First, the meaning of the Sanskrit namaste as I've heard and read:
Nama = bow
as = I
te = you
Literally, "bow me you," or, "I bow to you."
Namaste is often interpretted as: "The divine in me honors the divine in you," "the Light in me recognizes the Light in you," or, "all that is best and highest in me salutes all that is best and highest in you."
* * *
In Greek:
eimaste (είμαστε) = we are
na eimaste (να είμαστε) = may we be
The first syllable of eimaste is often dropped to make na eimaste into a contraction:
na'maste (να'μαστε) = may we be
In Greek, you wouldn't say na'maste by itself. Na'maste needs another word or phrase:
Na'maste kala = May we be well.
Na'maste mazi = May we be together.
Na'maste eutuchizmenoi = May we be happy.
When I began to hear people speak the Sanskrit namaste to one another and to me, I had to work at not hearing the Greek word, usually to little avail. I understood what they meant, but to these Greek ears, namaste sounded incomplete, like half a sentence, a half-hearted wish, a fragment of a thought. My brain tried to translate it to "I bow to you," but my soul kept hearing "may we be."
Then I began to think about being, to meditate on the act/non-act of being, the state of being, chewing on and tasting the experience of I am / we are.
The sound of namaste soon took on a new meaning to me, a meaning that isn't incomplete at all, a meaning that isn't so different from "I bow to you" or "the light in me honors the light in you:" May we be.
To these ears, "may we be" no longer sounds like a fragment of a thought. It is not an empty wish or a fleeting hope for the future but is instead a statement that ushers in an experience or state of being that already is unfolding, an experience or state that already is.
I am. We are. Like a brilliant diamond, one and many-sided...
Na'maste.
Nama = bow
as = I
te = you
Literally, "bow me you," or, "I bow to you."
Namaste is often interpretted as: "The divine in me honors the divine in you," "the Light in me recognizes the Light in you," or, "all that is best and highest in me salutes all that is best and highest in you."
In Greek:
eimaste (είμαστε) = we are
na eimaste (να είμαστε) = may we be
The first syllable of eimaste is often dropped to make na eimaste into a contraction:
na'maste (να'μαστε) = may we be
In Greek, you wouldn't say na'maste by itself. Na'maste needs another word or phrase:
Na'maste kala = May we be well.
Na'maste mazi = May we be together.
Na'maste eutuchizmenoi = May we be happy.
When I began to hear people speak the Sanskrit namaste to one another and to me, I had to work at not hearing the Greek word, usually to little avail. I understood what they meant, but to these Greek ears, namaste sounded incomplete, like half a sentence, a half-hearted wish, a fragment of a thought. My brain tried to translate it to "I bow to you," but my soul kept hearing "may we be."
Then I began to think about being, to meditate on the act/non-act of being, the state of being, chewing on and tasting the experience of I am / we are.
The sound of namaste soon took on a new meaning to me, a meaning that isn't incomplete at all, a meaning that isn't so different from "I bow to you" or "the light in me honors the light in you:" May we be.
To these ears, "may we be" no longer sounds like a fragment of a thought. It is not an empty wish or a fleeting hope for the future but is instead a statement that ushers in an experience or state of being that already is unfolding, an experience or state that already is.
I am. We are. Like a brilliant diamond, one and many-sided...
Na'maste.
11 comments:
Hello Chrys!
i came across to your blog when I was looking for Greek na eimaste.Thanks for describing both Greek and Sanskrit (Samskrutam).I would like to add (Well..omit) some thing to your definition of Sanskrit version.Please have a loook at an excerpt from wikipedia, which I know back in India
" Namaste, Namaskar or Namaskaram
(Sanskrit: नमस्ते [nʌmʌsˈteː] from external sandhi between namaḥ and te) is a common spoken greeting or salutation in the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from Hinduism and Buddhism, and in India it has multi-religious or else common usage where it may simply mean "I bow to you." In religious formulation, it can be translated as:
* "Greetings to you" ("that" here refers to divinity, or that which is divine')
* "I respect that divinity within you that is also within me."
* "the light within me honors the light within you" (in yoga)
The word is derived from Sanskrit (namas): to bow, obeisance, reverential salutation, and (te): "to you".[1] Namaskar is considered a slightly more formal version than namaste but both express deep respect. It is commonly used in India and Nepal by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists, and many continue to use this outside the Indian subcontinent.
When spoken to another person, it is commonly accompanied by a slight bow made with hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards, in front of the chest. The gesture can also be performed wordlessly and carry the same meaning. In Indian and Nepali culture, the word is spoken at the beginning of written or verbal communication. However, upon departure only the wordless hands-folded gesture is made. "
Namaskaram
Adi
A friend ran into "namaste" while puzzling over a Greek newspaper and started speculating about how close the meaning might be to the Sanskrit (a distantly related language, after all). This post was enlightening. Thanks.
you're right. I hadn't fully considered this - you've reached a satisfying conclusion.
Αγαπητή Χρυσούλα,
"Na'maste!" in Greek can also stand on its own. It means "Here we are!" upon arrival. By the way, Greek and Sanskrit are related in that they are both Indo-European languages sharing a common linguistic ancestor.
Greetings from Greece,
Κώστας
Hi Chrysoula,
Greek is not my native but I am quite fluent in it and I have the same frustration when I hear Sanscrit's 'namaste'. In my case my brain reflects it onto my mother tongue - Russian. The Russian translation of the Greek "na'maste" is very commonly used by people as a (drinking) toast ('Budem').
So when I hear Sanscrit's 'namaste' my brain pops out an image of Russian people drinking vodka - not very pleasant association :/
Γειά σου Κώστα,
Thank you for your comment. Interesting. I have never heard the Greek "na'maste" used that way, but that's just my experience. I understand what you mean. It's like "na to" (here it is), or "na tone" (here he is). In these cases, "na" is in reference to "here" rather than a future tense or a wish, yes? (Sorry, my understanding of Greek grammar is minimal.)
Τέλος πάντων, "here we are" and "may we be" can be thought of as sisters, don't you think? :-)
Здравствуй Антон,
Я учился русский язык в университете, но, я не помню, я помню чуть.
Thanks for sharing your story. I did not know Будем is a toast! So, peace-loving, meditative yogis saying "Namaste" makes you think of Russians drinking vodka?! Oh dear! Forgive me, but that made me laugh. What an image! I hope the association is not too unpleasant for you. Wishing you smiles and blessings...
Хрисула ;-)
Hi I was told it meant 'Let it be' in Greek, is this correct and how would you write it in Greek?
I am a second generation Greek in Australia. My understanding is that "Here we are" would be: Etho (here) Eimaste.
Chrysoula - great to come across your post, it's bugged me for years not being able to get past the "incompleteness" of the word due to Greek as a second language to me. I totally love your take!!! As another commenter said: very satisfying.
Let it be in greek is "ας ειναι" pronounced ahs ine
When Greeks say Na'maste we are saying Let "Us" Be.
Actually, in greek "Να'μαστε" is also referred as "here we are" meaning thar we got somewhere
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