Namaste and its common variants ‘namaskar,’ ‘namaskara’ or ‘namaskaram’, is one of the five forms of formal traditional greeting mentioned in the Vedas. This is normally understood as prostration but it actually refers to paying homage or showing respect to one another, as is the practice today, when we greet each other.

In Sanskrit the word is namah + te = namaste which means “I bow to you” - my greetings, salutations or prostration to you. The word ‘Namaha’ can also be literally interpreted as "na ma" (not mine). It has a spiritual importance of negating or reducing one's ego in the presence of other one