Namaste

A Mohiniattam dancer making a namaste gesture

Namaste (English: /ˈnɑːməsteɪ/ nah-məs-tay; Devanagari: नमस्ते; formal: Namaskar/Namaskaram) is a common spoken valediction or salutation originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is a customary greeting when individuals meet, and a valediction upon their parting. A non-contact form of salutation is traditionally preferred in India and Namaste is the most common form of such a salutation. In Nepal, younger persons usually initiate the exchange with their elders. Initiating the exchange is seen as a sign of respect in other hierarchical settings.

When spoken to another person, it is commonly accompanied by a slight bow made with hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards, in front of the chest. This gesture, called Abhinandan, Añjali Mudrā or Pranamasana, can also be performed wordlessly and carries the same meaning.

Etymology

Namaste is derived from Sanskrit and is a combination of two words, "Namaḥ" and "te" (a shorted variant of "tubhyam"). "Namaḥ" means 'bow' and "te" means 'to you' (accusative case of 'you'). Therefore, Namaste literally means "bow to you" translated as "I bow to you". In detail, "Naman Astitva" means the recognition of one's existence by another person. In other words, when one says "Namaste" to another it means "I salute or recognize your presence or existence in society and the universe."

Uses

Namaste is a friendly greeting in written communication, or generally between people when they meet. When used at funerals to greet the guests, the verbal part is usually omitted. When the hand position is higher, it usually means reverence and/or worship. The expression with hands placed on top of one's head is usually the sign of utmost reverence or respect. When the gesture is performed with hands in front of the chest, it is usually considered as aayushman.

The aayubowan (meaning: wish you a long life) gesture is also a cultural symbol of Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan hospitality.

In Nepalese culture, namaste is performed when a younger family member meets older relatives.^{[citation needed]} It also varies depending upon social status and prestige. The person with lower status or prestige performs namaste first to show respect for the higher station the other person has achieved.^{[citation needed]}

In Sikh scripture Namaste, Namastung or Namastvung is referenced as salutation to the Primal being, the One God.^{[citation needed]} The salutation is followed by an attribute respecting a quality of the creator of all religions, Akal.^{[citation needed]}

In Sindh, Pakistan, the añjali mudra, though extremely rare, is still maintained even by Sindhi Muslims.^{[citation needed]}

The gesture is widely used throughout Asia and beyond. It first (?) appears c.4000 years ago on the clay seals of the Indus Valley Civilization.^{Poor source}

In Tamil culture, the gesture is known as Kumpiṭu (கும்பிடு), which is composed of two words Kumpu (கும்பு) meaning 'to coup hands' and Iṭu இடு meaning 'to do'; while an equivalent of the salutation would be வணக்கம் (vaṇkkam) which is roughly translated as 'greetings'.

The brahmins of Tamil Nadu (India) use the sanskrit word Namaskaram (नमस्कारम्) for the gesture. The usage of the same is also found across other brahmin people in southern India.

Meanings and interpretation

As it is most commonly used, namaste is roughly equivalent to "greetings" or "good day," in English, implicitly with the connotation "to be well". As against shaking hands, kissing or embracing each other in other cultures, Namaste is a non-contact form of respectful greeting and can be used universally while meeting a person of different gender, age or social status.

The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra.^{[citation needed]} The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another.^{[citation needed]} In Sanskrit the word is namah + te = namaste (Devnagari/Hindi: नमः + ते = नमस्ते) which means “I bow to you” - my greetings, salutations or prostration to you.

Namaskār (Devnagari/Hindi: नमस्कार) literally means "I bow to [your] form".

"The spirit in me respects the spirit in you," "the divinity in me bows to the divinity in you," and others, are modern interpretations, extrapolated from the Sanskrit root of namaste.^{[citation needed]} It is worth noting, however, that there is no implicit mention of divinity, spirit, light, or other such concepts in the greeting. They are usually associated with western yoga and New Age spirituality.

See also

• Pranāma
• Naman
• Gassho
• Sampeah
• Wai

External links

• Omkar N Koul (2003-08-10) (PDF). Modes of Greetings in Kashmiri. Indian Institute of Language Studies. http://iils.org/pdf/ModesofGreetings.pdf.