When you have a singular word that has so many translated meanings it surely is one very powerful word, a word that one must consider holding dear within the confines of the heart. Not only is it a word, it is a a vibration and it also has its own gesture.
NAMASTE
Namaste: "I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us." --Ram Dass
______________________________________________
from the God in Me to the God in you ...Namaste
_____________________________________________________
I honor that place
In you where the
universe resides
and when I am in
That place in me
and you are in
that place in you
we are one
---------------------------------
"I bow to that inherent in you" ("That" refers to divinity, or that which is divine.)
"I respect divinity within you that is also within me."
"The light within me honors the light within you."
-------------------------------------------
I honor the Spirit in you which is also in me." -- attributed to author Kabir Chopra
-----------------------------------
"I honor the place in you in which the entire Universe dwells, I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Integrity, of Wisdom and of Peace. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, we are One."
----------------------------------------------------------
"I salute the God within you."
--------------------------------------------------
"Your spirit and my spirit are ONE." -- attributed to Lilias Folan's shared teachings from her journeys to India.
--------------------------------------------------------------
"That which is of the Divine in me greets that which is of the Divine in you."
------------------------------------------------------
"The Divinity within me perceives and adores the Divinity within you."
---------------------------------------------------------------
"All that is best and highest in me greets/salutes all that is best and highest in you."
--------------------------------------------
"I greet the God within."
------------------------------------------------------------
THE GESTURE:
The gesture (or mudra) of namaste is a simple act made by bringing together both palms of the hands before the heart, and lightly bowing the head. In the simplest of terms it is accepted as a humble greeting straight from the heart and reciprocated accordingly.
Namaste is a composite of the two Sanskrit words, nama and te. Te means you, and nama has the following connotations:
To bend
To bow
To sink
To incline
To stoop
The whole action of namaste unfolds itself at three levels: mental, physical, and verbal. It starts with a mental submission. This submission is in the spirit of total surrender of the self. This is parallel to the devotion one expresses before a chosen deity, also known as bhakti. The devotee who thus venerates with complete self-surrender is believed to partake the merits or qualities of the person or deity before whom he performs this submission. There is a prescription in the ancient texts known as Agamas that the worshiper of a deity must first become divine himself, for otherwise worship as a transaction would become invalid. A transaction can only be between equals, between individuals who share some details in common. Hence by performing NAMASTE before an individual we recognize the divine spark in him. Further by facilitating our partaking of these divine qualities, namaste makes us aware of these very characteristics residing within our own selves. Simply put, namaste means the following:
The God in me greets the God in you
The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you.
In other words, it recognizes the equality of all, and pays honor to the sacredness of all.
Translated into a bodily act, namaste is deeply rich in symbolism. Firstly the proper performance of namaste requires that we blend the five fingers of the left hand exactly with the fingers of the right hand. The significance behind this simple act in fact governs the entire gamut of our active life. The five fingers of the left hand represent the five senses of karma, and those of the right hand the five organs of knowledge.
thumb.....symbolizes....Fire
Forefinger.....symbolize ..wind
Middle finger.......symbolizes......ether
ring finger...symbolizes.....earth
little finger.......symbolizes .....water
5 .....represents God's grace
5 ......is part of a whole
5.... is the number of preperation
5.....represents a small sum that is significant within the larger scheme of things but 2- 5's or 2 hands become significant
Hence it signifies that our karma or action must be in harmony, and governed by rightful knowledge, prompting us to think and act correctly.
By combining the five fingers of each hand, a total of ten is achieved.
The number ten is a symbol of perfection, and the mystical number of completion and unity. It is true for all ancient traditions.
Ten is the number of the Commandments revealed to Moses by God.
In the Pythagorean system, ten was a symbol of the whole of creation.
Ancient Chinese thought too thought of ten as the perfectly balanced number.
ten commandments =======2 - 5's
biblical....Benjamin was given 5 times mor e food then Joseph
Jesus fed the multitudes with 5 loaves of bread
Another significant identification of namaste is with the institution of marriage, which represents a new beginning, and the conjoining of the male and female elements in nature. Marriage is a semi-divine state of wholeness - a union between the opposite principles of male and female necessary to create and protect new life. The idea of human divine association was often expressed in terms of marriage, as in the description of nuns as "brides of Christ". Thus in the exhaustive marriage rituals of India, after the elaborate ceremonies have been completed, the new husband and wife team perform namaste to each other. Wedding customs, full of symbolic meanings, attempt to ensure that marriages are binding, hence fruitful and happy. Namaste is one such binding symbolic ritual. The reconciliation, interaction and union of opposites is amply reflected in this spiritual gesture. It is hoped that the husband and wife team too would remain united, as are the hands joined in namaste. In some cultures this is called hand fasting ceremony By physically bringing together the two hands, namaste is metaphorically reconciling the duality inherent in nature and of which the marriage of two humans is an earthly manifestation, a harmonious resolution of conflicting tensions. Thus namaste, which symbolizes the secret of this unity, holds the key to maintaining the equilibrium of life and entering the area where health, harmony, peace and happiness are available in plenty.
Namaste recognizes the duality that has ever existed in this world and suggests an effort on our part to bring these two forces together, ultimately leading to a higher unity and non-dual state of Oneness.