Sanctity.

 Sanskrit ritual phrases used in Nyāsa (the practice of touching different parts of the body while reciting a mantra). They are commonly found before the chanting of stotras, kavachas, sahasranāmas, and mantras. The purpose is to sanctify the body and identify it with the deity being worshipped.

Here is what they mean

1. Iti Bījam (इति बीजम्)

Bīja means "seed."

A mantra's bīja is its seed syllable, containing its essential spiritual power.

Example: "Om Namo Narayanaya iti bījam" — "This is the seed of the mantra."

2. Iti Śaktiḥ (इति शक्तिः)

Śakti means power, energy, or divine force.

This identifies the power behind the mantra.

3. Iti Kīlakam (इति कीलकम्)

Kīlaka literally means "peg," "pin," or "lock."

In mantra-śāstra it refers to the hidden lock that conceals the mantra's full potency. By understanding or invoking the kīlaka, the spiritual benefits of the mantra are "unlocked."

The following phrases belong to Kara Nyāsa (sanctification of the fingers and hands).

4. Iti Aṅguṣṭhābhyām Namaḥ (इत्यङ्गुष्ठाभ्यां नमः)

"Salutations to the thumbs."

Touch both thumbs.

5. Iti Tarjanībhyām Namaḥ (इति तर्जनीभ्यां नमः)

"Salutations to the index fingers."

Touch both index fingers.

6. Iti Madhyamābhyām Namaḥ (इति मध्यमाभ्यां नमः)

"Salutations to the middle fingers."

Touch both middle fingers.

7. Iti Anāmikābhyām Namaḥ (इत्यनामिकाभ्यां नमः)

"Salutations to the ring fingers."

Touch both ring fingers.

8. Iti Kaniṣṭhikābhyām Namaḥ (इति कनिष्ठिकाभ्यां नमः)

"Salutations to the little fingers."

Touch both little fingers.

9. Iti Karatala-Karapṛṣṭhābhyām Namaḥ (इति करतलकरपृष्ठाभ्यां नमः)

Karatala = palm of the hand

Karapṛṣṭha = back of the hand

"Salutations to the palms and backs of the hands."

Touch the palms and backs of both hands.

10. Iti Kara Nyāsaḥ (इति करन्यासः)

"This completes the installation (nyāsa) in the hands."

The divine power of the mantra is symbolically established in the fingers and hands.

Usually, after Kara Nyāsa comes Aṅga Nyāsa (touching the heart, head, tuft, shoulders, eyes, etc.):

Hṛdayāya Namaḥ — Heart

Śirase Svāhā — Head

Śikhāyai Vaṣaṭ — Crown/Tuft

Kavacāya Huṁ — Protective armor

Netratrayāya Vauṣaṭ — Three eyes

Astrāya Phaṭ — Divine weapon

The deeper idea behind Nyāsa is beautiful: the devotee acknowledges that the body, senses, mind, and actions are not separate from the Divine. Before chanting the mantra, one symbolically transforms the body into a temple of the deity. This is why many traditions say that Nyāsa is not merely touching fingers—it is a meditation that "places" the deity within oneself.