Namaste

For the Better Call Saul episode, see Namaste (Better Call Saul).

Pressing hands together with a smile to greet namaste – a common cultural gesture in India

Namaste (Sanskrit pronunciation: [nɐmɐste:],[1] Devanagari: नमस्ते), sometimes called namaskār and namaskāram, is a customary Hindu[2][3][4] manner of respectfully greeting and honouring a person or group, used at any time of day.[5] It is used in the Indian subcontinent, and among the Indian and Nepalese diaspora. Namaste is usually spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. This gesture is called añjali mudrā; the standing posture incorporating it is pranāmāsana.[6]

  1. ^ "namaste". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.). The British pronunciation is either /ˈnaməsteɪ/ or /naməˈsteɪ/, and the American is /ˈˌnɑməˈˌsteɪ/.
  2. ^ "How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  3. ^ "Why 'namaste' has become the perfect pandemic greeting". Religion News Service. 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  4. ^ "Here's the history behind these no-touch greetings". Travel. 2020-03-23. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  5. ^ K V Singh (2015). Hindu Rites and Rituals: Origins and Meanings. Penguin Books. pp. 123–124. ISBN 978-0143425106. Archived from the original on 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
  6. ^ Chatterjee, Gautam (2001), Sacred Hindu Symbols, Abhinav Publications, pp. 47–48, ISBN 9788170173977, archived from the original on 2017-01-11, retrieved 2017-12-28.