The palms-together greeting gesture, held before the chest with a slight bow — 'I bow to the divine in you,' offered to strangers and family alike.
चलन-बलन · Chalan-Balan
Formed by pressing the palms together at the chest, or occasionally raised to the forehead for someone especially revered, namaste (or namaskar) traditionally carries no physical contact, making it a greeting usable across social distance in a way a handshake is not.
The gesture's meaning is often unpacked as a recognition of the same divine spark, atman, in both people greeting each other, regardless of status, an equalizing intent behind a very ordinary, everyday action.