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Knowing the Namaste
Gaurav Sharma, MD | Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Henry Ford Health
Have you ever encountered a patient or patient’s family member greet you with their hands pressed together, palms touching, and fingers pointing upwards? If the answer is yes, you may have been greeted by a ‘Namaste,’ a form of greeting in South/Southeastern Asia. At that point, you may have wondered what this greeting symbolizes and how to respond?
Namaste, sometimes called Namaskar, is a customary greeting mentioned as an expression of veneration, worship, and reverence first mentioned in Vedic literature that goes back to at least three millennia. In Sanskrit, ‘Nama’ means bow, ‘as’ means I, and ‘te’ means you. Therefore, Nama+as+te translates to “I bow to you.”
Namaste is used to greet others in a social situation or to revere the divine in a religious ritual. It is seen as a gesture in classical dance forms (Anjali Mudra) and yoga postures (Pranamasana). Further, the dharmic traditions believe in the unity of the divine with one’s soul. So, when someone says Namaste, it implies ‘I bow to the divine in you.’
In the traditional style, one bows slightly and presses both the hands together, with fingers pointing upward, thumbs on the inside near the chest and palm touching. In an informal setting,
16 Detroit Medical News
Third Quarter 2022