To: K-list
Recieved: 2001/12/04 05:46
Subject: [K-list] Namaste: The Significance of a Yogic Greeting
From: Sanjulag
On 2001/12/04 05:46, Sanjulag posted thus to the K-list:
Namaste,
This piece was put together by me.
=============================================
Namaste: The Significance of a Yogic Greeting
=============================================
In a well-known episode it so transpired that the great lover god
Krishna made away with the clothes of unmarried maidens, fourteen
to seventeen years of age, bathing in the river Yamuna. Their
fervent entreaties to him proved of no avail. It was only after
they performed before him the eternal gesture of namaste was he
satisfied, and agreed to hand back their garments so that they
could recover their modesty.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/ha91.jpg (Size
87 kb)
The gesture (or mudra) of namaste is a simple act made 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.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zj23.jpg (Size
53 kb)
Namaste is a composite of the two Sanskrit words, nama, and te.
Te means you, and nama has the following connotations:
1). To bend
2). To bow
3). To sink
4). To incline
5). 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. Also important here is to note that the root 'nama'
is a neuter one, the significance of which will be elaborated
upon later.
The word nama is split into two, na and ma. Na signifies negation
and ma represents mine. The meaning would then be 'not mine'. The
import being that the individual soul belongs entirely to the
Supreme soul, which is identified as residing in the individual
towards whom the namaste is directed. Indeed there is nothing
that the soul can claim as its own. Namaste is thus the
necessary rejection of 'I' and the associated phenomena of
egotism. It is said that 'ma' in nama means death (spiritual),
and when this is negated (na-ma), it signifies immortality.
The whole action of namaste unfolds itself at three levels:
mental, physical, and verbal.
It starts with a mental submission. This submission is in the
spirit of total surrender of the self. This is parallel to the
devotion one expresses before a chosen deity, also known as
bhakti. The devotee who thus venerates with complete
self-surrender is believed to partake the merits or qualities of
the person or deity before whom he performs this submission.
There is a prescription in the ancient texts known as Agamas that
the worshipper of a deity must first become divine himself, for
otherwise worship as a transaction would become invalid. A
transaction can only be between equals, between individuals who
share some details in common. Hence 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. Simply put, namaste intimates the following:
'The God in me greets the God in you
The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you'
In other words, it recognizes the equality of all, and pays honor
to the sacredness of all.
Translated into a bodily act, namaste is deeply rich in
symbolism. Firstly 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.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zj19.jpg (Size
60 kb)
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 also
regarded ten as the perfectly balanced number.
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.
Marriage is a semi-divine state of wholeness - a union between
the opposite principles of male and female necessary to create and
protect new life. The idea of human divine association was often
expressed in terms of marriage, as in the description of nuns as
"brides of Christ". 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. Wedding
customs, full of symbolic meanings, attempt to ensure that
marriages are binding, hence fruitful and happy. Namaste is one
such binding symbolic ritual. The reconciliation, interaction and
union of opposites is amply reflected in this spiritual gesture.
It is hoped that the husband and wife team too would remain
united, as are the hands joined in namaste. By physically
bringing together the two hands, namaste is metaphorically
reconciling the duality inherent in nature and of which the
marriage of two humans is an earthly manifestation, a harmonious
resolution of conflicting tensions. Thus namaste, which
symbolizes the secret of this unity, holds the key to maintaining
the equilibrium of life and entering the area where health,
harmony, peace and happiness are available in plenty.
In this context, namaste is equated with the image of
Ardhanarishvara, the hermaphrodite form symbolizing the marriage
of Shiva and Parvati, or the coming together of the parents of
the universe, for the purpose of creation. In this form Shiva has
his beloved spouse engrafted in his body. It is conjectured that
by wresting from her husband one half of his body as her own, and
herself commingling in his physical frame, Parvati has obtained
an ideal, archetypal union with her husband. Indeed which couple
could be more devoted than the one which finds completion only by
merging into each other? By merging her creative aspect with him,
Parvati balances Shiva's destructive urge. Similarly when
Ardhanarishvara dances, the dance step is itself believed to be a
combination of two principal and antagonistic styles of dance.
'Tandava', the fierce, violent dance, fired by an explosive,
sweeping energy, is a delirious outburst, precipitating havoc. On
the other hand is 'lasya', the gentle, lyrical dance, full of
sweetness, and representing the emotions of tenderness and love.
It is in the lasya of the goddess that death is annihilated and
turned into transformation and rejuvenation, rebirth and
creation. The image of Ardhanarishvara is thus the perfect master
of the two contrary elements in the manifested universe. Such an
ideal, perfect marriage is the message of namaste. Thus is
'nama', the root of namaste, of neuter gender, as is
Ardhanarishvara, the androgyne.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zc10.jpg (Size
60 kb)
Namaste recognizes the duality that has ever existed in this
world and suggests an effort on our part to bring these two
forces together, ultimately leading to a higher unity and
non-dual state of Oneness. Some of these dual elements which the
gesture of namaste marries together and unifies as one are:
God and Goddess
Priest and Priestess
King and Queen
Man and Woman.
Heaven and Earth
Sun and Moon
Solar bull and Lunar cow
Sulfur and Quicksilver (Alchemy)
Theory and Practice
Wisdom and Method
Pleasure and Pain
Astral body (consciousness) and Etheric body (sensation)
Mind and body
Pneuma (spirit) and Psyche (mind)
Hun (spiritual soul) and p'o (material soul) (Chinese)
Conscious and Unconscious
Animus (unconscious male element in woman) and Anima (unconscious
female element in man) (Jung)
Objectivity and Subjectivity
Extraversion and Introversion
Intellect and Instinct
Reason and Emotion
Thought and Feeling
Inference and Intuition
Argument and Experience
Talent and Genius
Silence and Cacophony
Word and Meaning
Schizophrenia and Epilepsy
Depression and Mania
Sexuality and Anxiety
Katabolism (breaking up) and Anabolism (building up)
Ontogeny (individual evolution) and Phylogeny (race evolution)
Right side of body (warm) and Left side (cool)
Front side of body (positive) and Rear side of body (negative)
Brain and Heart
Sahasara Chakra and Kundalini
Insulin and Adrenalin
Pingala (yellow solar channel in body) and Ida (white lunar
channel)
Hot breath and Cold breath (Yoga)
Exhalation and Inhalation (Yoga)
Linga and Yoni
Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zj13.jpg (Size
55 kb)
There is indeed no sphere of our existence untouched by the
symbolic significance of namaste.
Finally, the gesture of namaste is unique also in the sense that
its physical performance is accompanied by a verbal utterance of
the word "namaste." This practice is equivalent to the chanting
of a mantra. The sonority of the sacred sound 'namaste' is
believed to have a quasi-magical value, corresponding to a
creative energy change. This transformation is that of aligning
oneself in harmony with the vibration of the cosmos itself.
At its most general namaste is a social transaction. It is usual
for individuals to greet when they meet each other. It is not
only a sign of recognition but also an expression of happiness at
each other's sight. This initial conviviality sets the positive
tone for the further development of a harmonious relationship.
Namaste as a greeting thus is a mosaic of movements and words
constituting an intimation of affirmative thoughts and
sentiments. In human society it is an approach mechanism,
brimming with social, emotional and spiritual significance. In
fact it is said that in namaste the hands are put together like a
knife so that people may cut through all differences that may
exist, and immediately get to the shared ground that is common to
all peoples of all cultures.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zj18.jpg (Size
48 kb)
In this context, a comparison with the widely prevalent
'handshake' is inevitable. Though shaking hands is an extremely
intimate gesture, namaste scores over it in some ways. Primarily
is the one that namaste is a great equalizer. You do namaste with
God (and not shake hands!). A king or president cannot shake
hands with the large multitude they are addressing. But namaste
serves the purpose. It is the same gesture one would have
exchanged with a king when with him alone. So no incongruity
arises. In the absence of namaste, those facing a large audience
will have to make do with a wave of the hands, a much less
congenial greeting, and indeed which does not state the essential
equality of all people, but highlights the difference even more.
But on a parallel level it has been conjectured that both the
namaste and the handshake developed out of a desire on the part
of both the parties to show themselves to be unarmed and devoid
of malicious intention. The outstretched hand, and the palms
joined together, both establish the proponents as disarmed and
show that they come in peace.
Conclusion:
As much as yoga is an exercise to bring all levels of our
existence, including the physical and intellectual, in complete
harmony with the rhythms of nature, the gesture of namaste is an
yoga in itself. Thus it is not surprising that any yogic activity
begins with the performance of this deeply spiritual gesture. The
Buddhists went further and gave it the status of a mudra, that
is, a gesture displayed by deities, where it was known as the
Anjali mudra. The word Anjali itself is derived from the root
Anj, meaning "to adorn, honor, celebrate or anoint."
Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zn11.jpg (Size
125 kb)
According to Indologist Renov "Meditation depends upon the
relationship between the hands (mudras), the mouth (mantras) and
the mind (yoga)". The performance of namaste is comprised of all
these three activities. Thus namaste is in essence equivalent to
meditation, which is the language of our spirit in conversation
with god, and the perfect vehicle for bathing us in
the rivers of divine pleasure.
----------
References and Further Reading:
Cooper, J.C. An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols:
London, 1999.
Nambiar, A.K. Krishna. Namaste; It's Philosophy and Significance
in Indian Culture: New Delhi, 1979.
Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Krishna The Supreme
Personality of Godhead: Mumbai, 1996.
Rao, S.K. Ramachandra. Bharatiya Pranama Paddhati (Respectful
Salutations in India): Bangalore, 1997.
Sivaramamurti, C. Nataraja in Art, Thought and Literature: New
Delhi, 1994.
Sudhi, Padma. Symbols of Art, Religion and Philosophy: New Delhi,
1988.
Tresidder, Jack. The Hutchinson Dictionary of Symbols: Oxford,
1997.
Walker, Benjamin. Encyclopedia of Esoteric Man: London, 1977.
----------
This article was sent as a newsletter from the website
http://www.exoticindia.com
Nitin G.
http://www.kundalini-gateway.org
DISCLAIMER!
Home | Archive Index | Search the archives | Subscribe
K. List FAQ | Kundalini FAQs | Signs and Symptoms | Awakening Experiences | K. list Polls | Member Essays | Meditations | List Topics | Art Gallery | Cybrary | Sitemap | Email the moderators.
symbol.