oh, and Namah Shivaya means "Salutations to Shiva, who resides within all as
our True nature"...which amounts to the same thing as Namaste and
Namaskaram...
In Amma,
~sucetas mon~
om lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu
i found this on the web, signed by someone named Dafydd, and thought it was
accurate and well written...hope this clears things up a bit:
Namaste is an ancient Sanskrit word meaning:
"I honor the place in you in which the entire universe dwells. I honor the
place in you, which is of light and peace. When you are in that place in you
and I am in that place in me, we are one."
A very decent description for a beautiful and graceful acknowledgement. I
was first introduced to namaskaram through my brother, who has lived in
Nepal for many years and speaks and writes Sanskrit fluently (he's a
Trantric Buddhist). A Namaste is incomplete without the accompanying gesture
of bowing the head and shoulders slightly. A deeper veneration is expressed
by bringing the fingers of the clasped hands to the forhead, touching the
brow between the eyes. A third form is reserved for the holiest of Sat Gurus
and God. In this form the palms are completely above the head, focusing
consciousness in the space just above the Barhma-randhara. The spoken act in
Namaste is a mantr, the gesture a mundr. The hand position in prayer is
called "Anjali" - to adorn or honor.
The term itself comes from the Sanskrit "Namas", meaning "bow, obeisance,
reverential salutation". The root, "Nam", signifies bending, bowing, humbly
submitting and becoming silent. "Te" means "to you". The act of Namaste is
called Namaskaram, Nanaskar, or Namaskara, depending on the area language.
Basically, to namaskaram is saying silently: "I see the Deity in both of us,
and bow before Him or Her. I acknowledge the holiness of even this mundane
meeting. I cannot separate that which is spiritual in us from that which is
human and ordinary".
In Amma,
~sucetas mon~
om lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu
Tournesol reacted in what's in a greeting?