PHILOSOPHY OF NAMASTE
The main point of all Indian
Spiritual practices is to raise the Kundalini Shakti (The agent of soul
expansion) from the Muldhara Chakra in the perineum to the Sahasara Chakra in the
head, thereby enlarging knowledge and insight and opening up the world of
higher consciousness. All the exercise found in our various systems of Yoga,
namely, Bhakti, (Devotion,) Karma (action), and Jnana, (Knowledge), are based
on Dharma (Righteousness) and are complementary in the process which is
evolutionary in nature. This is the concept of Ardhanaareesware (Shiva and Shakti in one cosmic form).
Shiva is the Lord of Yoga in our tradition and the Shakti
is Bio-Energy that is Creative power in us to realize the highest goal in life. Ardhanaareeswara
is the one cosmic Form in which both the matter and spirit are perfectly united
and integrated. We are reminded of this highest philosophy of life as and
when we do NAMASTE in our day
to day life because the wise people who introduced this Namaste in our culture
knew that in this practice alone lays our real happiness.
The
literary meaning of Namaste
is (नमः) I bow my head in front of you. The
simple act on the part of a person of bringing the left hand and right hand
together. Just over the breast is accepted as a humble greeting and
reciprocated accordingly knowing or unknowingly, however helped themselves to
make any progress in their lives and in the lives of the others did it in tune
with the spirit of Namaste. Where
ever the humility is absent and not expressed in any human forms of matter and
spirit, whether it is in the relationship between employer and the employed,
Student and teacher, rich and poor, man and woman etc. there remain tension and
frustration in the life of man and woman and nation.
We
do many things, which include criticizing and fault finding without knowing why
and for what we are doing them. These actions produce no meaningful result
compared to those of a man who acts with proper understanding. The gesture of Namaste embodies the
efforts to know and act properly. The spirit of this simple practice does
produce better understanding and genuine interest in human welfare, not only in
our country but also in the whole world.
Namaste is part and partial of the system of
self-culture of this land, which has been revived recently by Saints like
Ramana Maharshi, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobind, and others. Therefore in
addition to cultivating a life according to its great philosophy, Namaste helps us to work out
life in harmony with the progress of our evolutionary process.
We
can find in India millions of religious minded people doing Namaste to various deities in
our temples, but many people now a days, do it quite mechanically without
knowing its significance. That they are not sincere to the philosophy of Namaste may be due to their not
knowing about it.
The
purity that develops in us is based on the right understanding of two aspects
of life symbolized by the folded hands in Namaste.
The folded hands are always drawn towards the breast and placed right in front
of the heart. What is the reason for
this?
The
body is a combination of chemical elements. Indian Rishis knew this fact
thousands of years ago and it was clarified and taught by Kapila Maharishi through Sankhya Yoga. This was long before the
discoveries of modern science in this line. He explained that all the forms are
a combination of Earth
(Solid), Water (Liquid), Fire (Gas), Air (Oxygen), and Ether
(Subatomic Matter). Tantric School of Yoga without it no form can ever exist
also recognized the source of Bio-Energy on which all these elements depend as
Kundalini Shakti.
In
the Kundalini Yoga system and tantric practice, stage of understanding have been
linked with the knowledge of the chemical combination of this world and the
spirit that keeps it going. The location of these centers of consciousness had
been made on the Torso. A man can still live when both the legs and hands are
amputated. But none can survive when the torso is cut apart. This proves the
correct location of Bio-energy of Kundalini Shakti in connection with the
special cord in living beings.
The
energy of spirit is that which is important in man and it is to be maintained
in harmony with the form. In this alone lies hope for progress in human
evolution. This harmony is the basic theme of Namaste in our culture. This is also the cream of the teachings
of various yoga systems. The sum total of this energy or spirit is called self
or GOD and is one and the same to everyone in this world. It is so because the
principles of functioning of the form and spirit are common to all mankind.
The
spiritual heart in man is recognized in Yoga systems as Anahata Chakra or air element. Consider the working of a
turbo-generator. It though the co-operation of the solid form of the engine
with the suitable steam form boiling water that results are achieved and work
is done, Similar is the case with the body. It works because we take solid and
liquid food and convert it to energy by digesting it with the aid of digestive
fire, this stirs the heart to life and the relationship between cause and
abstaining from food for a few days can test effect here.
The
spiritual heat, which is made of the air-element, is the seat of feeling in us.
To start with, it is this little feeling that helps us to expand emotionally
and intellectually in thought, word, and deed. Therefore the simple silent Namaste remind us to recognize
the important center of our life principle and communicate the feeling of
welcome and friendship to the person when we wish it.
Now
we can well imagine how significant is Namaste
in our culture and how it can help us to attain cordial relations with one and
all in this world. This Namaste
creates a feeling of belonging, friendliness, and brotherhood among people and
establishes a true welfare society where there is no dearth of basic
necessities of life for common man. At the same time it makes us ponder our
matter and spirit, life and death in humanity with feeling that keeps on
expanding in every one of us in tune with nature.
Namaste is the cultivation of a new trend in
our personality and integrated approach to life. It is like the negative and
positive terminals that help to generate light. It cannot be cultivated by
indulging in any one thing without any inhibitions.
Purity
is the backbone of four spiritual progresses. Purity of body and mind are
essential to make any progress in the field of higher consciousness or even
to transcend our subconscious. Consciousness is ever pure and limitless and
purity in life identifies us with it. We are neither sure of the existence of
this nor do we have any knowledge of it as a thing in itself because our bodies
and minds are not pure. But Namaste
can helps us here, objective study can guide us to subjective understanding but
it is practice and discipline which leads to reduction of impurity. This cannot
be achieved through any kind of indulgence.
In
Namaste we are integrated
with purity of thought into oneness and with the proper understanding of matter
and spirit embodied in the joined hands and humanity expressed by the bowed
head, we attune ourselves to the unknown power consciousness with us.
Namaste
is distinct from all
other forms of greeting, such as the handshake, in that it helps us to
transcend the self-imposed physical and mental limitations. Two people must be
involved in the handshake for each to be satisfied. This imposes limitations
and it become physically impossible to deal with large number of people, as in
an assembly, but in Namaste
one man can greet thousands of people. And simultaneously thousands in the
audience respond with Namaste.
We
also find our artists doing it as and when they come on the stage. This, no
doubt, brings individual satisfaction to all. Namaste mentally takes shape in the heart and transcends
beyond it, until it enables us to achieve unity in diversity is expended
consciousness. Therefore Namaste
helps to establish report with people without any inhibition or limitations.
What so ever.
Repetition
of our action establishes strong tendencies and from character and conduct.
This process operates both for good and for evil. Therefore, if a custom like
greeting with Namaste is done
by us in our daily lives sincerely and humbly. After us in our daily lives
sincerely and humbly, after knowing its philosophy and significance, it is
bound to help us to mould our lives in tune with the true spirit of Namaste.
It
is customary to do Namaste to
one’s deity, parents, teachers, guests, friends, and holy men. This helps a man
to extend it to all human beings who comes in contact with him. Gradually this
practice even helps him to do Namaste
to all living beings as all the living beings are considered to be within the
family of one God, who is the real creator. Soon after the Aarti or showing of
the light made of wicks of chamfer to the deity is over, it is customary for
all the participants to do Namaste to
the presiding deity. This is done to remind the devotees who take part in such
congregations to surrender themselves to the source of life without any
reservation. It is also a reminder to the people of the Namaste Philosophy. Many sculptures and paintings in our
temples and museums indicate that this practice was prevalent in ancient India.
Self-surrender
is the essence of devotion and faith and this faith develops out of the
repeated performance of Namaste before
any form of deity. In the matter of self-surrender, most people do it
half-heartedly.
The
self-surrender demanded by the practice of Namaste
should not be mistaken for the surrender of the ego of a person to the ego of
another person. It is surrender to the self or Bio-energy in both. It is the
feeling of the unity in diversity that is achieved by the element of humility
and surrender in Namaste.
When
persons inimical to each other do Namaste
in proper attitude, it is bound to reduce tension in mind and animate and help
them to achieve cordially and friendship.
Though
simple and easy Namaste is
the higher form of Sadhana or spiritual practice containing the cream of
selfless service, devotion, dedication and self-surrender for attaining the
wisdom of unity in diversity. It helps a man to cultivate spirit of selfless
service; devotion to God, dedication to noble causes self –surrender to
divinity and a feeling or oneness and brotherhood of humanity in his relation
to fellow beings in tune with Reality.
A
man is transformed into this attitude by doing Namste in it’s to spirit. But Namaste, if practiced
sincerely, will definitely lead a person day by day nearer to the final goal
while helping to maintain a harmonious relation with his surroundings and
contact. Sincerely and humility in our daily practice of Namaste build-up honest
in life.
Whenever any one succeeded in any undertaking material or
spiritual, we find that he was always sincere, humble, and honest to his
establishment or ideas. In the same manner, when ever we see the downfall of a
powerful person who was pretending to be trying that he was lacking in these
qualities.
Let
us now discuss how this simple Namaste
is practiced. The Mantra in this Sadhana is, of course, Namaste. The Mudra or pose is the joining of the palms and
drawing them towards the breast while bowing the head in humility. In this we
are to generate the feeling in our hearts that we are encountering God in the
other person. We should be sincere in our thought. “I see God in you” while
doing Namaste. This produces
prosperity and progress in our material and spiritual life. Once we are
introduced to its philosophy our life becomes smooth and happy.
In
fact our ego melts in Namaste
when we make up our mind to feel that there are many more universes yet to be
discovered by us. The spirit of integrating elements in Namaste helps a millionaire to understand the plight of a
poor man to appreciate the position of a rich man. Namaste, in fact, practically, helps us to integrate these
two aspects in all walks of life. No methods however cleverly, logically and scientifically
planned and designed for propaganda can ultimately produce better results if
the Namaste spirit of
integrating matter and spirit based on the minimum of qualifications needed for
its practice is absent in our day to day life.