# Namaste

Namaste (/ˈnɑːməsteɪ/,Devanagari: नमस्ते, Hindi pronunciation: [nəməsteː]), sometimes spoken as namaskar and namaskaram, is a customary, non-contact form of Hindu greeting which means basically that the sacred in me bows to the sacred in you.

## Quotes

* Salute your enemies. The word “namaste” means “I bow to the divine in you.” Having respect for your enemies will help you learn from their strengths and be more objective about your own weaknesses. So salute your enemies. You may also find yourself with fewer of them if you do.
** 9 Mindfulness Hacks To Help You Succeed, By Prerna Gupta, Forbes (7 October 2014)
* "Namaste means the light in me sees the light in you. When we teach it in school it's a greeting in India. It's a greeting like hello. We tell them that the goodness in me sees the goodness in you.
** Cheryl Crawford quoted in School bans 'namaste,' apologizes for yoga, USA Today, (24 March 2016)
* If you've ever attended a yoga class, you know that every practice ends with the instructor putting their hands together in prayer position in front of their chest or their third eye (between your two eyes) and saying Namaste... In English, Namaste translates to "I bow to you" or "The divine in me honors the divine in you." Francesca de Luca, a certified yoga teacher in Rome, Italy, says that when you say Namaste, you connect to your divine soul. "From that 'sacred space,' you bow to the divine in the person in front of you," she says. “When we talk about the divine, we aren't referring to something religious, but to the most pure or elevated part of ourselves—to our inner light, to our spirit,” de Luca explains.
** What Does Namaste Even Mean, Anyway? By Mara Santilli, Prevention (25 Oct 2018)
* With the number of coronavirus cases climbing.. in the UK, Prince Charles seems to have shifted to a “desi” way of greeting people while ditching physical contact. A video of the 71-year-old greeting people with an Indian-style “namaste” has gone viral on social media... we Indians told to do this to the world many many years ago. Now just a class on ‘how to do namaste properly’,” tweeted Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan while sharing the video of Charles... Prior to Charles, a picture of French President Emmanuel Macron folding hands while greeting people was shared... along with a caption that read, “President Macron has decided to greet all his counterparts with a namaste, a graceful gesture that he has retained from his India visit in 2018.”
** ‘Namaste is the new Hello’: Prince Charles goes ‘desi’ to greet people, The Indian Express (12 March 2020)
* Often used in yoga, namaste involves uniting the hands in a prayerful manner, holding them close to the heart and nodding gently. Mahatma Gandhi, the renowned disciple of nonviolence, defined the sentiment behind namaste: “I honor the place in you where the entire Universe resides. I honor the place in you of Light, Love, Truth, Peace and Wisdom. I honor the place where, when you are in that place and I am in that place, there is only one of us.”
** Ron Devlin in Coronavirus means when it comes to personal greetings, there's not much shakin' going, The Mercury (19 March 2020)
* Mahatma Gandhi, the renowned disciple of nonviolence, defined the sentiment behind namaste: “I honor the place in you where the entire Universe resides. I honor the place in you of Light, Love, Truth, Peace and Wisdom. I honor the place where, when you are in that place and I am in that place, there is only one of us.”
** Ron Devlin in Coronavirus means when it comes to personal greetings, there's not much shakin' going, The Mercury (19 March 2020)
* Mahatma Gandhi once explained the meaning of Namaste to Albert Einstein – “I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the place in you the light, love, truth, peace and wisdom."
** Sudhanshu Sinha, in Soft-Power Must Go Global, The Times of India (20 March 2020)
* Centuries old traditional wisdom and ritual of 1.3 billion Indians ie being acknowledged by the world today. After the success of Namaste Trump, it’s time for Namaste Benjamin Netanyahu and Namaste Angela Merkel for equally recommending the gesture, followed by Anupam Kher and Salam Namaste by Salman Khan. In the tough Corona times, non-contact greeting Namaste is-in, hugs, kisses, high-fives are totally-out. Namaste is respectful, its safe distance, hygienic, friendly and simple to practice and followed by everyone. Namaste is a connecting thread, it’s a bond and feeling of oneness across nooks and corners of India.... Flavours of Namaste vary with in the diversity of India from Namaskar in Hindi speaking North India to Namaskaramulu in Telegu, while Namaskara or Namaskaragalu in Kannada. Tamilians prefer Vanakkam and Malayali’s say Namaskaram. In East Indian states it is called Nomoshkar in Bengali and Nomoskar in Assamese. Not just Hindus, but Sikhs also greet everyone by folding their hands, however, their greeting is called ‘Sat Sri Akal’. Alternatively, people also use other similar forms called – Pranam, Ram-Ram, Sita-Ram, Radhey-Radhey, Satshriakal, Jai Jinedra and Assalam Walekum and many more. They all mean the same as Namaste – acknowledging the person before any conversation or transaction beings... Like the Yoga, Namaste can surely be next Indian cultural diplomacy and soft-power gift ready to be exported to the world.
** Sudhanshu Sinha, in Soft-Power Must Go Global, The Times of India (20 March 2020)
* In a Covid-19 world, handshakes are out and ‘Namaste’ is in! In order to ensure social distancing, many people, especially world leaders, are now opting for the Indian greeting of Namaste rather than going for a handshake... A combination of two Sanskrit words, Namaste means 'bowing to you' and does not involve skin contact and allows people to maintain a distance.
** Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel Greet Each Other With ‘Namaste’, Video Goes Viral, India.com, (21 August 2020)
* A recent viral video of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's interaction with Russian officials... has raked immense praises from Indians, thanks to yet another Namastey! ... In February, 'Kem Chho Trump', the mega event for Donald Trump in Gujarat, was named 'Namaste, President Trump'... Indian rapper Baba Sehgal in one his recent raps, Namaste... spread awareness about the COVID-19 virus... "So guys let's do this namaste and beat this corona." Sehgal then grooves to energetic beats while folding his hands in a 'namaste' style... In April, a video conferencing service going by the name ‘Say Namaste’ started doing rounds on WhatsApp groups and Twitter circles... Say Namaste was a nod towards the present times of avoiding physical contact...
** Namastey Here to Stay? 6 Times the Desi Greeting Grabbed Headlines in 2020, News18.com (3 Sept 2020)

## See also

* Blessings