Sanskrit is considered a sacred language for being the main liturgical language of Hinduism and also considered a philosophical language for Buddhism and Jainism. Linguists consider it a perfect and complete language from the grammatical point of view.

The word Namasté comes from the ancient Sanskrit language and owes its remote origin to the Hindu culture.

Meanings of the word Namaste

Namasté is a word composed of the term "namas" which means "greeting" or "reverence", and comes etymologically from "nam", which means "prostrate" or "bow". The suffix "te" is a personal pronoun, which means "to you". Its meaning is "I greet you" or "I revere you".

Despite its antiquity and sacred origin , it is used very frequently as a daily greeting in India and Nepal, especially in the Himalayas. Hindus use the word Namasté as a way of greeting and farewell, to say thank you and as a show of respect.

Due to the peculiarities of Sanskrit and the broadness of its concept, in an approximate translation, the meaning of the word Namaste could be "the divine within me greets the divine within you" , or "The Spirit within me honor and respect yours."

The word "Spirit" or "the divine" does not have a religious meaning, rather it refers to our essence . We could replace it with heart, soul, or any other word that is closest to this explanation.

What is truly relevant is that " the best part of me wishes the best to the deepest part of yours" , recognizing it. Its deep meaning is always the same no matter how we use it in the context in which we use it, and it is based on the knowledge that we are all made of the same positive consciousness.

Namasté represents the belief that there is a spark of divinity (or of components that transcend our body and mind), within each of us, so by making this greeting, we transmit and recognize the knowledge of one soul to another .

When "Namaste" is said, it is generally accompanied by a gesture that is considered a "mudra", or symbolic position of the hands with the palms together in the form of a prayer and in the center of the chest and making a slight inclination with the head closing eyes The hands are placed in front of the chest since it is the place where we have the heart chakra . This greeting can also be done by placing the hands together in front of the third eye (in front of the head) and is an especially profound form of respect.

In this position we have a certain balance that allows us to rest and make our energy flow. The left and right sides of your brain, when in this position, balance each other back to their original state . When the hands join at the heart center, it means that our actions have to be in harmony and governed by correct knowledge.

In its meaning for Hinduism, this position represents the divine: the right palm symbolizes the soles of God's feet, and the left palm the head of the person who prays. In other religious contexts, the person who makes the gesture of joining the two hands eliminates his differences with the person he reveres , thus establishing a connection with him, where the right hand represents the highest nature (deep, spiritual), while that the left represents the ego (the corporeal, the mundane).

Although in the West the word "Namaste " is usually used in conjunction with the gesture, in India, the same gesture is understood to mean Namaste, and it is not necessary to say the word while bowing your head. By clasping the hands near the heart chakra, the belief states that we increase the flow of positive energies, and by bowing our heads and closing our eyes our mind focuses on the flow of such energy that grows love for others and mind for a moment surrenders in favor of the heart. This bow of the head is a universally recognized symbolic indication of respect in many other cultures as well.