Mero Dhangadhi

Ive seen a lot of interpretations of 'namaste' and I cant really tell if its actual Hinduism or a Western concept/definition imposed upon the word. What does it really mean? Or is it actually just a word for hello?

Namaste (Namas + te, Devanagari: नमः + ते = नमस्ते) is derived from Sanskrit and is a combination of the word “Namaḥa” and the 2nd person singular pronoun “te”. Namaḥa means ‘bow’, ‘obeisance’, ‘reverential salutation’ or ‘adoration’ and te means ‘to you’. Therefore, Namaste literally means “bowing to you”. However, “you” refers to the atma (eternal soul), so Namaste is usually translated as “I bow to the divinity in you”. Anything more than that is unnecessary tbh.

It’s used as a respectful form of greeting, acknowledging and welcoming a relative, guest or stranger. “Namaste” is spoken with a slight bow and hands in the Anjali Mudra: pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. Everyone is familiar with what this looks like.

Namaskar / Namaskaram is used instead of “Namaste” in parts of the Indian subcontinent, including Bengal and South India. This greeting is derived from the same Sanskrit word “Namaha”, but instead of using the pronoun “te” it uses the word kāra, meaning “action”. Namaskar / Namaskaram can be literally translated as “I do the act of salutation.”

For most diaspora Hindus, namaste / namaskar / namaskaram is reserved for greeting elders or in traditional settings, like a wedding or festival; we don’t go around saying namaste to each other, so white Hindu converts please don’t make a fool of yourself lol