The spiritual significance of namaste

Greetings like ‘good morning’ in English and bonjour in French, when translated, simply wish the other person a good morning to enjoy. The uniqueness of namaste lies in its translation, which is rooted in Sanskrit: namah means ‘bowing down’ and te means ‘to you’. When we say namaste, we virtually bow down to the divinity present in every individual, rather than the person themselves.

It does not mean that the person uttering it actually bows down to the person whom he addresses, but virtually does so to the divinity present in every individual.

The Japanese have the culture, known as Ojigi, of bowing down at various angles, for different numbers and lengths of time, from the torso upwards, as a form of greeting, respect, gratitude, or apology at social or religious occasions.

We have the tradition of bowing down to elders to seek their blessings.

However, the word namaste is singularly distinctive in its universality and spiritual connotation and can be used for someone younger than oneself as well. The reason is explained in our scriptures.

The Vibhuthi yoga of the Bhagavad Gita explains the glorious attributes of the Almighty and says that the Almighty is equivalent to the most glorious of any particular species. 

As such, every human should try to imbibe the magnificent qualities of the Almighty so that the Almighty can happily reside as the supersoul within the individual, witnessing all actions. But when the individual commits actions or exhibits characteristics contrary to the attributes of
the Almighty, the supersoul is subdued and suppressed. This point is highlighted in the following story from the Puranas.

Upon the entry of the monarch, Daksha Prajapathi, who happened to be the father-in-law of Lord Shiva, all assembled stood up in reverence except Lord Shiva, upon which the king got consumed with anger. When his daughter Sati Devi questioned her husband as to why he snubbed her father, Lord Shiva, who had been meditating upon the Supreme Almighty, replied that her father was so egoistic that although he, Lord Shiva, tried hard, he could not see the supersoul residing in him and as such, he could not bring himself to bow before an empty shell.