Mar 14 2009
Namaste - Have we forgotton it?
Today my friend from the US called and while he was talking he asked me if I would like to talk to his English girlfriend Caroline. I greeted her as ‘Hello Carol’ and was taken aback when she responded with a ‘Namaste’. While talking to her she told that she visited India three years back with a girl friend and that she learned Surya Namaskar from an Indian she met during the visit.While in conversation she also told me that she likes the Indian marriages and saree and that she would like to visit again. After she kept the phone I kept thinking. Do we Indians really value our culture and rituals? Many are interested in green cards and go on aping the west when it comes to our dressing and behavior.
What exactly is a Namaskar? Namaskar or Namaste is the most popular form of greeting in India. It holds a lot of significance for the people of India and is a Symbol of the Indian Culture. Namaste is the most popular form of greeting in India where both the palms are placed together and raised to below the face and close to the heart in a general salutation for welcoming someone or bidding farewell. Namaskar can be used instead of “welcome”, “hello”, Good morning, good evening or “Bye”.It is usually accompanied by slight bowing of head.Think of a Politician or King shaking hands with everybody in the Crowd. But namaste serves the purpose. A namaskar is performed also when taking darsan of the Hindu deities or while meeting an elderly or respected person.Namaste is also used in the practice of yoga as an important Mudra. Another significant identification of namaste is with the institution of marriage where after the ceremonies have been completed the new husband and wife team perform namaste to each other.It is said that after marriage the husband and wife should perform the namaste together where the wife should stand to the right of her husband when greeting elders. A namaskar is also representation of ones devotion, love, respect and humility. Namaste is not only a sign of recognition but also an expression of happiness at each other’s sight. It also sets the positive tone for the further development of a harmonious relationship. The word ‘Namaste’, in Sanskrit, contains two words: ‘Namah’ and ‘te’. ‘te’ means ‘to you’. ‘Namah’ means ’salutations’. Put together it implies ‘my salutations to you’.
When doing the namaste gesture five fingers of the left hand which are representation of the five senses of Karma is blended exactly with the fingers of the right hand which is representation of the five organs of knowledge. The number of fingers involved in a namaste is ten which is the symbol of perfection and unity. Namaste happens to be both a formal and an informal form of greeting in India and you can say this to anyone irrespective of age. Sometimes in order to convey the deep respect for the other person the folded hands are placed in front of the forehead. In the same manner when worshiping God or greeting a holy person the folded hands are placed above the head. Nowadays it is seen that due to the increasing influence of Western culture people often shake hands or kiss on the cheek as a form of greeting.Sometimes just a ‘namaste’ is uttered without the folding of hands. Many do a Namaskar just as a formality without realizing the spiritual significance of namaskar. The next time we greet someone let’s say ‘Namaste’ instead of ‘Hello’.
