Namaste`
HOLISTIC LEARNING CENTER'S LOGO WORD
"I honor the place in you where Spirit lives
I honor the place in you which is
of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace,
when you are in that place in you,
and I am in that place in me,
then we are One."
Namaste is a composite of the two Sanskrit words, nama, and te. Te means
you, and nama has the following connotations: To bend; To bow ; To sink;
To incline; To stoop. The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there
is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra.
The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another.
"Nama" means bow, "as" means I, and "te"
means you. Therefore, Namaste literally means "bow me you" or
"I bow to you."
All these suggestions point to a sense of submitting oneself to another,
with complete humility. Significantly the word 'nama' has parallels in
other ancient languages also. It is cognate with the Greek nemo, nemos
and nosmos; to the Latin nemus, the Old Saxon niman, and the German neman
and nehman. All these expressions have the general sense of obeisance,
homage and veneration. Also important here is to note that the root 'nama'
is a neuter one, the significance of which will be elaborated upon later.
The word nama is split into two, na and ma. Na signifies negation and
ma represents mine. The meaning would then be 'not mine'. The import being
that the individual soul belongs entirely to the Supreme soul, which is
identified as residing in the individual towards whom the namaste is directed.
Indeed there is nothing that the soul can claim as its own. Namaste is
thus the necessary rejection of 'I' and the associated phenomena of egotism.
It is said that 'ma' in nama means death (spiritual), and when this is
negated (na-ma), it signifies immortality.
It is pronounced as "Namastay" with the first two a's as the
first a in "America" and the ay as in "stay", but
with the t pronounced soft with the area just behind the tip of the tongue
pressing against the upper-front teeth with no air passing (as the t in
"tamasha").
Namaste` is said with the two hands pressed together and held near the
heart with the head gently bowed as one says, "Namaste". Thus
it is both a spoken greeting and a gesture. The hands held in union signify
the oneness of an apparently dual cosmos, the bringing together of spirit
and matter, or the self meeting the Self. It has been said that the right
hand represents the higher nature or that which is divine in us, while
the left hand represents the lower, worldly nature.
Wedding customs, full of symbolic meanings, attempt to ensure that marriages
are binding, hence fruitful and happy. Namaste is one such binding symbolic
ritual. The reconciliation, interaction and union of opposites is amply
reflected in this spiritual gesture. It is hoped that the husband and
wife team too would remain united, as are the hands joined in namaste.
By physically bringing together the two hands, namaste is metaphorically
reconciling the duality inherent in nature and of which the marriage of
two humans is an earthly manifestation, a harmonious resolution of conflicting
tensions. Thus namaste, which symbolizes the secret of this unity, holds
the key to maintaining the equilibrium of life and entering the area where
health, harmony, peace and happiness are available in plenty.
Finally, the gesture of namaste is unique also in the sense that its physical
performance is accompanied by a verbal utterance of the word "namaste."
This practice is equivalent to the chanting of a mantra. The sonority
of the sacred sound 'namaste' is believed to have a quasi-magical value,
corresponding to a creative energy change. This transformation is that
of aligning oneself in harmony with the vibration of the cosmos itself.
At its most general namaste is a social transaction. It is usual for individuals
to greet when they meet each other. It is not only a sign of recognition
but also an expression of happiness at each other's sight. This initial
conviviality sets the positive tone for the further development of a harmonious
relationship. Namaste as a greeting thus is a mosaic of movements and
words constituting an intimation of affirmative thoughts and sentiments.
In human society it is an approach mechanism, brimming with social, emotional
and spiritual significance. In fact it is said that in namaste the hands
are put together like a knife so that people may cut through all differences
that may exist, and immediately get to the shared ground that is common
to all peoples of all cultures.
Meditation depends upon the relationship between the mind, body and spirit.
The performance of namaste is comprised of all these three activities.
Thus namaste is in essence equivalent to meditation, which is the language
of our spirit in conversation with god, and the perfect vehicle for bathing
us in the rivers of divine pleasure.
References and Further Reading
Cooper, J.C. An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols: London,
1999.
Nambiar, A.K. Krishna. Namaste; It's Philosophy and Significance in Indian
Culture: New Delhi, 1979.
Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Krishna The Supreme Personality
of Godhead: Mumbai, 1996.
Rao, S.K. Ramachandra. Bharatiya Pranama Paddhati (Respectful Salutations
in India): Bangalore, 1997.
Sivaramamurti, C. Nataraja in Art, Thought and Literature: New Delhi,
1994.
Sudhi, Padma. Symbols of Art, Religion and Philosophy: New Delhi, 1988.
Tresidder, Jack. The Hutchinson Dictionary of Symbols: Oxford, 1997.
Walker, Benjamin. Encyclopedia of Esoteric Man: London, 1977
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