that this rite should be done on the day
of birth, many others insist that it
should be on the tenth day, indicating
a difference between birth and the
social ritual of name-giving. Some
believe that the child’s name should
begin with the first letter of the
nakshatra(sign in the lunar zodiac) in
which the child is born; this practice is
still widespread in northern India.
Although the classical form of this rite
has largely fallen into disuse, naming
ceremonies are still an important part
of the birth of a child.
Namarupa
Literally, this word means “name [and
physical] form,” two of the most identi-
fiable and enduring aspects of a per-
son. In philosophical discourse, the
term namarupais often used pejora-
tively to designate all aspects of per-
sonality that are ultimately ephemeral
but help reinforce the illusion of a
diverse world and a Self with an inde-
pendent identity. These notions of
independence are thought to be ulti-
mately false since one’s name and form
will be different in one’s next birth. In
this context, namarupa designates all
that is provisionally real.
Namaskara
(“reverential salutation”) Both a
phrase and a gestureused to greet
another person respectfully. The ges-
ture is done by joining both palms,
pointing the fingers up, with the base
of the thumbs touching the chest.
Namaskara is the fourteenth of sixteen
traditional upacharas (“offerings”)
given to a deity as part of worship,
treating the deity as an honored guest.
In this action, the deity is given a ges-
ture of respect, which can take a vari-
ety of forms: joining the palms with
the fingers pointing upward (anjali
hasta), kneeling and touching one’s
head to the floor, or a full prostration
(dandavat pranam). The underlying
motive for all the upacharas is to show
one’s respect and love for the deity by
ministering to the deity’s needs.Nambudiri
Southern Indian brahmincommuni-
ty, which is a sub-division of the
Dravidabrahmins, one of five south-
ern Indian brahmin communities
(Pancha Dravida). The Nambudiris’
traditional homeland is in the region
that is now the modern state of
Kerala. The Nambudiris are noted
throughout India for their learning
and piety. According to tradition, the
great philosopher Shankaracharya
was a Nambudiri brahmin. In his
desire to revitalize Hindu religion,
Shankaracharya reportedly chose one
Hindu sacred center in each corner of
the subcontinent, and at each estab-
lished a Dashanami Sanyasimonas-
tic center (math) to train learned
monks. One of these sacred centers
was at Badrinathin the Himalayas.
According to the Badrinath temple
records, for several hundred years the
temple worship was performed by
the Dandi Sanyasis, who were also
Nambudiri brahmins. When the last
of these died without a successor in
1776, the local king, who served as the
protector of the shrine, invited a non-
asceticNambudiri brahmin to serve
as the temple’s priest. This priest was
given the title rawal(“deputy”), and
his extended family has maintained
the shrine since then. The rawal was
the only person allowed to touch the
image of the presiding deity. As a
consequence he was required to
remain a bachelor, lest the ritual
impurity arising from the birthof a
child (sutakashaucha) render him
unable to attend to his duties. For a
long time the rawals had sole rights to
the offeringsgiven at the shrine, but
since 1939 the temple has been man-
aged by a committee, and the rawal
has been restricted to ritual duties.Namarupa