Namasté

Striking a pose during Mohini Attam, a classical dance of Kerala

Namasté. We, at the Indian International Chamber of Commerce & Culture would like to welcome you to our organization. Our aim is to be of service to you.

Namasté is derived from the Sanskrit words namas meaning to bow, and te meaning “to you.” In common usage it may simply mean “I bow (in reverence) to you.”

When spoken to another person, it is commonly accompanied by a slight bow made with hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards, in front of the chest. This gesture, called Añjali Mudrā, can also be performed wordlessly and carries the same meaning.

In recent times, and more globally, the term “namaste” has come to be especially associated with yoga and spiritual meditation all over the world. In this context, it has been viewed in terms of a multitude of very complicated and poetic meanings which tie in with the spiritual origins of the word. Some examples:

• “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 God in me greets that which is of God 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.”

Namaste, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Namaste&oldid=326851290 (last visited Dec. 20, 2009).