Namaste
Namaste ([nmste] (
listen), NAH-ms-tay) is a customary greeting when people meet or depart.[1][2] It is commonly found among people of the Indian Subcontinent, in some Southeast Asian countries, and diaspora from these regions.[3][4]Namaste is spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. This gesture is called Añjali Mudr or Pranamasana.[5] In Hinduism it means "I bow to the divine in you".[3][6]
Namaste, sometimes spoken as Namaskar or Namaskaram, is used as a respectful form of greeting, acknowledging and welcoming a relative, guest or stranger. It is used with goodbyes as well. It is typically spoken and simultaneously performed with the palms touching gesture, but it may also be spoken without acting it out or performed wordlessly; all three carry the same meaning. This cultural practice of salutation and valediction originated in the Indian Subcontinent.[7]
Etymology, meaning and origins
Namaste (Namas + te, Devanagari: + = ) is derived from Sanskrit and is a combination of the word nama and the enclitic 2nd person singular pronoun te.[8] The word nama takes the Sandhi form namas before the sound t.[9][10]
Nama means 'bow', 'obeisance', 'reverential salutation' or 'adoration'[11] and te means 'to you' (dative case). Therefore, Namaste literally means "bowing to you".[12]
A less common variant is used in the case of three or more people being addressed namely Namo va which is a combination of nama and the enclitic 2nd person plural pronoun va.[8] The word nama takes the Sandhi form namo before the sound v.[9]
An even less common variant is used in the case of two people being addressed namely Namo vm which is a combination of nama and the enclitic 2nd person dual pronoun vm.[8]
Excavations for Indus civilization have revealed many male and female terracotta figures in Namaste posture.[13][14] These archeological findings are dated to be between 3000 BC to 2000 BC.[15][16]
Uses
The gesture is widely used throughout India, Nepal, parts of Asia and beyond where people of South Asian origins have migrated.[3] Namaste or namaskar is used as a respectful form of greeting, acknowledging and welcoming a relative, guest or stranger. It is used with good byes as well.[2] 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.[17]
Namaskar is also part of the 16 upacharas used inside temples or any place of formal Puja (worship). Namaste in the context of deity worship, conclude scholars,[18][19] 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. This is sometimes expressed, in ancient Hindu scriptures such as Taittiriya Upanishad, as Atithi Devo Bhav (literally, the guest is god).[20][21]
Namaste is one of the six forms of pranama, and in parts of India these terms are used synonymously.[22][23]
Regional variations
In the Hindi and Nepalese speaking populations of South Asia, both Namaste (/nmste/, ; Devanagari: ) and Namaskar are synonymously used. In Nepal, people generally use Namaskar for greeting and respecting their elders. In Telugu, Namaste is also known as Dhandamu (singular) and Dhandaalu (plural). In Bengali, the Namaste gesture is expressed as Nmshkar (), and said as Prnäm (Bengali: ) informally.
In Tamil, Namaste is known as Kumpiu (),[24] which is composed of two words kumpu () meaning 'to cup hands' and iu meaning 'to do'.[25]
See also
- Culture of India
- Hinduism
- India
- Namaskar
- Pranma
- Sampeah
- Sembah
- Mahalo
- Wai
References
- ^ Sanskrit English Disctionary University of Koeln, Germany
- ^ a b Constance Jones and James D. Ryan, Encyclopedia of Hinduism, ISBN 978-0-8160-5458-9, p. 302
- ^ a b c Ying, Y. W., Coombs, M., & Lee, P. A. (1999), Family intergenerational relationship of Asian American adolescents, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 5(4), pp. 350363
- ^ Bhatia, S., & Ram, A. (2009). Theorizing identity in transnational and diaspora cultures: A critical approach to acculturation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 33(2), pp. 140149
- ^ Chatterjee, Gautam (2001), Sacred Hindu Symbols, Google books, pp. 4748.
- ^ Lawrence, J. D. (2007), The Boundaries of Faith: A Journey in India, Homily Service, 41(2), pp. 13
- ^ D. Ikeda, D. & V.P. Nanda (2004), The Spirit of India: Buddhism and Hinduism (2), Journal of Oriental Studies, 14, pp. 347
- ^ a b c Thomas Burrow The Sanskrit Language, pp. 263268
- ^ a b Thomas Burrow, The Sanskrit Language, pp. 100102
- ^ Namah Sanskrit Dictionary
- ^ "Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon", Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries (search results), University of Cologne, retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ Namaste Douglas Harper, Etymology Dictionary
- ^ Sharma & Sharma (2004), Panorama of Harappan Civilization, ISBN 978-8174790576, Kaveri Books, page 129
- ^ Origins of Hinduism Hinduism Today, Volume 7, Issue 2 (April/May/June), Chapter 1, p. 3
- ^ Seated Male in Namaskar pose National Museum, New Delhi, India (2012)
- ^ S Kalyanaraman, Indus Script Cipher: Hieroglyphs of Indian Linguistic Area, ISBN 978-0982897102, pp. 234236
- ^ Joseph Shaules (2007), Deep Culture: The Hidden Challenges of Global Living, ISBN 978-1847690166, pp. 6870
- ^ James Lochtefeld, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 2, ISBN 0-8239-2287-1, pages 720
- ^ Fuller, C. J. (2004), The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp. 6670, ISBN 978-0-691-12048-5
- ^ Kelkar (2010), A Vedic approach to measurement of service quality, Services Marketing Quarterly, 31(4), 420-433
- ^ Roberto De Nobili, Preaching Wisdom to the Wise: Three Treatises, ISBN 978-1880810378, page 132
- ^ R.R. Mehrotra (1995), How to be polite in Indian English, International Journal of the Sociology of Language. Volume 116, Issue 1, Pages 99110
- ^ G. Chatterjee (2003), Sacred Hindu Symbols, ISBN 978-8170173977, pp. 4749
- ^ Korean studies 8. University Press of Hawaii. 1984. p. 44.
- ^ Civattampi, Krttikcu (1995). Sri Lankan Tamil society and politics. New Century. p. 25.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Namaste. |
- The meaning of Namaste Yoga Journal
- Koul, Omkar N (2003-08-10). "Modes of Greetings in Kashmiri" (PDF). Indian Institute of Language Studies.
- Greenwood, Chad (Fall 1997), "Ancient Indus Valley Seal print showing Namaste/anjali mudra", Economics of the Indus valley civilisation, CSU Chico.
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- Gestures
- Greetings
- Hand gestures
- Salutes
- Greeting words and phrases of India
- Greeting words and phrases of Nepal
- Mudras
- Gestures of respect
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