'Namastey' and 'Pranam'

Spiritualism Commentary - Why do we greet others by 'Namastey' and 'Pranam'?

by

Dr. A. K. Srivastava

E Mail: aks46@rediffmail.com

In Indian traditions we greet a person or group of persons and the deity gods in temples and offer our respects by saying Namastey or Pranam and of actually touching feet. Namaste is one of the six forms of Pranama, and in parts of India these terms are used synonymously. There are six types of Pranam : Ashtanga (Sanskrit: अष्टाङ्ग, lit. eight parts) - touching the ground with knees, belly, chest, hands, elbows, chin ... As such Pranam should always be done by younger ones to elders and it is never to be answered by saying Pranam back.

What is the literal and symbolic meaning, who are entitled to , what is the perfect way of doing, what are the benefits , what are the scientific explanations, what are the reasons for the practice of touching feet and degradation in today's time... are some of the main aspects of this blog?.

Traditions are like lessons that we are taught by our elders and we follow them without any questions. Many of us do want to know what these traditions are meant for?. One such tradition that is being following since centuries in the Orient especially in countries like India is the tradition of greeting people by saying Namastey / Namaskar and Pranam and of actually touching feet . The greeting may also be spoken without the gesture or the gesture performed wordlessly, carrying the same meaning. In present-day India, "namaste" is a very formal greeting, not used in traditional yogi communities. Namaskar is also part of the 16 upacharas used inside temples or any place of formal Puja (worship). Namaste in the context of deity worship, scholars conclude, has the same function as in greeting a guest or anyone else. It expresses politeness, courtesy, honor, and hospitality from one person to the other. It is used in goodbyes as well.

Namaste (Namas + te: नमस् + ते = नमस्ते) is derived from Sanskrit and is a combination of the word 'nama' and the second person dative pronoun in its enclitic form, te. The word namaḥ takes the Sandhi form namas before the sound t.

Namaḥ means 'to bow', 'obeisance', 'reverential salutation' or 'adoration' and te means 'to you' (singular dative case of 'tvam'). Therefore, Namaste literally means "bowing to you. In Hinduism, it also has a spiritual import reflecting the belief that "the divine and self (atman, soul) is same in you and me", and connotes "I bow to the divine in you".

Namaste is usually spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and all the ten fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. This gesture is called Añjali Mudrā or Pranamasana. The five fingers denote the five Gyanendriya (organ of senses) and five Karmendriya ( organ for actions) each, thus the complete existence of a person. In practice with certain variations of the Añjali Mudrā or Pranamasana, other things being common, we raise our hands at three different heights for different set of people-- thumb close to the chest for persons of the same or lower age like a friend or colleague; thumb at middle of fore-head for parents or teachers, seniors or persons of that level and finally thumbs above the head for deity Gods in a temple and other heavenly objects like sun, moon etc., depicting three different degree of respect and honor being offered.

In philosophical terms there is no piece of creation without the hand of the creator operating in it. In Indian culture. if we see the sky, a river, a man, a woman, a child, a cow, a tree or whatever, we bow down, as a constant reminder that the source of creation is within us too, paving the way towards our ultimate nature every time we say Namastey or Namaskaram. It is in our psyche. When we happen to step foot on a book or a currency note ,we immediately lift it and do pranam. This is mainly because we feel that by stepping on the book or the currency we have insulted Goddess Sarawati and Goddess Laksmi respectively so we do Pranam. Many times when inadvertently, we touch body- part of a young boy or an adult persons, we do gesture of touching feet and also say Namastey or Pranam, along with sorry.

There is another aspect to this. Our palms have a lot of nerve endings – something that medical science has also discovered today. There is a whole science of mudras in yoga. Just by holding our hand in certain ways, we can make our whole system function in different ways. The moment we place your hands together, our dualities, our likes and dislikes, our cravings and aversions, all these things start leveling out. We feel more calm and energetic with positive vibrations.

What does 'Pranam' means ?

“I prostrate with deep reverence in the lotus feet of the God, and salute your divinity with all my command of mind, speech and actions.”

Pra (Sanskrit: प्र) and Anama (Sanskrit: आनम) Pranama means saluting someone by touching their feet. It only done for parents sages teachers scholars and elders. In return the receiver will give back blessings.

Unlike Namasté, Pranam must be performed in the feet of the other person - not just with two hands together in a prayer posture. This greeting is universal, non-sectarian (no specific deity’s name attached) and reflects the values of the ancient Indian culture. This is the only most commonly used greeting used by all great characters appearing in centuries old Hindu scriptures such as Vedas, Upanishads and epics such as Ramayana and Maha Bharata.

What is the Right Way of Touching Feet ?

It is must for all to know first the right way of touching one’s feet. It is done by bending the upper half of our body, ideally without bending one's knees, and stretch both our arms – with our head between them – to touch the feet of the elder. Obvious that it is, the fingertips of our left hand should touch the right foot of the elder and our right hand should be on their left foot. The elder person should now touch the top of one's head with their right hand. Pranam is a gesture of showing respect. But we can’t touch a calf or a thigh or a shoulder or any other body part for showing respect. Like countless allegorical conundrums of Hindu tradition, touching feet too conceals a scientific benefit with a rational explanation.

The Scientific explanation of touching feet

The nerves that start from our brain spread across all our body. These nerves or wires end in the finger-tips of our hand and feet. When we join the finger-tips of our hands to those of their opposite feet, a circuit is immediately formed and the energies of two bodies are connected. Our fingers and palms become the ‘receptor’ of energy and the feet of other person become the ‘giver’ of energy.

Usually, the person of whose feet we are touching is either old and experienced or pious with exhilarated positive energy. When they accept our respect which came from our reduced ego (and is called our shraddha) their hearts emit positive thoughts and energy (which is called their karuna) which reaches our through their hands and toes, along with positive words communicated orally normally called Aashirvad.

In essence, the completed circuit enables flow of energy and increases cosmic energy, switching on a quick connect between two minds and hearts. To an extent, the same is achieved through handshakes and hugs. That is why we sometimes wondered why we suddenly feel better after a firm handshake or an affectionate hug?. One should feel the same after touching feet of a good soul, provided we do it the right way.

Reasons For the Practice of Touching Feet

The first point is that it is a gesture to show respect. The person who is touching the feet is showing howmuch respect he or she has for the other person. It is said that you must touch the feet of a person only when you actually respect him or her from the core of your heart.

Fig.1: Pranam gestures by touching Feet.

Similarly you must accept the Pranama from a person who actually respects you. You should not accept it from anyone and everyone. The Indian children are taught from a young age that they must touch the feet of the elders in the family. The elders place their hands on the head of the child and bless them. Some of typical occasions when we are supposed to touch the feet of the elders are:

1. When one is about to start something new--building a house, office, shop or an enterprise.

2. On one's birthdays or just after one's wedding so that we are blessed.

3. When one is going on a long journey.

4. When one is going for an exam.

5. On festive occasions the blessings of the elders is a must.

It is true that we are taking to modern ways of life. However, we must ensure that in this chase to success we do not forget the traditions that have been a part of our society for so long. When we bow down we are letting go of your ego. This makes us humble and takes us closer to receiving the blessings of the other person.

Now For Scientific Perspective

There are many advantages that one tends to gain when touching feet of the elders and people of reverence.

Ego: When we touch feet of a respected person, we are helping to sublime our own ego to a certain extent thereby making one more purer and more calm person.

Exercise: while touching the feet of someone and not merely in the current way of half way through the act, you tend to bent forward which is a sort of a yogic posture which helps one's health wise and stretches our spine and acts as a sort of exercise in disguise.

Aura transfer: when the other person gives you blessings, the positive energy from that person gets transferred to ours and hence we can consider this as the reward for touching feet of others who are superior to you in energy levels. We have studied the power of blessing and curse and know why and how they are effective.

Pranam engenders eight-fold miracles or enlightenment:

1. Glory through true knowledge of Para Vidya.

2. Beauty through purity / transparency of heart.

3. Harmony through peace and love- centred thoughts, intentions and actions.

4. Peace through meditation and Viraha .

5. Love through selfless expressions

6. Wisdom through awakened and self-intellect .

7. Intimacy through divine relationship, and

8. Gracefulness through forgiving.

Degradation Today

Today touching feet has become more of a formality or a show off. In the olden days the tradition of touching feet in India was very common. However, with time the tradition has lost its significance. Most of the youngsters have hardly touched the feet of their parents. The parents also want the children to treat them as friends. This is exactly why they don’t encourage them to touch their feet. The poor touch the feet of the rich. The weak touch the feet of the mighty. The culture of touching feet is common in Indian political scenario. This goes against the basic purpose of the tradition and makes it more of a popularity gimmick or a way to do flattery at the most.

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Acknowledgement : Some of the details and the two number photos were taken from important articles from the website.