Giving sincerely with both hands

HINDU priests, while performing yajna or any other ceremony, insist on making offerings to the deities with the hands joined and extended. The gesture itself showcases an intent to give wholeheartedly.

I saw this practice being followed during my travels to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. It was disarming and humbling to watch the girl at the hotel reception hand over the keys to my room with both hands extended. So did a vendor who returned the change or the housekeeping staff that offered tea sachets.

In many ways, offers made with both hands become an angelic give-and-take, with the status of the giver being doubled. In the Western way of life, doffing the hat may mean acknowledging or extending greetings. The victory sign may appear impressive, but the use of both hands in non-verbal communication means a profound bonding. Our own namaste with folded hands gained recognition all over the world during the

Covid-19 pandemic. Namaste comes from Sanskrit words ‘namah’ (to bow) and ‘te’ (to you).

The hands coupled with a little bowing of the head signify complete submission, with no reciprocity expected. It’s total surrender. Your intent to give appears in all its stark honesty. The obligation apparent in your eyes is transparent enough to be felt, and you don’t need words to convey this emotion.

Arrogance, indignation and ostentation are all put aside when you join hands in a one-on-one interaction. For blessing or praying, too, extended hands are lifted above the eye level, as if to confirm that the prayers are being answered there and then.

In a pagoda, I saw a devotee lying prostrate in obeisance to the Lord and holding incense sticks in both hands, making a to-and-fro movement with them. The sight filled me with reverence for the deity. The devotee seemed oblivious to his surroundings. It was a picture of humility — no trace of affectation was visible.

Obeisance may be a spiritual matter, while respect is a worldly attribute. In extending both hands, respect is already guaranteed. Palms are joined to make an entire world complete unto itself.

In the Indian culture, and it just may be the only thing both hands should not do, they say that charity is at its purest when the left hand doesn’t know what and when the right one is donating. In a way, here too, both hands are involved — one ostensibly and the other vicariously.

In the Muslim way of life, when you pray for someone or give blessings (dua), you raise your hands together. That sums up the universality of this fine gesture.