The Namaste Ways !!

A Story by Esha

The Namaste Ways!

The very first words, which you would hear after stepping in India, are ‘Namaste’ or ‘Namaskar’. The word namaste is a Sanskrit word which means ‘I bow to you’. Taking a deeper insight into the meaning, it can be broken as ‘namas’ which means ‘to bow’ and ‘te’ which means ‘to you’. In other words if we reframe the meaning it means ‘I bow to you with due respect’.

It is both informal and formal way of gesturing. It is said by joining both the palms together and slightly bowing. The best thing about ‘namaste’ is it can used to gesture anyone. If we say it to someone elder than us then it means we are showing our respect and gratitude towards him. If said to someone younger or of our own age then it is a plain and simple way of gesturing.

The symbolism of joining palms together is of great significance. As stated before, when stated to a person commonly accompanied before it is done by joining both the palms; this posture is known as the ‘Anjali Mudra’ and it conveys the same meaning even if words are not spoken. Yogic posture gives the variation just that the palms are not kept in front of the chest but are kept overhead, showing our respect to almighty. It particularly shows the various aspects of the Hindu culture like vegetarianism, yoga, ayurvedic healing, etc.

‘Namaste’ not only symbolizes the Hindu aspects but also tells that joining of palms is not just a mere action but it is the joining of two extremities i.e. the feet of the divine with the head of the devotee. It is the necessary rejection of ‘I’ and the associated phenomenon of egotism i.e. keeping oneself at the center of universe and forgetting the rest of the people; as there exists nothing in the world that soul can claim as its own. It also signifies the immortality " the mosaic of movements and words constituting affirmative thoughts and movements. The different vibes positively generated by the action purify the surroundings.

It is believed that this gesture cuts out all the differences between people and asks them to share a common ground, but somewhere this ‘namaste’ is getting lost in the ever increasing western culture in the country. It used to be a daily protocol for people but it has now been replaced by the western words like ‘hi’, ‘hello’, ‘shaking of hands’, etc. People of our country have forgotten their own culture amidst these cobwebs of the ever-expanding western civilization. ‘Good Morning’ has become the new trend instead of ‘namaste’ in schools, colleges and various other work places. People are now trying to imitate western culture who themselves have diverted themselves from there and are trying to learn the importance of Indian social values and culture. You all must be wondering why this weird topic is being printed and who has written it, to tell you even I am the lost writer who not too late but has understood the meaning of Indian culture and social values but even I am lost like the word namaste.

Namaste to all!

(The divine in me highly respects the divine in you)