Namaste or Namaskar 's inner spritual meaning;---
Dr.D.R.Nakipuria,Senior Physician Cum Gastro specialist
Dr.Ranju Nakipuria,Senior Gynaecologist,1420 MAHAGUN MILANO
07838059592,07503303359,01202845505
Just to recapitulate, why do Indians greet each other with Namaste?namaskar/Pranam?Salam Walekam ?
In every form we express our gratitude and respect ttowards some one who may be our parents,senior elders in family like grand parents,uncle auntyetc or our teachers,our friends,guests,other personlities or new person whom we are meeting suddenly .
this is unique indian culture which has ben adapted by every country of the world,even in many family still we touch feet of our elders and parents on the eve of any good occasion infamily like marriage,New born child ceremony or any festival like Navratra,Dipawali,Holi and hug our fellow brother and sisters on eve of Id,X-Mas day etc.
Here,we shall dicuss two good forms of regarding our gesture towards our respected one ,NAMASTE and NAMASKAR only.
The two palms are placed together in front of the chest and the head is bowed whilst speaking aloud the word Namaste. So the steps involve two hands, folded and placed in front of chest, head bowed.
But, there is much more to it than meets the eye.
a. Literal meaning: In Sanskrit, namah + te = Namaste. It means – I bow to you – my greetings, salutations or prostration to you. Here 'you' is not the body but the consciousness. You have the same consciousness as that of mine. In Vedic terminology, 'I" represents ego, 'HE' represents consciousness, 'You" represents that it's the same consciousness in you and me.
b. Mythological meaning: Namaha is also interpreted as "na ma" (not mine). It has a spiritual significance of negating or reducing one's ego in the presence of another. This interpretation has nothing to do with the Sanskrit translation.
c. Spiritual meaning: The real meeting between people is the meeting of their minds. When we greet another, we do so with Namaste, which means, "may our minds meet," indicated by the folded palms placed before the chest.
d. Namaste also has to be read with the word Namaskar: NAMASKAR (NAMAH + OM + KAR). Namah means we bow to you,OM signifies consciousness and KAR means shape or form. OMKAR therefore signifies manifestation of OM, the UNIVERSE or the cosmos. In Namaskar there is no mention of "te" as in Namaste. Namaskar signifies I bow to the consciousness present in you, which has the same interpretation as the mythological meaning of the wordNamaste.
With Namaste we also bow down and often close our eyes. The bowing down of the head is a gracious form of extending friendship in love and humility.
The spiritual meaning is even deeper. The life force, the divinity, the Self or the consciousness in me is the same in all. Recognizing this oneness with the meeting of the palms, we salute with head bowed, the Divinity or the consciousness in the person we meet.
That is why sometimes, we close our eyes as we do Namaste to a revered person or the Lord – as if to look within. The gesture is often accompanied by words like "Ram Ram", "Jai Shri Krishna", "Namo Narayana", "Jai Siya Ram", "Om Shanti" ," Khud Hafiz","Good Morning","Good Night "etc. indicating the recognition of this divinity.
When we know this significance, our greeting does not remain just a superficial gesture or word but paves the way for a deeper communion with another in an atmosphere of love and respect.
When you bow to say Namaskar and if you try to get angry at this time, you cannot. The body posture does not allow you to do so. For an angry posture you must have expansion of the chest wall and not the flexion of the chest wall.
drn
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