Abhivāda
Abhivāda · abhi-vāda, “salutation”
Grammar: masculine noun, from the root vad (to speak) with the prefix abhi (towards): “speaking towards, salutation”.
Meaning: the respectful salutation of a guru or elder, made by rising and giving one’s own name; its answer is the pratyabhivāda, the return salutation with a blessing.
In the scriptures: Sumantu Muni teaches Śatānīka that when an elder approaches, a young man’s prāṇas rise, and by rising and abhivāda they return. In saluting, one adds “bho” at the end of one’s own name. The one saluted blesses him with “Āyushmān bhava saumya!”, the final a drawn out to three mātrās. One must not bow to a person who cannot return the salutation, and one who does not know the return salutation is said to be equal to a śūdra; the one who gives neither the return nor the blessing reaches naraka. “Abhi” means Bhagavān Vishṇu and “Vādayāmi” means Śaṅkara, so abhivāda is the pūjā of both. The guru’s wives of another varṇa are honoured by rising and abhivāda. Another man’s wife, not related by blood, is addressed as bhavatī, subhagā, bhaginī and the like. The salutation grows life, intelligence, kīrti and strength (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 4).
Related terms: Guru · Ācārya · Praṇāma · Saṃskāra
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 4