yajvan
14 October 2007, 01:51 PM
Hari Om
~~~~~
Namaste नमस्ते ,
I thought to offer this for those new to Sanatana dharma, and
the greeting namaste (pronounced "Nam-a-stay") insights.
What does it mean? If you have interest, take a look below. It will be done in two posts, as other friends have contributed to this overall post theres about 18 points for ones conisderation. So, for ease of reading this is post 1 of 2.
Nama at first glance and to the casual user means means to bow, and also means name. The root 'naam' 'to honor', so we give pranams 'in honor' of that Supreme in others.
Now , lets add mahah - we get 'great' . Why add this? Many Mantram's end in Namaha. Let see the relevence of this. This Mahah is from rishi Mahachamasya (found in the Taittiriya upanishad). He speaks of this vyahriti or sacred utterance, as Brahman. He also instructs that bhu, buhvah, and suvah ( typically associated with the Gayatri) are contained in Mahah.
When we couple these (also called samhita) Nama + Mahah we get namaha. This then suggest we bow, and honor Mahah, Brahm with the utterance of Namaha. This becomes a profound and potent vyahriti that is added to mantra's, usually at the end and is found in japa, yajya, and puja.So, from other friends that have discussed and written of this, here's a few more points of view:
Namaste is used as a greeting or upon parting. 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 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.
'The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you' or 'I honor the Atma in you as in me.' Translated into a bodily act, yogic practice, greeting and farewell, Namaste has its complex meaning and symbolism.1. In general the gesture (or mudra) of Namaste is performed by bringing together both palms of the hands before the heart, and lightly bowing the head. In the simplest of terms, it is accepted as a humble greeting straight from the heart and reciprocated accordingly. (The following points are more proper explanation of Namaste from different angles).
2. The whole action of Namaste unfolds itself at three levels: mental, physical, and verbal.
3. Namaste starts with a mental submission. This submission is in the spirit of total surrender of the self. By performing namaste before an individual, we recognize the divine spark in him. Further, by facilitating our partaking of these divine qualities, namaste makes us aware of these very characteristics residing within our own selves.
4. We place the hands together at the heart charka, close the eyes, and bow the head. It can also be done by placing the hands together in front of the third eye, bowing the head, and then bringing the hands down to the heart. This is an especially deep form of respect.
5. We bring the hands together at the heart chakra to increase the flow of Divine love. Bowing the head and closing the eyes helps the mind surrender to the Divine in the heart. One can do Namaste to oneself as a meditation technique to go deeper inside the heart chakra; when done with someone else, it is also a beautiful, albeit quick, meditation.
6. The proper performance of Namaste requires that we blend the five fingers of the left hand exactly with the fingers of the right hand. The significance behind this simple act in fact governs the entire gamut of our active life. The five fingers of the left hand represent the five senses of karma and those of the right hand the five organs of knowledge. Hence, it signifies that our karma or action must be in harmony, and governed by rightful knowledge, prompting us to think and act correctly.
7. By combining the five fingers of each hand, a total of ten is achieved. The number ten is a symbol of perfection, and the mystical number of completion and unity. It is true for all ancient traditions. Ten is the number of the Commandments revealed to Moses by God. In the Pythagorean system, ten was a symbol of the whole of creation. Ancient Chinese thought too thought of ten as the perfectly balanced number.
8. Another significant identification of Namaste is with the institution of marriage, which represents a new beginning, and the conjoining of the male and female elements in nature. Thus in the exhaustive marriage rituals of India, after the elaborate ceremonies have been completed, the new husband and wife team perform Namaste to each other.
pranams,
~~~~~
Namaste नमस्ते ,
I thought to offer this for those new to Sanatana dharma, and
the greeting namaste (pronounced "Nam-a-stay") insights.
What does it mean? If you have interest, take a look below. It will be done in two posts, as other friends have contributed to this overall post theres about 18 points for ones conisderation. So, for ease of reading this is post 1 of 2.
Nama at first glance and to the casual user means means to bow, and also means name. The root 'naam' 'to honor', so we give pranams 'in honor' of that Supreme in others.
Now , lets add mahah - we get 'great' . Why add this? Many Mantram's end in Namaha. Let see the relevence of this. This Mahah is from rishi Mahachamasya (found in the Taittiriya upanishad). He speaks of this vyahriti or sacred utterance, as Brahman. He also instructs that bhu, buhvah, and suvah ( typically associated with the Gayatri) are contained in Mahah.
When we couple these (also called samhita) Nama + Mahah we get namaha. This then suggest we bow, and honor Mahah, Brahm with the utterance of Namaha. This becomes a profound and potent vyahriti that is added to mantra's, usually at the end and is found in japa, yajya, and puja.So, from other friends that have discussed and written of this, here's a few more points of view:
Namaste is used as a greeting or upon parting. 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 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.
'The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you' or 'I honor the Atma in you as in me.' Translated into a bodily act, yogic practice, greeting and farewell, Namaste has its complex meaning and symbolism.1. In general the gesture (or mudra) of Namaste is performed by bringing together both palms of the hands before the heart, and lightly bowing the head. In the simplest of terms, it is accepted as a humble greeting straight from the heart and reciprocated accordingly. (The following points are more proper explanation of Namaste from different angles).
2. The whole action of Namaste unfolds itself at three levels: mental, physical, and verbal.
3. Namaste starts with a mental submission. This submission is in the spirit of total surrender of the self. By performing namaste before an individual, we recognize the divine spark in him. Further, by facilitating our partaking of these divine qualities, namaste makes us aware of these very characteristics residing within our own selves.
4. We place the hands together at the heart charka, close the eyes, and bow the head. It can also be done by placing the hands together in front of the third eye, bowing the head, and then bringing the hands down to the heart. This is an especially deep form of respect.
5. We bring the hands together at the heart chakra to increase the flow of Divine love. Bowing the head and closing the eyes helps the mind surrender to the Divine in the heart. One can do Namaste to oneself as a meditation technique to go deeper inside the heart chakra; when done with someone else, it is also a beautiful, albeit quick, meditation.
6. The proper performance of Namaste requires that we blend the five fingers of the left hand exactly with the fingers of the right hand. The significance behind this simple act in fact governs the entire gamut of our active life. The five fingers of the left hand represent the five senses of karma and those of the right hand the five organs of knowledge. Hence, it signifies that our karma or action must be in harmony, and governed by rightful knowledge, prompting us to think and act correctly.
7. By combining the five fingers of each hand, a total of ten is achieved. The number ten is a symbol of perfection, and the mystical number of completion and unity. It is true for all ancient traditions. Ten is the number of the Commandments revealed to Moses by God. In the Pythagorean system, ten was a symbol of the whole of creation. Ancient Chinese thought too thought of ten as the perfectly balanced number.
8. Another significant identification of Namaste is with the institution of marriage, which represents a new beginning, and the conjoining of the male and female elements in nature. Thus in the exhaustive marriage rituals of India, after the elaborate ceremonies have been completed, the new husband and wife team perform Namaste to each other.
pranams,