The Significance of a Yogic Greeting

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-- In OzHindu, "sanjulag" wrote:> 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.--- End forwarded message ---

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