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An even less common variant is used in the case of two people being addressed namely ''Namo vām'' which is a combination of "''Namaḥ''" and the enclitic 2nd person [[dual (grammatical number)|dual]] pronoun "''vām''".<ref name=fm>Thomas Burrow "''The Sanskrit Language''", pp. 263-268</ref> |
An even less common variant is used in the case of two people being addressed namely ''Namo vām'' which is a combination of "''Namaḥ''" and the enclitic 2nd person [[dual (grammatical number)|dual]] pronoun "''vām''".<ref name=fm>Thomas Burrow "''The Sanskrit Language''", pp. 263-268</ref> |
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== Meaning == |
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[[File:An Oberoi Hotel employee doing Namaste, New Delhi.jpg|thumb|325px|Pressing hands together with a smile to greet Namaste – a common cultural practice in [[India]]]] |
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In Sanskrit the word is namah + te = namaste ([[Devanagari]]/[[Hindi]]: नमः + ते = नमस्ते), which means “I bow to you” – my greetings, salutations or prostration to you.<ref>{{Citation | publisher = About | title = Hinduism | contribution = What is Namaste | url = http://hinduism.about.com/od/artculture/p/namaste.htm}}.</ref><sup>Poor source</sup> |
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== Uses == |
== Uses == |
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (June 2011) |
Namaste ( /ˈnɑːməsteɪ/ NAH-məs-tay; Hindustani pronunciation: [nəməsteː] ; [2] Namaskar, Namaskaram) is a customary greeting when individuals meet and a farewell when they part. [3] It is a form of greeting commonly found among people of South Asia, in some Southeast Asian countries, and diaspora from these regions. [4] [5] Namaste is spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. This gesture is called Añjali Mudrā or Pranamasana. [6] In Hinduism it means "I bow to the divine in you." [4] [7]
Namaste is typically spoken and performed with pressed hand gesture, but it may also be spoken without acting it out or performed wordlessly; all three carry the same meaning. This cultural practice of salutation and valediction originated in the Indian subcontinent. [8][ page needed]
Namaste (properly Namas te) is derived from Sanskrit and is a combination of the word "Namaḥ" and the enclitic 2nd person singular pronoun "te". [9] The word "Namaḥ" takes the Sandhi form "Namas" before the sound "t". [10]
Namaḥ means 'bow', 'obeisance', 'reverential salutation' or 'adoration' [11] and te means 'to you' ( dative case). Therefore, Namas te literally means "salutations to you".
In principle Namas te is to be used only when a single person is addressed (since in Sanskrit "te" is singular) but it is nowadays commonly used no matter how many people are addressed.
A less common variant is used in the case of three or more people being addressed namely Namo vaḥ which is a combination of "Namaḥ" and the enclitic 2nd person plural pronoun "vaḥ". [9] The word "Namaḥ" takes the Sandhi form "Namo" before the sound "v". [10]
An even less common variant is used in the case of two people being addressed namely Namo vām which is a combination of "Namaḥ" and the enclitic 2nd person dual pronoun "vām". [9]
The gesture is widely used throughout Asia and beyond. It first appears c. 4 000 years ago on the clay seals of the Indus Valley Civilization. [12]Poor source
Notes
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An even less common variant is used in the case of two people being addressed namely ''Namo vām'' which is a combination of "''Namaḥ''" and the enclitic 2nd person [[dual (grammatical number)|dual]] pronoun "''vām''".<ref name=fm>Thomas Burrow "''The Sanskrit Language''", pp. 263-268</ref> |
An even less common variant is used in the case of two people being addressed namely ''Namo vām'' which is a combination of "''Namaḥ''" and the enclitic 2nd person [[dual (grammatical number)|dual]] pronoun "''vām''".<ref name=fm>Thomas Burrow "''The Sanskrit Language''", pp. 263-268</ref> |
||
== Meaning == |
|||
[[File:An Oberoi Hotel employee doing Namaste, New Delhi.jpg|thumb|325px|Pressing hands together with a smile to greet Namaste – a common cultural practice in [[India]]]] |
|||
In Sanskrit the word is namah + te = namaste ([[Devanagari]]/[[Hindi]]: नमः + ते = नमस्ते), which means “I bow to you” – my greetings, salutations or prostration to you.<ref>{{Citation | publisher = About | title = Hinduism | contribution = What is Namaste | url = http://hinduism.about.com/od/artculture/p/namaste.htm}}.</ref><sup>Poor source</sup> |
|||
== Uses == |
== Uses == |
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (June 2011) |
Namaste ( /ˈnɑːməsteɪ/ NAH-məs-tay; Hindustani pronunciation: [nəməsteː] ; [2] Namaskar, Namaskaram) is a customary greeting when individuals meet and a farewell when they part. [3] It is a form of greeting commonly found among people of South Asia, in some Southeast Asian countries, and diaspora from these regions. [4] [5] Namaste is spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. This gesture is called Añjali Mudrā or Pranamasana. [6] In Hinduism it means "I bow to the divine in you." [4] [7]
Namaste is typically spoken and performed with pressed hand gesture, but it may also be spoken without acting it out or performed wordlessly; all three carry the same meaning. This cultural practice of salutation and valediction originated in the Indian subcontinent. [8][ page needed]
Namaste (properly Namas te) is derived from Sanskrit and is a combination of the word "Namaḥ" and the enclitic 2nd person singular pronoun "te". [9] The word "Namaḥ" takes the Sandhi form "Namas" before the sound "t". [10]
Namaḥ means 'bow', 'obeisance', 'reverential salutation' or 'adoration' [11] and te means 'to you' ( dative case). Therefore, Namas te literally means "salutations to you".
In principle Namas te is to be used only when a single person is addressed (since in Sanskrit "te" is singular) but it is nowadays commonly used no matter how many people are addressed.
A less common variant is used in the case of three or more people being addressed namely Namo vaḥ which is a combination of "Namaḥ" and the enclitic 2nd person plural pronoun "vaḥ". [9] The word "Namaḥ" takes the Sandhi form "Namo" before the sound "v". [10]
An even less common variant is used in the case of two people being addressed namely Namo vām which is a combination of "Namaḥ" and the enclitic 2nd person dual pronoun "vām". [9]
The gesture is widely used throughout Asia and beyond. It first appears c. 4 000 years ago on the clay seals of the Indus Valley Civilization. [12]Poor source
Notes
{{
cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(
help)