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''Namaste'' (,
Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...
: नमस्ते), sometimes called ''namaskar'' and ''namaskaram'', is a customary
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
non-contact manner of respectfully greeting and honouring a person or group, used at any time of day. It is found on the Indian subcontinent, and among the Nepalese and Indian
diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews afte ...
. ''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 called ''añjali mudrā''; the standing posture incorporating it is ''pranamasana''.


Etymology, meaning and origins

''Namaste'' (''Namas'' + ''te'') is derived from
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the la ...
and is a combination of the word ''namas'' and the second person
dative In grammar, the dative case ( abbreviated , or sometimes when it is a core argument) is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "Maria Jacobo potum dedit", Latin for "Maria gave Jacob ...
pronoun in its
enclitic In morphology and syntax, a clitic (, backformed from Greek "leaning" or "enclitic"Crystal, David. ''A First Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics''. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1980. Print.) is a morpheme that has syntactic characteristics of a w ...
form, '' te''.Thomas Burrow, ''The Sanskrit Language'', pp. 263–268 The word ''namaḥ'' takes the
sandhi Sandhi ( sa, सन्धि ' , "joining") is a cover term for a wide variety of sound changes that occur at morpheme or word boundaries. Examples include fusion of sounds across word boundaries and the alteration of one sound depending on near ...
form ''namas'' before the sound ''te''.Thomas Burrow, ''The Sanskrit Language'', pp. 100–102 It is found in the Vedic literature. ''Namas-krita'' and related terms appear in the Hindu scripture ''
Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one ...
'' such as in the ''Vivaha Sukta'', verse 10.85.22 in the sense of "worship, adore", while ''Namaskara'' appears in the sense of "exclamatory adoration, homage, salutation and worship" in the ''
Atharvaveda The Atharva Veda (, ' from ' and ''veda'', meaning "knowledge") is the "knowledge storehouse of ''atharvāṇas'', the procedures for everyday life".Laurie Patton (2004), Veda and Upanishad, in ''The Hindu World'' (Editors: Sushil Mittal and G ...
'', the ''Taittiriya Samhita'', and the ''Aitareya 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 the ''Mahabharata''. The phrase ''Namas-te'' appears with this meaning in ''Rigveda'' 8.75.10, ''Atharvaveda'' verse 6.13.2, ''Taittirya Samhita'' 2.6.11.2 and in numerous other instances in many early Hindu texts. It is also found in numerous ancient and medieval era sculpture and ''mandapa'' relief artwork in
Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...
s. According to the Indologist Stephen Phillips, the terms "''te'' and ''tvam''" 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. By using the dative form of ''tvam'' in the greeting ''Namas-te'', there is an embedded secondary, metaphorical sense in the word. This is the basis of the pragmatic meaning of ''Namas-te'', that is "salutations to the (divine) child (in your heart)", states Phillips. In the contemporary era, ''namaḥ'' means 'bow', 'obeisance', 'reverential salutation' or 'adoration' and ''te'' means 'to you' (singular
dative case In grammar, the dative case (abbreviated , or sometimes when it is a core argument) is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "Maria Jacobo potum dedit", Latin for "Maria gave Jacob ...
of 'tvam'). Therefore, ''namaste'' literally means "bowing to you". In Hinduism, 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".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. 350–363 According to sociologist Holly Oxhandler, it is a Hindu term which means "the sacred in me recognizes the sacred in you". A less common variant is used in the case of three or more people being addressed namely ''Namo vaḥ'' which is a combination of ''namaḥ'' and the enclitic second person plural pronoun ''vaḥ''. The word ''namaḥ'' takes the
sandhi Sandhi ( sa, सन्धि ' , "joining") is a cover term for a wide variety of sound changes that occur at morpheme or word boundaries. Examples include fusion of sounds across word boundaries and the alteration of one sound depending on near ...
form ''namo'' before the sound ''v''. An even less common variant is used in the case of two people being addressed, namely, ''Namo vām'', which is a combination of ''namaḥ'' and the enclitic second person dual pronoun ''vām''.


History

Excavations at various
Indus Valley Civilisation The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300  BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900 ...
have revealed some male and female terracotta figures in ''namaste'' posture. These archaeological findings are dated to the
Mature Harappan The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300  BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900 ...
.


Anjali Mudra

The gesture of folding hands during a namaste is called the ''
Añjali Mudrā Añjali Mudrā ( sa, अञ्जलि मुद्रा), is a hand gesture mainly associated with Indian religions and arts, encountered throughout Asia and beyond. It is a part of Indian classical dance postures such as Bharatanatyam, yoga p ...
''. In addition to ''namaste'', this ''mudra'' is one of the postures found in Indian classical dance such as
Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
, and in yoga practice. It is widely found in Indian temple reliefs and sculpture in mandapam, at entrances and iconography such as the Lingobhavamurti of Shaivism. 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. Anjali mudra is described in Sanskrit texts such as in verse 9.127–128 of the ''
Natya Shastra The ''Nāṭya Śāstra'' (, ''Nāṭyaśāstra'') is a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts. The text is attributed to sage Bharata Muni, and its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, but estimates var ...
'' (200 BCE – 200 CE), in temple architecture texts dated after the sixth-century CE such as in verse 5.67 of the ''Devata murti prakarana'' and those on painting called the ''Citrasutras''. The ''Natya 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. The ''Natya 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.


Uses

The gesture is widely used throughout the Indian subcontinent, parts of Asia and beyond where people of South and Southeast Asian origins have migrated. ''Namaste'' is used as a respectful form of greeting, acknowledging and welcoming a relative, guest or stranger.Constance Jones and James D. Ryan, ''Encyclopedia of Hinduism'', , p. 302 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. ''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, scholars conclude, 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 as
Taittiriya Upanishad The Taittirīya Upanishad (Devanagari: तैत्तिरीय उपनिषद्) is a Vedic era Sanskrit text, embedded as three chapters (''adhyāya'') of the Yajurveda. It is a ''mukhya'' (primary, principal) Upanishad, and likely co ...
, as Atithi Devo Bhava (literally, treat the guest like a god). ''Namaste'' is one of the six forms of pranama, and in parts of India these terms are used synonymously. Since namaste is a non-contact form of greeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested using the gesture as an alternative to
hand shaking A handshake is a globally widespread, brief greeting or parting tradition in which two people grasp one of each other's like hands, in most cases accompanied by a brief up-and-down movement of the grasped hands. Customs surrounding handshakes ...
during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic as a means to prevent the spread of the virus.


Gallery

File:Namaste to the rising sun, Hindu culture religion rites rituals sights.jpg, A side view of a Hindu man in namaste pose File:1500-1200 BCE, Vivaha sukta, Rigveda 10.85.16-27, Sanskrit, Devanagari, manuscript page.jpg, The ninth line from the top, last word in the ''Rigveda'' manuscript above is ''namas'' in the sense of "reverential worship" File:Thai wai.jpg, Statue with namaste pose (wai) in a Thai temple File:1 namaste greeting statue in Bali Indonesia.jpg, Namaste statue in Bali, Indonesia File:Yakshi on elephant.Bharhut.Bharat Kala Bhavan.jpg, Namaste (yakshi salabhanjika), 100 BCE, Satna, Madhya Pradesh


See also

*
Culture of India Indian culture is the heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems, artifacts and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse India. The term al ...
*
Pranāma ''Pranāma'' (Sanskrit: प्रणाम, praṇāma, "obeisance, prostration or bowing forward") is a form of respectful or reverential salutation (or reverential bowing) before something or another person – usually one's elders, spouse or t ...
* Sat Sri Akal * Gassho *
Sampeah ''Sampeah'' ( km, សំពះ, ) is a Cambodian greeting or a way of showing respect. It is very similar to the Thai ''wai''. Both Sampeah and Thai ''wai'' are based on the Indian ''Añjali Mudrā'' used in '' namasté''. ''Pranāma'' or ...
*
Sembah ''Sembah'' ( jv, ꦱꦼꦩ꧀ꦧꦃ, su, ᮞᮨᮙᮘᮃᮠ, ban, ᬲᬾᬫ᭄ᬩᬄ) is an Indonesian greeting and gesture as a way of demonstrating respect and reverence. While performing the sembah, the person clasped their palms together ...
* Wai


References


External links


The Meaning of Namaste
''Yoga Journal''

''Saying goodbye in different languages- Namaste''
Modes of Greetings in Kashmiri
Indian Institute of Language Studies

CSU Chico {{Authority control Bowing Cultural conventions Greetings Gestures of respect Greeting words and phrases Greeting words and phrases of India Greeting words and phrases of Nepal Hand gestures Human communication Indian traditions Mudras Phrases Parting phrases Salutes Traditions Nepali words and phrases