SIGNIFICANCE OF NAMSTE NAMASKAR AND WHY WE DO
1 Verse 4.76.38
Bhavishya Puranam Chapter 76
नमः कमलनाभाय नमस्ते जल शायिने ।
नमस्ते केशवानंत वासुदेव नमोऽस्तु ते ॥ ३८ ॥
namaḥ kamalanābhāya namaste jala śāyine |
namaste keśavānaṃta vāsudeva namo'stu te || 38 ||
O lotus-naveled one, I offer my obeisances to you, who lie in the water.
Obeisances unto You, Lord Keśava, unlimited Lord Vāsudeva. Obeisances unto
You. 38 ॥
2 Taittiriya Upanishad
Verse 1.44 Book 1 - Śīkṣāvallī
परोक्ष्येण नमस्कृत्य प्रत्यक्षेण नमस्क्रिया ।
परोक्षसाक्षाद्रूपाभ्यां वायुरेवाभिधीयते ॥ ४४ ॥
parokṣyeṇa namaskṛtya pratyakṣeṇa namaskriyā |
parokṣasākṣādrūpābhyāṃ vāyurevābhidhīyate || 44 ||
After saluting it mediately, it is saluted directly. Vāyu alone is referred
to both mediately and immediately.
In the śruti text, “namo brahmaṇe,” salutation is first of all offered to
Brahman in the form of Vāyu mediately. It is then directly saluted as Vāyu
as shown in the text, “namaste vāyo,” since it is immediate to us
(pratyakṣatvāt).
3 TODAY SUBRAMANYA BHARATHI DAY 11 9 AND HE WROTE PROSAIC POEMS ALSO
WHERE QUOTED FROM TATRIYA UPANISHAD NAMSTE VAYU SO I QUOTE HIM TODAY.
உயிரே, நினது பெருமை யாருக்குத் தெரியும்?
நீ கண்கண்ட தெய்வம்.
எல்லா விதிகளும் நின்னால் அமைவன.
எல்லா விதிகளும் நின்னால் அழிவன.
உயிரே,
நீ காற்று, நீ தீ, நீ நிலம், நீ நீர், நீ வானம்.
தோன்றும் பொருள்களின் தோற்றநெறி நீ.
மாறுவனவற்றை மாற்றுவிப்பது நின் தொழில்.
பறக்கின்ற பூச்சி, கொல்லுகின்ற புலி, ஊர்கின்ற புழு,
இந்தப் பூமியிலுள்ள எண்ணற்ற உயிர்கள், எண்ணற்ற
உலகங்களிலுள்ள எண்ணேயில்லாத உயிர்த்தொகைகள்-
இவையெல்லாம் நினது விளக்கம்.
மண்ணிலும், நீரிலும், காற்றிலும் நிரம்பிக்கிடக்கும்
உயிர்களைக் கருதுகின்றோம்.
காற்றிலே ஒரு சதுர-அடி வரம்பில் லக்ஷக்கணக்கான சிறிய
ஜந்துக்கள் நமது கண்ணுக்குத் தெரியாமல் வாழ்கின்றன.
ஒரு பெரிய ஜந்து; அதன் உடலுக்குள் பல சிறிய
ஜந்துக்கள்; அவற்றுள் அவற்றிலுஞ் சிறிய பல ஜந்துக்கள்;
அவற்றுள் இன்னுஞ் சிறியவை -- இங்ஙனம் இவ் வையக
முழுதிலும் உயிர்களைப் பொதிந்துவைத்திருக்கிறது.
மஹத் -- அதனிலும் பெரிய மஹத் -- அதனிலும் பெரிது --
அதனிலும் பெரிது --
அணு -- அதனிலும் சிறிய அணு -- அதனிலும் சிறிது --
அதனிலும் சிறிது --
இரு வழியிலும் முடிவில்லை. இருபுறத்திலும் அநந்தம்.
புலவர்களே, காலையில் எழுந்தவுடன் உயிர்களை
யெல்லாம் போற்றுவோம்.
“நமஸ்தே, வாயோ, த்வமேவ ப்ரத்யக்ஷம் ப்ரஹ்மாஸி.”
விதிகள் கூட காற்றால்தான் கட்டமைக்கப்படுகின்றன.தீ, நிலம், நீர், வான் என பிற
இயற்கைக்கூறுகளுக்கும் காற்றே நீதான் அடிப்படையாகிறாய். எல்லா உயிர்களும்
காற்றே உன் பெருமையையே பேசுகின்றன. காற்றின் ஒவ்வொரு சதுரடியிலும்
இலட்சக்கணக்கான உயிர்கள் நிரம்பியிருக்கின்றன. அணுமுதல் அனைத்திலும் நிறைந்த
காற்றே உன்னை வணங்குகிறோம். என காற்றின் பெருமைகளை நுட்பமாக, ஆழமாக,
மனம்கொள்ளும் விதமாக விளக்கிச் செல்கிறார் பாரதி. இக்கவிதையை வாசிக்கும்போது,
கண்களுக்குத் தெரியாத காற்று நம் கண்முன்னே விண்ணுக்கும் மண்ணுக்குமாக விரிந்து
நிற்கிறது. இயற்கைமேல் மதிப்பு தோன்றுகிறது.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF BHARATHI VERSE
O Life, who knows your greatness?
You are the God that we see.
All laws are made by you,
All laws are undone by you,
You are the wind,
You are Fire,
You are Land,
You are Water,
You are the Sky;
You are the Creator of all lives;
Your job is to change all things that change;
the insects that fly, the tiger that kills,
the worm that crawls, the countless lives on this earth,
the many species of countless lives in the countless worlds,
all these explain your power;
we have respect for creatures that live on earth;
in water and in air;
in one square-foot of air there're lakhs of germs unseen;
there’s a big creature,
inside it are small creatures,
in these creatures are creatures far smaller than they
and it goes on like this;
everywhere life exists,
a big creature, a bigger one, a still bigger one;
an atom, a smaller atom, a still smaller atom;
there’s no end on both the extremes;
O poets, let us worship all lives;
4 Taitriya Upanishad verse
“Namaste Vayo, Tvameva Pratyaksham Brahmasi.”
ॐ शं नो मित्रः शं वरुणः ।
शं नो भवत्वर्यमा ।
शं नो इन्द्रो बृहस्पतिः ।
शं नो विष्णुरुरुक्रमः ।
Om Sham No Mitrah Sham Varunnah |
Sham No Bhavatv[u]-Aryamaa |
Sham No Indro Brhaspatih |
Sham No Vissnnur-Urukramah |
1: Om, May Mitra be Propitious towards Us; May Varuna be Propitious
(towards Us),
2: May Aryaman be Propitious towards Us,
3: May Indra and Brihaspati be Propitious towards Us,
4: May Vishnu who makes Wide Strides be Propitious towards Us,
नमो ब्रह्मणे ।
नमस्ते वायो ।
त्वमेव प्रत्यक्षं ब्रह्मासि ।
त्वामेव प्रत्यक्षं ब्रह्म वदिष्यामि ।
ॠतं वदिष्यामि ।
सत्यं वदिष्यामि ।
Namo Brahmanne |
Namaste Vaayo |
Tvam-Eva Pratyakssam Brahmaasi |
Tvaam-Eva Pratyakssam Brahma Vadissyaami |
Rrtam Vadissyaami |
Satyam Vadissyaami |
5: Obeisance to Brahman (the Universal Soul),
6: Obeisance to You, O Vayu (the Breath or Life-Force),
7: You Indeed are the Perceptible Brahman (i.e. the Breath or Life-Force is
indeed the Perceptible Brahman or the Shakti of Brahman),
8: I Proclaim that You Indeed are the Perceptible Brahman,
9: I Proclaim the Divine Order,
10: I Proclaim the Truth,
तन्मामवतु ।
तद्वक्तारमवतु ।
अवतु माम् ।
अवतु वक्तारम् ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
Tan[t]-Maam-Avatu |
Tad-Vaktaaram-Avatu |
Avatu Maam |
Avatu Vaktaaram ||
Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||
11: May That (Truth) Move Me (i.e. May I be established in that Truth),
12: May That (Truth) Move the Proclaimer (i.e. May the Proclaimer be
established in that Truth),
13: May that (Truth) Protect Me (i.e. May that Truth take me in its Fold)
(i.e. May I Surrender to that Truth),
14: May that (Truth) Protect the Proclaimer (i.e. May that Truth take the
Proclaimer in its Fold) (i.e. May the Proclaimer Surrender to that Truth),
15: Om Peace, Peace, Peace.
5 In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4:2:4 (1000 BC) King Janaka thanks his
teacher Yajnyavalkya with a ‘Namaste’ at the end of their dialogue (in the
middle of the chapter) to express his gratitude for giving him the
knowledge of immortality – namaste’stu ime videhāḥ, ayamahamasm…., which
means ‘Salutations to you! Here is this (empire of) Videha, as well as
myself at your service!
6 In some mantras, stotras & stutis (praises of deities) the term
Namaste comes in the middle, and that is okay too. Like this one, “tvam
devah prahuh sahasravadanam te namaste”or “om namaste visvadevesa visvabhuh
visvatmaka” in Brahmakrta Vamanastutih in Vamana Purana
7 In the same Purana one finds another stuti of Goddess Gauri by the
demon Andhaka, it says “andhaka uvaca, om namasye bhavanim
bhutabhavyapriyam….”
8 In Rig Veda too, Namaste is mentioned in the middle of a chapter as
salutation to Lord Agni. “namas te agna…..” Rig Veda 8.75.10 and 10 85 22
नमः॑ । ते॒ । अ॒ग्ने॒ । ओज॑से । गृ॒णन्ति॑ । दे॒व॒ । कृ॒ष्टयः॑ । अमैः॑ ।
अ॒मित्र॑म् । अ॒र्द॒य॒ ॥
namaḥ | te | agne | ojase | gṛṇanti | deva | kṛṣṭayaḥ | amaiḥ | amitram |
ardaya
namas < namaḥ < namas “adoration; court; namas [word]; bow; salute.”
te < tvad “you.”
agna < agne < agni “fire; Agni; sacrificial fire; digestion; cautery;
Plumbago zeylanica; fire; vahni; agni [word]; agnikarman; gold; three;
jāraṇa; pyre; fireplace; heating.”
Adi Shankaracharya’s Vivekachudamani’s 486th verse, out of 580 verses (that
means towards the end) mentions “namo namaste gurave mahātmane..”, Repeated
salutations to thee, O noble Teacher…
9 The gesture of folding hands during a namaste is called the Añjali
Mudrā. In addition to namaste, this mudra is one of the postures found in
Indian classical dance such as Bharatanatyam, and in yoga practice. It is
widely found in Indian temple reliefs and sculpture in mandapam, at
entrances and iconography such as the Lingobhavamurti of Shaivism. The
Anjali mudra differs from namaste by being a non-verbal gesture, while
namaste can be said with or without any gesture. According to Bhaumik and
Govil, the Anjali mudra and Namaskara mudra are very similar but have a
subtle difference. The back of the thumbs in Anjali mudra face the chest
and are perpendicular to other fingers, while the thumbs in Namaskara mudra
are aligned with the other fingers.Anjali mudra is described in Sanskrit
texts such as in verse 9.127–128 of the Natya Shastra (200 BCE – 200 CE),
in temple architecture texts dated after the sixth-century CE such as in
verse 5.67 of the Devata murti prakarana and those on painting called the
Citrasutras. The Natya Shastra, a classical Indian dance text, describes it
to be a posture where the two hands are folded together in a reverential
state and that this is used to pray before a deity, receive any person one
reveres and also to greet friends. The Natya Shastra further states that
for prayers inside a temple, the Anjali mudra should be placed near one's
head or above, while meeting someone venerable it is placed in front of
one's face or chin, and for friends near one's chest.
10 Of course there are some interpretations as to why hands are
folded which has no basis in Vedas. But Namas+Kara: pranam through the
hands is namaskaram @ Namste @ Nama+ te. They say two hands folded are you
and me; little fingers are thamso guna; ring fingers are Rajo guna; middle
fingers are satva guna; index fingers are jeevatma; big fingers are
Paramatma. And by fold we say you and me are equal but express our vinayam
by head down.
K RAJARAM IRS 11925
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