(3) Before commencing worship of an image or idol, a process of divinizing is gone through. This is known as Praan Pratishthaa. Every human being is an expression of the cosmos. Man is a microcosm of the universe. God in His cosmic form, lives in the Panch Bhoot, which are crystallized in the human body and expressed as the five sense organs, each functioning in terms of those elements. Before an idol can be worshiped, it has to be consecrated. The devotee first performs Aatm Poojaa; that is, he meditates on the Aatmaa encased in his body. By chanting appropriate Mantra he first purifies his body including his Praana and his sense organs. The vital airs and the organs of perception and activity animating him as the microcosm of the universe which is the macrocosm are transferred by gestures to the accompaniment of mantras on to the idol or the image wherein the manifestation of the Supreme (the Isht Devtaa) is devoutly invoked. Thereupon the idol gets divinized and becomes fit for worship. After this is done, the worshiper does not consider it any longer as a material object. It becomes God Himself. Then follows the sixteen items (Shodash Upachaar) of ritualistic worship which are offered with fervor and devotion.

The forms of the images are modeled after the descriptions of the several deities obtaining in our Puraan. These Puraan celebrate each a particular manifestation of the Supreme to draw the man's mind to it and hold their attention. They serve to visualize the Divinity spoken of in the Puraan and in their features emphasize the super-human and the mysterious which go with the concept of God. Thus we have the image of Devee with sixteen hands, of Kumaar with six faces and twelve hands, of Vishnu with four hands, of Shiv with third eye, of Ganapati with the elephant face etc. etc. To a person of alien faith, these appear grotesque and bizarre, but to the devotee they signify a Pauraanik event, which evokes his belief and faith.