovable axis. The completion of each circle points to the realization that the beginning and end are one — there is no distance between the seeker and the sought.