why do we greet with a namaste?

Indians greet each other with “Namaste”. This welcoming is for all – people younger than us, of our own age, those older than us, friends and even strangers. There are five forms of formal traditional greeting enjoined in the shaastras of which “Namaskaaram” is one. It refers to paying homage as we do today when we greet each other with a namaste.

Namaste could be just a casual or formal greeting, a cultural principle or an act of worship. However there is much more to it than meets the eye. In Sanskrit “Namaha” literally is interpreted as ‘na ma” (not mine). It has a spiritual connotation of reducing one’s ego in the presence of another. The real meeting between people is the meeting of their minds. When we greet another, we do so with namaste, which means “may our minds meet”, it’s a form of extending love and humility. The spiritual meaning is even deeper. The life force, the holiness, the self or the lord in me is the same in all. Recognizing this oneness we salute the holiness in the person we meet. The gesture is often accompanied by words like “Ram Ram”; “Jai Shri Krishnna” ; “Hari Om” etc….indicating the recognition of this holiness.

When we know this significance; our greeting does not remain just a superficial gesture or word but paves the way for a deeper spiritual union with another in an atmosphere of love and respect.

The Lamp Of Knowledge

In almost every Indian home a lamp is lit daily before the altar of the lord. In some houses it is lit at dawn, in some twice a day and in a few it is maintained continuously. All auspicious functions and moments like daily worship, rituals and festivals and even many social occasions like inaugurations commence with the lighting of the lamp, which is often maintained right through the occasion. But why do we light a lamp? Light symbolizes knowledge, and darkness, ignorance. The lord is the “Knowledge Principle” who is the source, and the illuminator of all knowledge. Hence light is worshipped as the lord himself. Knowledge removes ignorance just as light removes darkness. Also knowledge is an inner wealth by which all outer achievement can be accomplished. Hence we light the lamp to bow down to knowledge. The traditional oil lamp has a further spiritual significance. The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolizes our negative tendencies and the wick, the ego. When lit by knowledge, the negative tendencies get slowly exhausted and the ego too finally perishes. The flame of a lamp always burns upwards. Similarly we should acquire knowledge that takes us towards higher ideals.