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What does namaste mean?

December 24, 2008 by Andrew 1 Comment

Ravelry Namaste Knitters DC meetup!

Image by LollyKnit via Flickr

The word Namaste is Sanskrit. It is used as a greeting in India and Nepal by Buddhists, Jains and Hindus.

In yoga Namaste is said with the intent of saying; “I am your humble servant” although the literally translation is “I bow to you”.

Namaste is often accompanied with a shallow bow that’s made with hands press ed together at the front of the chest.

Spiritual and symbolitic meanings of Namaste

In Hinduism the bowing gesture or mudra which accompanies the word Namaste is symbolic.

One hand in the palm gesture represents the spiritual nature and the other hand represents the worldly self. The act of placing the two palms together in the bow is a gesture that the bower is trying to overcome differences and connect with the person being bowed to.

The word Namaste has also become recognised by practitioners of yoga and spiritual meditation across the globe. It is common to find namaste used to greet or wish someone farewell.

In Pure Spirit

Do you use the word namaste? Do you think you use it correctly?

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Filed Under: Beliefs, Meanings Tagged With: buddhism, hinduism

Comments

  1. FaylinnByrne1 says

    July 1, 2016 at 2:05 pm

    There is a Hindu temple near me and I hear the people going there talk about Namaste a lot. I have heard that it means peace and so I am very glad to learn that it means “I am your humble servant”. However, what does it mean for Hindus to be another person’s servant in that regard? http://www.goodvibedezign.com/collections/womens-t-shirts/products/womens-tank-top-16

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