Namaskaras and Pranaam are the same form of greetings. Both are acceptable......
We go round the sanctum sanctorium in the temples and sometimes the deities in the pujas or yajnas at home in a clockwise direction. This is called Pradakshinam.
We always assume God is the center of our existence. He also exists everywhere. So when we do Pradakshina or circumambulation, we accept that our actions and thoughts are always centred around God. The center point is always fixed and remains the same at whatever distance we do the pradakshina. So we are reminded of the eternal truth that God is the center of gravity and the main focus of our existence. This is the main principle of pradakshinam.
The world is always rotating around itself on its own axis as well as around the sun. All the planets also rotate on their own axes. This is called rotation and their rotation on their orbits is called revolution. Just like in solar system, the sun is at the center around which the planets rotate, our pradakshinams should be done with god at the center.
The Pradakshinam should be done slowly and never in a hurry, as though we are running to finish that mission. Paramacharyal says when we do Pradakshinam, we must walk as slowly as a fully pregnant woman walking with a vessel full of oil, taking care to see that not a drop of oil spills !
Our thoughts and actions must dwell on God.
It is customary to do Pradakshinam always in a clockwise direction. This is because we assume that Lord is always on our right side. This reminds that we must always lead a righteous life , in the right path called Dharma.
At the end of the pujas , it is a custom to do pradakshinam around ourselves three times & this is called “ Atma Pradakshinam”. We bow to the supreme divinity within us, chanting
Yani kani cha paapaani janmanthara kruthaani cha
Thaani thaani vinas(h)yanthi pradakshina padae padae
May those omissions and commissions done in this life and also in the previous births and the resulting afflictions perish with every pradakshina.
After Pradakshinam, Namaskara is done as a sequel. If the deity faces east, we must do it facing north and vice versa. Inside the temple, we must do only
“ Anjali” (folding the palms together, bowing the head). If we do namaskaram to a deity inside the temple, we may inadvertently show our back to yet another deity. So in temples, it is safe to do namaskaram near the Dvajasthambam, with the main deity on our right side. But it is necessary to make sure that we do the namaskaram, facing only the north. In case it is otherwise, always face north and only then do the namaskaram.
We chant,
Thava thvam na jaanaami keedhr(u)s(h)o(a)si mahaes(h)vara
Yaadhr(u)s(h)o(a)si mahaadaeva thaadhr(u)s(h)aaya namo namah
Oh Lord, what is your nature? I do not know your nature. Whatever be your nature, I offer salutations to you who are of that nature.
Then we offer salutations, chanting
Pradakshina namaskaaraan samarpayaami
Oh Lord, I offer you circumambulation and prostration.
Thus pradakshinam is yet another concept, typical of Hindu culture.
"Sashtanga Namaskara". Sashtanga is Sa Ashta Anga, that is eight parts of the body are in contact with the ground. The eight parts are: forehead, two shoulders, two hands, torso, two legs. You also know that women do not do the namaskara in this way. In their case it is called "Panchanga". Panchanga here does not mean the almanac. Leaving out the two shoulders and the torso, only five angas are in contact with the ground in their namaskara. So it is called Panchanga Namaskara. Our rule makers (makers of sastras) while making the rule that namaskara should be by lowering the body prostrate on the ground, eschewing every thought of self importance and finding the lowest level with the ground, they duly thought of the Universal Mother aspect (matrutwam) of Parasakthi (Ambal) which is a distinguishing divine principle in women, and took care not to imply any suggestion of lowering its importance. They ruled that the part of the body which sustains the growth of the foetus during pregnancy and the part that creates within itself the nourishment for the new born and feeds it should not be allowed to come in contact with the ground. If the torso should not touch the ground, then the shoulders have to be excluded so that the namaskara can conveniently performed. Thus, excluding the three angas, in their case it becomes panchanga. This also symbolises the need for women to have a "bending" nature. Bowing down itself means bending and it seems that the namaskara performed by women is real bowing down. Men sometimes may use the hand only instead of lowering the body for "bowing" but women always do sarvanga namaskara.