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Namaste could be a causal or formal greeting, a cultural convention or an act of worship.In Sanskrit Namaste means-- Namah+ te = Namaste.It means “ I bow to you”.
Namaste is also called Namaskar or Namaskaram .
Spiritual Significance
In Spirituality Namaste means negating one’s ego in the presence of another.The real meeting between two people is the meeting of their minds. When we greet another with Namaste, it means may our minds meet indicated by joined palms placed before the chest.The gentle bowing of the head is gracious form of extending LOVE and HUMILITY.It is an acknowledgement that the divinity resides in both you and me.We also carry this gesture in front of God’s Idol or murthi.We also do this gesture when we meet some known person.Recognizing this oneness with the meeting of the palms , we bow our head to the divinity of the person we are meeting.That’s why we sometimes close our eyes as we do Namaste to a revered person.The gesture is often accompanied by words like “ HARI OM , JAY SHREE RAM, JAY SHREE KRISHNA, RAM RAM, NAMO NARAYANA, OM, OM SHANTI ”.Uttering such words indicate the recognition of divinity. When we know this significance,our greeting does not remain just a superficial gesture, but paves the way for a deep communion with another in an atmosphere of love and respect.
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