Greetings are of many kinds, including hello,
how are you? and so on. "Namaste" is a
greeting that is more than a salutation. It is
the alpha and omega greeting, the beginning
and the ending.

Malathi, "My Most Significant Other," for a quarter of a century, was the person who introduced me to the term "namaste," (pronounced "NAH-mes-tay" in Sanskirt. She told me that in her native Karla, India, where she was born and reared, that her name means flower. She also told me about and demonstrated time and time again the meaning of namaste, a common spoken greeting in India, that is used as both a salutation greeting and as a complimentary closing goodbye just before departing company with another person.

Malathi said that when using this greeting, either when meeting or saying goodbye, a person makes a slight bow while pressing both hands together with palms touching and fingers pointing upward in front of the chest. The gesture is called Arijali Muda (or pranamasana), can also be perfomed without words and conveys the same meaning.

While "Greetings," for many years, every since I heard a Chaplain whom I was the Chaplain's Assistant for during the Korean War, used as his favorite greeting, it has also been one of my favorite salutations of choice. Sometimes I use it, especially when I meet new people

To eulucidate further, on namaste, it is a salutation that expresses goodwill or courtesy by word or gesture and as a goodbye or farewell, a concluding remark or greeting of parting expressing "get along well." It is also like unto the "complimentary close," also called "complimentary closing" words (such as "sincerely yours") that conventionally come immediately before the signature of a letter expressing the sender's regard for the receiver. It  is the alpha and omega greeting, the beginning and ending.

Namaste is a powerful greeting both as a salutation and as a goodbye. Because when perfomed it is accompanied with a slight bow and hand gesture, considered to express reverence, something generally not conveyed with a hand shake, and even though there is not any physical touching between persons this greeting, as salutation or goodbye, connotes spirituality or sacredness. <^>

{To "My Most Significant Other," whose abode now is where flowers never die, I greet you, Namaste!

Since the transition of My Most Significant Other, often I have greeted people with Namaste to say "how do you do? or goodbye or farewell.

Thank you Malathi for introducting me to namaste and for all that you imparted and put into my soul during the quarter of a century we were together, creating, nesting and loving each other.}

                My Most Sigiicant Other

     One in a million,
     Maybe just one among the billions inhabiting
        planet earth.
    Yes, there are many things that are one
        of-a-kind,
       one mother, one father, one of me.
    There is also just one Most Significant
       Other for me.
   You are closer to me than any other human
       being, preferred by me to any other
       human being, and loved by me more
       than any one else, except for the
       love I have for myself.
  You have no competitor, equal or rival.
  You are  lover, friend and something
      more.
  You are My Most Significant Other.

    (In the tenth year of our relationshp I composed
    this poem as a  tribute to my friend par excellence.)

Copyright 2013 by Uriah J. Fields