Pressing hands together with a smile to greetnamaste – a common cultural gesture in India
Namaste (Sanskrit pronunciation:[nɐmɐste:],[1]Devanagari: नमस्ते), sometimes callednamaskār andnamaskāram, is a customaryHindu[2][3][4] manner of respectfullygreeting and honouring a person or group, used at any time of day.[5] It is used worldwide among the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions.Namaste is usually spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. This gesture is calledañjali mudrā; the standing posture incorporating it ispranāmāsana.[6]
Namaste (Namas +te) is derived fromSanskrit and is a combination of the wordnamas and the second persondative pronoun in itsenclitic form,te.[7] The wordnamaḥ takes thesandhi formnamas before the soundte.[8][9]
It is found in the Vedic literature.Namas-krita and related terms appear in the Hindu scriptureRigveda such as in theVivaha Sukta, verse 10.85.22[10] in the sense of "worship, adore", whileNamaskara appears in the sense of "exclamatory adoration, homage, salutation and worship" in theAtharvaveda, theTaittiriya Samhita, and theAitareya Brahmana. It is an expression of veneration, worship, reverence, an "offering of homage" and "adoration" in the Vedic literature and post-Vedic texts such as theMahabharata.[11][12] The phraseNamas-te appears with this meaning inRigveda 8.75.10,[13]Atharvaveda verse 6.13.2,Taittirya Samhita 2.6.11.2 and in numerous other instances in many early Hindu texts.[14] It is also found in numerous ancient and medieval era sculpture andmandapa relief artwork inHindu temples.[15]
According to the Indologist Stephen Phillips, the terms "te andtvam" are an informal, familiar form of "you" in Sanskrit, and it is typically not used for unfamiliar adults. It is reserved for someone familiar, intimate, divine or a child.[16][17] By using the dative form oftvam in the greetingNamas-te, there is an embedded secondary, metaphorical sense in the word. This is the basis of the pragmatic meaning ofNamas-te, that is "salutations to the (divine) child (in your heart)", states Phillips.[16]
In the contemporary era,namaḥ means 'bow', 'obeisance', 'reverential salutation' or 'adoration'[18] andte means 'to you' (singulardative case of 'tvam'). Therefore,namaste literally means "bowing to you".[19] InHinduism, it also has a spiritual import reflecting the belief that "the divine and self (atman, Self) is same in you and me", and connotes "I bow to the divine in you".[20][5][21] According to sociologist Holly Oxhandler, it is a Hindu term which means "the sacred in me recognizes the sacred in you".[22]
A less common variant is used in the case of three or more people being addressed namelyNamo vaḥ which is a combination ofnamaḥ and the enclitic second person plural pronounvaḥ.[7] The wordnamaḥ takes thesandhi formnamo before the soundv.[8] An even less common variant is used in the case of two people being addressed, namely,Namo vām, which is a combination ofnamaḥ and the enclitic second persondual pronounvām.[7]
The gesture of folding hands during a namaste is called theAñjali Mudrā.[27] In addition tonamaste, thismudra is one of the postures found in Indian classical dance such asBharatanatyam,[28] and in yoga practice.[29] It is widely found in Indian temple reliefs and sculpture in mandapam, at entrances and iconography such as the Lingobhavamurti ofShaivism.[30][31] The Anjali mudra differs from namaste by being a non-verbal gesture, while namaste can be said with or without any gesture. According to Bhaumik and Govil, the Anjali mudra and Namaskara mudra are very similar but have a subtle difference. The back of the thumbs in Anjali mudra face the chest and are perpendicular to other fingers, while the thumbs in Namaskara mudra are aligned with the other fingers.[32]
Anjali mudra is described in Sanskrit texts such as in verse 9.127–128 of theNatya Shastra (200 BCE – 200 CE), in temple architecture texts dated after the sixth-century CE such as in verse 5.67 of theDevata murti prakarana and those on painting called theCitrasutras. TheNatya Shastra, a classical Indian dance text, describes it to be a posture where the two hands are folded together in a reverential state and that this is used to pray before a deity, receive any person one reveres and also to greet friends. TheNatya Shastra further states that for prayers inside a temple, the Anjali mudra should be placed near one's head or above, while meeting someone venerable it is placed in front of one's face or chin, and for friends near one's chest.[33][34]
The gesture is widely used throughout the Indian subcontinent, parts of Asia and beyond where people of South and Southeast Asian origins have migrated.[20]Namaste is used as a respectful form of greeting, acknowledging and welcoming a relative, guest or stranger.[35] In some contexts,namaste is used by one person to express gratitude for assistance offered or given, and to thank the other person for his or her generous kindness.[36]
Namaskara is one of the 16upacharas (veneration practices) used inside temples or any place of formalpuja (worship).[37]Namaste in the context of deity worship, scholars conclude,[38][39] has the same function as in greeting a guest or anyone else. It expresses politeness, courtesy, honor, and hospitality from one person to the other. It is used in goodbyes as well. This is sometimes expressed, in ancient Hindu scriptures such asTaittiriya Upanishad, asAtithi Devo Bhava (literally, treat the guest like a god).[40][41]
Namaste is one of the six forms ofpranama, and in parts of India these terms are used synonymously.[42][43]
Since namaste is a non-contact form of greeting, some world leaders adopted the gesture as an alternative to hand shaking during the2020 Coronavirus pandemic as a means to prevent the spread of the virus.[44][45]
^"उदीर्ष्वातो विश्वावसोनमसेळा महे त्वा । अन्यामिच्छ प्रफर्व्यं सं जायां पत्या सृज॥२२॥, Griffith translates it as, "Rise up from hence, Visvavasu,with reverence we worship thee. Seek thou another willing maid, and with her husband leave the bride;RV, Griffith, WikisourceArchived 2020-01-05 at theWayback Machine; other instances include RV 9.11.6 and many other Vedic texts; for a detailed list, see Maurice Bloomfield,Vedic ConcordanceArchived 2019-03-31 at theWayback Machine, Harvard University Press
^namasArchived 2018-10-06 at theWayback Machine, Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary 1899 edition], Harvard University update (2008)
^RV 8.75.10, Wikisource: नमस्ते अग्न ओजसे गृणन्ति देव कृष्टयः । Translation: "Homage to your power, Agni! The separate peoples hymn you, o god." Translators: Stephanie Jamison & Joel Brereton (2014),The Rigveda, Volume 2 of three, Oxford University Press,ISBN978-01-99363-780, p. 1172
^abYing, Y. W., Coombs, M., & Lee, P. A. (1999), "Family intergenerational relationship of Asian American adolescents",Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 5(4), pp. 350–363
^Lawrence, J. D. (2007), "The Boundaries of Faith: A Journey in India",Homily Service, 41(2), pp. 1–3
^Anami, Basavaraj S.; Bhandage, Venkatesh A. (2018-06-04). "A vertical-horizontal-intersections feature based method for identification of bharatanatyam double hand mudra images".Multimedia Tools and Applications.77 (23). Springer Science:31021–31040.doi:10.1007/s11042-018-6223-y.ISSN1380-7501.S2CID46968377.
^Stella Kramrisch (1957). "Indian Sculpture Newly Acquired".Philadelphia Museum of Art Bulletin.52 (252): 30–38 with Fig 2 and 3.doi:10.2307/3795036.JSTOR379036.
^Isabella Nardi (2003).The Theory of Indian Painting: the Citrasutras, their Uses and Interpretations. SOAS, University of London. pp. 132–134, also see Figure 67 on page 273.
^James R. BRANDON (2009).Theatre in Southeast Asia. Harvard University Press. pp. 137–139.ISBN9780674028746.
^Constance Jones and James D. Ryan,Encyclopedia of Hinduism,ISBN978-0-8160-5458-9, p. 302
^Joseph Shaules (2007), Deep Culture: The Hidden Challenges of Global Living,ISBN978-1847690166, pp. 68–70
^James Lochtefeld, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 2,ISBN0-8239-2287-1, 720 pp.
^Fuller, C. J. (2004),The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp. 66–70,ISBN978-0-691-12048-5
.jpg)
