What is Namaste?... Namaste concept originated from the Hindu belief that the REAL I within all of us is the IMMORTAL SOUL or ATMAN which is indeed God and our problem is our EGO, the FALSE BELIEF that we are the perishable material body. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The actual gesture of holding both hands together is known as ANJALI MUDRA..........The word ANJALI came from the root word ANJ meaning to honor or anoint. NAMASTE is also called NAMASKRA MUDRA in Hindu scriptures. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is great symbolism behind this gesture………………Both hands depict duality in nature like YIN & YANG or positive and negative forces…. Bringing them together affirms the fact that THE WORLD IS ONE IN NATURE, EVEN THOUGH WE SEE AS TWO, LIKE MAN & WOMAN, NIGHT AND DAY, HOT AND COLD ETC. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Believe it or not, Mayans has a greeting exactly like NAMASTE. When a Hindu say NAMASTE he means, I SALUTE YOU, WHO IS A MIRROR IMAGE OF MYSELF. When a Mayan say IN LAKECH, he means I AM ANOTHER YOURSELF. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Namaste is derived from the Sanskrit language and is a combination of two words, Namaḥ and te. Namaḥ means bow, obeisance, reverential salutation or adoration, and te means to you ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Namaste is also known as Añjali Mudrā or Pranamasana meaning a hand gesture and two palms pressed together is called Anjali. Anjali mudra is performed by pressing the palms of the hands together. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everything about Hinduism is reflected in NAMASTE, since Namaste proclaims the REAL “ I “ is the IMMORTAL SOUL within and not the physical body. _____________________________________________ Hindu concept of SALVATION is based on the firm belief that soul within us is immortal and it is a mirror image of God or God itself and man’s problem is his FALSE BELIEF that he is the body. Unless and until a person REALIZE that he/she is indeed the IMMORTAL SOUL , the God within; A person will undergo repeated births and deaths. That is the reason why Hindu Salvation is known as SELF REALIZATION. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Namaste has also been translated to mean, “The divine in me bows to the divine in you”. The concept that SOUL is IMMORTAL is unique in the eastern religions. ________________________________________________________ In other religions they mention SOUL but they clearly state SOUL is NOT IMMORTAL. Am I A Hindu? is an international Best Seller about Hindu Culture. It is a very lively discussion between a 14 year old American born Indian teenager and his middle aged father about every aspect of Hinduism in very simple question and answer format in 90 chapters. Highly recommended for all libraries by LIBRARY JOURNAL and BOOKLIST magazines in USA….This book is used in many universities in USA and Canada in their world religion classes. boloji/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=1781
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 01:26:26 +0000