what does namaste mean?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 19 Aug 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Marion	19 Aug 2002
Hi folks, I have seen this used a few times now and I am very curious. What does it mean? What language is it from? How is it to be used? It appears to be one of the 'sign-off' words, but that's all I get. Thank you for any help. (I hope I didn't spell namaste wrong)

Starfish	19 Aug 2002
Quote: :TQC Starfish

midnightmerry	19 Aug 2002
Wow, thanks for asking the question & for the wonderful reply! I've often wondered about this myself.

Rhiannon	19 Aug 2002
Isn't it a beautiful word? R :)

mooncat2	19 Aug 2002
Starfish, Thanks for the info. Imagine one word expressing so much. Its beautiful.

Starfish	19 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by mooncat2 Starfish, Thanks for the info. Imagine one word expressing so much. Its beautiful. My favorite translation is I just think that is so lovely. Namaste - :TQC Starfish

Melvis	20 Aug 2002
Hi! I have a local twist on the word "namaste"... There's a strip mall on a street near me that has recently begun sporting the name, "Namaste Plaza"! (For those unfamiliar, a 'strip mall' is where several stores are strung together in a strip, with a communal parking lot.) I keep looking for a new age or occult shop to open there, but nothing yet! It's nice to know that it has such an honorable name, though! ;) Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

zorya	20 Aug 2002
the light in me, recognizes the light in you. *sigh* aaah india

the hermit	20 Aug 2002
From a “new age” prospective Starfish is correct. But for the rest of the story... “In Sanskrit “Namas” means “bow, obeisance, reverential salutation”. It comes from the root “Nam” which carries meanings of bending, bowing, humbly submitting and becoming silent. “Te” means “to you”. Thus “namaste” means “I bow to you”. The act of greeting is called “Namaskaram”, “Namaskara” and “Namaskar” in the varied languages of the subcontinent.” “For, Hindu(s) ...the greeting of choice is “Namaste”, the two hands pressed together and held near the heart with the head gently bowed as one says “Namaste”. Thus it is both a spoken greeting and a gesture, a Mantr(a) and a Mudr(a). The prayerful hand position is a Mudr(a) called Anjali, from the root Anj, “to adorn, honor, celebrate or anoint”. The hands held in union signify the oneness of an apparently dual cosmos, the bringing together of spirit and matter, or the self meeting the Self. It has been said that the right hand represents the higher nature or that which is divine in us, while the left hand represents the lower, worldly nature.” The two quotes above are taken from one of best sites I’ve seen explaining the philosophy, meaning, use and pronunciation of the Hindu greeting... Namaste (it's the virgonian in me starfish... Namaste)

jade	20 Aug 2002
as a reiki m/t, i say 'namaste' when i greet my teachers...........the lineage of my reiki. i say it to show respect to my elders, teachers.......as in the reiki principles. namaste, the goddess in me sees the goddess in you. :) a word not to be used lightly. in our culture so often we say, "hello, how are you?" and yet many people seldom care how the other person truely is. namaste is not to be used in that way, it is to be used with respect and used to show respect. in light, namaste, jade ps when i use it i don't put my hands together in prayer position. i hold my palms up to the sky, elbows bent, to show respect to the God/Goddess/All-That-Is, i bow my head and i say 'namaste' as i am bowing my head.

Marion	20 Aug 2002
I went to bed having posted what I thought was a simple question and wake up to a wealth of wonderful knowledge. Thank you everyone! What a lovely word to express such a range of meaning and a prayerful attitude.

the hermit	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Marion I went to bed having posted what I thought was a simple question and wake up to a wealth of wonderful knowledge. Thank you everyone! What a lovely word to express such a range of meaning and a prayerful attitude. Always glad to make a simple question complicated virgonians are like that you know... :D Namaste

Kiama	20 Aug 2002
I must admit that one thing which has always fascinated me is words... They can be used lightly, or they can be taken seriously, and if the latter, they can have sooo much effect on others, our moods, our life in general... 'Namaste' is just one such word... Thanks for posing the question Marion! Kiama

wavebreaker	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama I must admit that one thing which has always fascinated me is words... They can be used lightly, or they can be taken seriously, and if the latter, they can have sooo much effect on others, our moods, our life in general... I agree, which is exactly why I don't use the word Namaste myself, because for me, it doesn't really have a meaning. Although I've read all the meanings posted in this thread, I can't feel its meaning, it's still a foreign word to me. So for me, if I would use it, it would feel like I was using it lightly, as just another commonplace, and it doesn't deserve that.

Starfish	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by the hermit Always glad to make a simple question complicated virgonians are like that you know... :D Namaste As a mother to a Virgonian, I know what you mean Hermit. ;) :TFOOL Starfish

jade	20 Aug 2002
that's why i don't use it on the net very often........and seldom in real life.....it's very sacred to me. love jade

Alissa	20 Aug 2002
For me, the bringing together of the palms signifies as well the joining of you and I, and the recongintion that we are all One. Namaste!

Kiama	20 Aug 2002
Now, how is 'Namaste' pronounced? Is it 'Na-mast', or something exotic, such as 'Na-mast-ay'? Kiama

Marion	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama Now, how is 'Namaste' pronounced? Is it 'Na-mast', or something exotic, such as 'Na-mast-ay'? Kiama Commonly written "Namaste", it is pronounced as "Namastay" with the first two a's as the first a in "America" and the ay as in "stay", but with the t pronounced soft with the area just behind the tip of the tongue pressing against the upper-front teeth with no air passing (as the t in "tamasha"). from hermit's link... aren't Virgo's wonderful?

the hermit	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Marion Commonly written "Namaste", it is pronounced as "Namastay" with the first two a's as the first a in "America" and the ay as in "stay", but with the t pronounced soft with the area just behind the tip of the tongue pressing against the upper-front teeth with no air passing (as the t in "tamasha"). from hermit's link... aren't Virgo's wonderful? thanks for the credit Marion, virgonians appreciate that :)

the hermit	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Starfish As a mother to a Virgonian, I know what you mean Hermit. ;) :TFOOL Starfish we can, sometimes, be anal retentive little stinkers :D

Starfish	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by the hermit we can, sometimes, be anal retentive little stinkers :D But teachers.... :TFOOL Starfish

midnightmerry	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by the hermit we can, sometimes, be anal retentive little stinkers :D I was the sole Sagittarius in a family of Virgos... it was torture!! lol!

midnightmerry	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Marion Commonly written "Namaste", it is pronounced as "Namastay" with the first two a's as the first a in "America" and the ay as in "stay", but with the t pronounced soft with the area just behind the tip of the tongue pressing against the upper-front teeth with no air passing (as the t in "tamasha"). from hermit's link... aren't Virgo's wonderful? Ok, now for us *slow* folks, where is the accent? Is is NAM-astay...naMAStay...or namaSTAY. Or evenly accented throughout? Does anyone know?

the hermit	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by midnightmerry Ok, now for us *slow* folks, where is the accent? Is is NAM-astay...naMAStay...or namaSTAY. Or evenly accented throughout? Does anyone know? When I visited India the greeting was fairly evenly accented throughout.

debins	20 Aug 2002
then you are right not to use it. I am reminded of an adult student from Romania who spoke to me after class one day about how she had just come to realize that when people in Canada say, "Hi, how are you?", they are not really asking how you are but rather extending a rather lame form of greeting. She said when she first arrived in Canada she would reply to "Hi, How are you?" with details of how she was. Then she noticed that people kept walking as they spoke. Obviously, the words held no meaning for them. Same goes for "I love you" with people who hold the word "love" too lightly. When I write Namaste to you at Aceclectic, I do mean it. Much love, Namaste, Debins.

Melvis	20 Aug 2002
Tarotlady, I think your experience with this word is so interesting! Primarily because I had almost the opposite experience when I read it in Debins' and a few others' posts. Even though I didn't know it's literal meaning, I just had this immediate feeling that it was a very spiritual greeting. To use a reference that all of us Aeclecticians can all relate to, ;) it's almost like the connection (or lack of a connection) that you experience when you are introduced to a new Tarot deck. There's an immediate feeling, one way or the other. Thanks, Marion, for posting a question that's been wandering around in my subconscious for quite a while now! Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

amyel	20 Aug 2002
I was fascinated to read all the meanings of this wonderful word. Despite all the definitions of it, I noticed that all had a root in common: respect. And that is how I have come to define namaste: as respect for everyone and everything.

the hermit	20 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by amyel I was fascinated to read all the meanings of this wonderful word. Despite all the definitions of it, I noticed that all had a root in common: respect. And that is how I have come to define namaste: as respect for everyone and everything. Very well put amyel. That is exactly how my friends in India described the greeting to me when I asked about it many years ago.

Mermaid	21 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Marion Commonly written "Namaste", it is pronounced as "Namastay" with the first two a's as the first a in "America" and the ay as in "stay", but with the t pronounced soft with the area just behind the tip of the tongue pressing against the upper-front teeth with no air passing (as the t in "tamasha"). When I was teaching in Nepal a few years ago people said it slightly differently, more like 'Nuh-moh-stay'. Incidentally, 'Nuh-moh-skar' is a more polite form of the same greeting. (Not that Namaste isn't polite, but Namaskar is ultra-respectful).

midnightmerry	21 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by the hermit When I visited India the greeting was fairly evenly accented throughout. thanks!

DarkElectric	22 Aug 2002
What a beautiful word. We need words that carry the message of peace, and fundamental respect for another's being. There are too many good and sincere words which are used in a spurious manner. Unfortunately, most Americans don't seem to realise that words are the vector for ideas, not merely linguistic public transit.

the hermit	22 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by DarkElectric What a beautiful word. We need words that carry the message of peace, and fundamental respect for another's being. There are too many good and sincere words which are used in a spurious manner. Unfortunately, most Americans don't seem to realise that words are the vector for ideas, not merely linguistic public transit. I'll sincerely drink to that DE... namaste!

Starfish	22 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by the hermit I'll sincerely drink to that DE... namaste! What are ya drinkin', Hermit? I'll drink to DE's sentiment with you. Well put, Dark. :TWHEE Starfish

the hermit	22 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Starfish What are ya drinkin', Hermit? I'll drink to DE's sentiment with you. Well put, Dark. :TWHEE Starfish Tennessee Tea

Starfish	22 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by the hermit Tennessee Tea Okay, I'm intrigued... What's in Tennessee Tea? :TWHEE Starfish

the hermit	23 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Starfish Okay, I'm intrigued... What's in Tennessee Tea? :TWHEE Starfish Gen-U-ine Tennesse Sour Mash Whiskey of the Jack Daniels variety and ice. They've called it T.T. for years (even had some company ads once-upon-a time) yankees and whimps have been known to dI-lute the pure essense with copious quantities of water which is known by gentlemen... and ladies of the south as "Whiskey and Branch", an entirely DIFFERENT beverage ALL ta getha deezined for social gatherin's of the more genteeeel kind, thank y'all very much!

Starfish	23 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by the hermit Gen-U-ine Tennesse Sour Mash Whiskey of the Jack Daniels variety and ice. They've called it T.T. for years (even had some company ads once-upon-a time) yankees and whimps have been known to dI-lute the pure essense with copious quantities of water which is known by gentlemen... and ladies of the south as "Whiskey and Branch", an entirely DIFFERENT beverage ALL ta getha deezined for social gatherin's of the more genteeeel kind, thank y'all very much! Ah, well - I'll have a double. It's been that kinda night. sigh :TWHEE Starfish

the hermit	23 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Starfish Ah, well - I'll have a double. It's been that kinda night. sigh :TWHEE Starfish well then... belly up to the bar and I'll pour ya a BIG double. now close your eyes... deep breath... relax... and accept a hermit hug from this fat old hooded virgonian now sip, don't gulp :)

Starfish	23 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by the hermit well then... belly up to the bar and I'll pour ya a BIG double. now close your eyes... deep breath... relax... and accept a hermit hug from this fat old hooded virgonian now sip, don't gulp :) Much obliged :) Promise you'll pound on my back if I drink it down to fast and start to choke, okay? :TWHEE Starfish

the hermit	23 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Starfish Much obliged :) Promise you'll pound on my back if I drink it down to fast and start to choke, okay? :TWHEE Starfish sure... that's what hermits are for :)

The what does namaste mean? thread was originally posted on 19 Aug 2002 in the Chat board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Chat, or read more archived threads.