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| Salutations! - by Ranjitha Ashok |  Back to Reading Lounge |
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| What is the first gesture you make on meeting someone? How do you express kinship, solidarity, and respect? How do you establish that you come in peace and harmony... not as an aggressor? That first greeting becomes very important in the light of the fact that it is the first indicator of the content of your intentions and attitudes. All forms of living beings have a certain code of conduct. Acknowledging each other, giving due recognition to the other’s presence, even symbolically describing one’s relationship to the other, what one person means to the other... all these are expressed by the simple greeting. The namaste or namaskaram: The word namah is derived from the root nam which means to bend down. The namaskara is both a sign of humility and respect. The ego causes one person’s isolation from the other. By using an expression of humility to suppress the ego, one facilitates greater involvement with others. In India, when we meet we greet one another with a namaste - palms joined together in front of the chest. The two hands stand for the two different individuals. Joining the palms together indicates that they, who are separate, are from the same source - The Lord. The namaste is used among people of the same age group, but takes on deeper overtones of respect when addressed to an older person. The namaskaram in this instance becomes an acknowledgment of that person’s age, and therefore achievements, maturity and richer life experience. When directed towards sages, teachers and other learned people, the namaskara salutes their superior knowledge. Sashtanga Namaskara: A form of salutation, which calls for the person to lie down flat on the ground on his stomach. This namaskaram is also called the eight-limbed salutation, because it involves chest, head, mind, body, speech, feet, knees and hands. This complete surrender is used both for elders and before deities. Abhivadana Namaskara: This namaskara is really used as a form of introducing oneself. One touches the earlobes with one’s fingers and with head bowed, introduces himself to his elders. Details such as name, family lineage, gotram, tradition and the branch of Vedic learning one belongs to are given. Having done this, the person then does the sashtanga namaskara. It must be said that men perform the sashtanga and the abhivadana namsakaras. Women kneel down and touch their foreheads to the ground. | |
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