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.

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Very interesting article I ask everyone to read.

I never knew why Hindus brought their palms together close to their chest when they greet someone, hence Namaste, and I never knew why they bowed a little.

Through this article I also realized why Hindus are usually so humble.

The article suggests that nama means these words in english:

To bend
To bow
To sink
To incline
To stoop

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Then it suggests that this is a form of submission to another.

This greeting takes in to consideration the Hindu belief that all souls belong to the Supreme soul.

'The God in me greets the God in you
The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you'

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Very interesting quote.

Understand more about Hinduism can help us understand more their culture and their gestures.

I myself currently also have this belief that all consciousness comes from one, therefore we all part of that one consciousness, but just like a computer hard drive, we have been partitioned through human body.

That is why we are all equal, ofcourse my idea is up for debate, and only discussion and debate can help me get closer to the truth, so please read the article, and think about my idea, then press reply, see where your mind takes you.

Thoughts.

oz

Thank you very much. I felt a sense of calm as I read the article. Then I tried it. It made me feel good. Nobody around, just me and the cat. Next time I greet some one. I'll greet them using Namaste. Peace.

reply to post by oozyism


The penitent man,,,,or woman,,,,,remember Indiana Jones 3?

The penitent man humbles himself/herself before God. God being the Unknown/Unknowable for some.

All the same ,it is a gesture of respect to that great expanse of Existence that we as people cannot fully

comprehend. If we are lucky, we live long enough to understand at least a sliver cross section of the whole.

When this state of mind and understanding is reached, it is truly humbling.

This enables the idea of Penitence, or to some, to be "Born Again," to ask "Why", or to achieve "Now I Get It."

Cheers,,,

Great post, glad that someone brought this lovely word up.

Great post, glad that someone brought this lovely word up.

I think what they are referring to here is krishna consciousness. It is one the methods which is used to connect to the supreme. This method depends on you being submissive to god and accepting that god is the universe and we are merely playing out this life to redeem our past sins. There are also other methods such as yoga and meditation.

I would advise you read bhagwad gita. It is a really good book.

Namasté can also be used when saying farewell, for the same reasons as mentioned above.

N A M A S T É

Originally posted by bibly
Great post, glad that someone brought this lovely word up.

I like it, except the last line "we are one", I never got that because I keep getting the vision of 2 individuals (or "divine spark" or the entirety of my being?) merging to become one, which is ofcourse absolutely not the idea, quite the opposite. If it would have been "we're on the same frequency" or "we're on the same road/path" or even "we are equal (because we both live in that divine space which we respect and honor) it would be much more understandable.

Otherwise it just feels like something kinky.

The other reason the hands are brought together is because you are uniting the male/female,sun/moon currents in the body and allowing them to flow as one. I have always loved Namaste. The Divinity in me recognizes the Divinity in you.. Every Man and Woman a Star.

Thank you for this post. I enjoyed it a lot. When there is reference to oneness I have to remember that for someone without a meditative background its hard to understeand.
How can Yogis know there is one Supersoul who is the real source of all other Souls?
Well a lot of Yogis do asketic practices for achieving a trance state where they truly can differentiate between.
Atma ( Soul ) Brahman (The Godhead in everything) Atmarama ( the happyness of the Soul) Paramatma ( The godhead inside of you) and for advanced Yogis: Brahmayoti or Vishnu forms meditations.

Some say this trance state wich this people achieve is just some sort of drug produced by the body itself...
Well that Yogi has no way to prove his claims or prove that it is not a drug, but this teachings are also not allowed to be shown to persons without an spiritual aproach to this topic. So the ridicule people undergo by talking about their meditative experiences is the price they have to pay for being outside of Maya (ilusion).

So thank you again and Namaste for you.