According to Chapter 26, what form of worship is considered superior to external rituals, and how is it performed?

Chapter 26 champions internal worship (Manas Puja) as being superior to external offerings. This form of devotion involves using pure emotions and faith as the offerings themselves. The chapter provides a poetic description of this practice. The devotee imagines washing the Guru's feet with "warm tears of joy," applying the "sandalwood paste of pure love," and clothing Him with "true faith." This internal ritual is seen as a more potent way to please the Guru. As the text of Chapter 26 specifies, the ultimate offering in this internal worship is the "eight-petaled lotus of the eight-fold sattvic emotions," which is to be offered with a focused mind to achieve the true purpose of life. This demonstrates a focus on inner purity over outward ceremony.