What namaskára is, what the gesture means, and what other kinds of greeting yogis use.
Today we'll talk about what namaskára is, what this gesture means, and what other kinds of greeting there are.
The namaskára gesture is used mainly by yogis to greet one another, and mostly in India. In Russia people say "zdravstvuyte" ("be healthy") or "good morning" — this is also a good, sentient greeting, a wish for health and well-being. Shaking hands is also a kind, well-meaning gesture, which historically developed as a way of showing peaceful intentions. Nevertheless, from the point of view of hygiene, including spiritual hygiene, the handshake is not quite an ideal gesture. When we touch another person, we take on their vibrations in one way or another. As a greeting, yogis use namaskára — a greeting that expresses a whole philosophy of life.
Namaskára as a philosophy of life
Namaskára is a Sanskrit word, shortened from Namah karomi. Namah means "I surrender, I entrust myself, I bow down or prostrate myself"; kar defines the one who is being greeted. The greeting namaste, or namastubhyam, is customarily addressed to the Supreme, and means "I bow down before You." The greeting namaskára is impersonal, that is, we greet the divine within the one we are addressing. The idea is this: "I bow down not before the person; I bow down before the divine within them." When we do namaskára, we acknowledge that the Supreme Consciousness has appeared before us in the form of a friend, a colleague or a stranger. Namaskára expresses a whole philosophy of life, at the foundation of which lies a deep idea — a person's recognition that they are part of something greater.
A person's surroundings are very important; they have a great influence. The saying "you become like the company you keep" is true. Everyone we spend time with influences us in a certain way: talk with an elevated soul and the mind rises; talk with a degrading person and the mind falls. Namaskára is a practice whose meaning is to strive to see the divine in others. If we succeed, we will judge a person only from this point of view, and none of their physical or psychic traits will affect us. It is good to learn to treat everyone as though the Supreme Consciousness lives inside each of them — with equal love, respect and reverence, no matter who is in front of you: a president, a homeless person, an artist, a saint. The practice of doing namaskára lets us feel unity with all that exists, all creation, and lays the foundation for harmonious relationships with other people.
In principle, you can address the Supreme Consciousness however you like best: namaste, namastubhyam or namaskára. And even if you don't greet the Divinity in any way, it doesn't matter much, because the most important thing is to feel unity with It.
The biopsychology of the namaskára greeting
Namaskára is a greeting through which we activate important energy centers. The gesture is done with the palms joined together, touching two points in turn: the center of the forehead — the ájiṋá cakra, the center that controls the mind — and a point in the center of the chest — the anáhata cakra, the center that controls the heart. The symbolism of this gesture is *"with all the goodwill of my mind and the love of my heart, I greet the Divinity in you."*
Other kinds of greeting
*Charana sparsha pranam is a greeting by touching the feet. The feet are considered the crudest, lowest point of the human body, and all sins are said to collect there. One should never touch the feet of a fallen person. And conversely, in a wise and holy person, virtues collect in the feet. Touching a person's feet is a demonstration of genuine respect and true love. *Charana sparsha pranam can be done to saints, to one's parents, to teachers, to realized masters — by touching their feet, we take on their best qualities. Charana sparsha pranam is done like this: we make the namaskára gesture, then touch the feet with our hands, and then make the namaskára gesture again.
*Sashtanga pranam is a greeting used toward the Supreme Consciousness, the *Guru, or a spiritual teacher. In this greeting one stretches out on the floor in a straight line — arms extended forward, palms joined together. Sashtanga pranam symbolizes striving toward the goal and complete surrender, trust, the giving of oneself to the Supreme. This helps a great deal on the spiritual path at times of helplessness and powerlessness, when a person doesn't know what to do and can't find answers. By surrendering to the will of the Supreme Power, a person allows themselves to be an instrument of Its love and harmony.
*Namaskára! With all the goodwill of my mind and the love of my heart, I greet the Divinity in you.*