Great explanation of the word and meaning for the non-GILD among us.
what a coincidence, an Indian F.E.S. at my school taught me how to use that word the other day!! it’s my favorite word now. Namaste!
nice link
it’s good to get the pronunciation under control
it’s kinda weird, but i hardly ever say the word
i do want to mention that it is originally a sanskrit word and predates hinduism by several thousand years
i’ve had a couple of hindu people ask me if i’m hindu as a result of having it as part of my ‘signature’ on emails
i mention this simply to point out that by using it, u’re not neccesarily using a hindu word/term/practise
i first came across it on a discussion group about Lemuria
sorry, got interrupted there
my yoga teacher used to end the class with the salutation ‘Hari Om’ (meaning something along the lines of ‘i salute the universal lord’)
it was always such a peacefull way to end the class untill one day
i’d been listening to some classic rock in the car that day and when she said ‘Hari Om’, i just heard the falsetto voices complete the phrase ‘…my wayward so-o-on…’
yoga was never quite the same again afterwards
But after class, there’ll be peace when you are done!
Hindu word- -Hindu is not a language…The original Hindu scriptures were written in Sanskrit and they are not only about religion but also, life in general…I don’t think Sanskrit predates Hinduism, coz at that time Hinduism was a way of life and Sanskrit was the language. Then people began to document the “way of life” and it became into a religion…There isn’t much religious connotation with the word “namste”…So yes, I agree that it is not a Hindu or religious term…
More lingual(<<spelling>>)
Oooops…I think you meant Hindi and not Hindu. Hindi is the language…Then yes, Sanskrit predates Hindi. Hindi is one of the off-shoots of Sanskrit…It is a Hindi word now, but was originally Sanskrit…
oops no, i meant hindu
i’ve had several hindu people assume i must be a pale, practising hindu, because i use Namaste!
i need to find some sources for this, but i’m still quite convinced that the language sanskrit far predates the hindu religion
but that’s a detail
we’re on the same page
Well, from what I know the Aryans came to the Indian subcontinent around 1500B.C. (which probably explains why German and Sanskrit have a few similarities)…But the earliest I’ve heard Sanskrit being mentioned is around 1000B.C. But I’m sure the Aryans did have a script. They probably got it with them when they came. If they were early Hindus then its tough to say which came first…
But if Hinduism is considered the fusion of the religions of the Aryans and the Dravidians (original inhabitants of the subcontinent) and Sanskrit considered the language of the Aryans then probably Sanskrit came first. But in most websites the date shows that Hinduism is older. Its tough to say…
u seem exceptionally well informed
is it something u’ve studied or do u just ‘happen to know it’?
A bit of both. Learnt a bit and am a bit interested as well. But what you’re probably don’t know is where I was born and what religion my parents practise…No need to guess…Its pretty obvious now…haha