Chinnu, my 10 year old son, who has been very much into the second World War and Hitler's history, asked me the same question that Mr. Madhu asked on Swastika (svastika) "Why do Hindus regard the Swastika symbol auspecious?". I had no answer and I postponed giving a reply to him. Now the time has come. I did some research on it. Too many projects and no time to work on those.
According to Brown and Apte:
The word "svastika" (svastikamu) has originated from the Sanskrit word "Svasti". In Sanskrit "svasti" means "excellent", "May God attend You!", "So be it!", "Amen", and "Welfare".
Telugu meanings for "Svasti" are : kshEmamu, puNyamu, mamgaLamu, SuBamu. The words like "svasti yagu ga'ka", "svastitEdanujaparENya", "svastisyastuguNOstu", "svastiva'canamu" (a blessing or benediction or any benedictory speech), "svasti ceppu" (to wish well) and provrbs like "ra'Gava'svasti ra'vaNa'svasti" (bless them both and keep them neutral) have originated from the original Sanskrit word "Svasti".
Another Sanskrit word "Svastikamu" means any lucky or auspecious object (mamgaLa vastuvu) e.g. a building or palace facing east. The other popular meaning of "svastikamu" or "svastika" is "the meeting or 4 roads" (cadukamu).
Veronica Lons' Indian Mythology describes that the archeological evidences of svastika were obtained in the Harappa ruins. According to Lons svastika is a symbol of FORTUNE and a BRINGER OF GOOD LUCK. Veronica Lons also adds "The svastika, whose arms could be turned in either direction, became associated in Hinduism with the Sun and also with Ganesa, the pathfinder whose image is often found where 2 roads cross." The archeological pieces of svastika belonging to the Harappan civilization are now displayed in the British Museum, London.
My respected senior colleague, Dr. Venkat Raman says "The svastika of Harappan culture is like the recent Mexican calender. The svastika depicts the 4 directions, the east, west, north, and south and also the convergence of those 4 directions. In other words if one goes in the direction of east, the person will ultimately reach the other direction. According to the historians, the Harappans had a concept of time and space and time and space are inseparable. The svastika explains the amalgamation of time and space. Interestingly, the Thoda tribe of Nilgiri hills, worship a svastika tilted at an angle of 10 degrees. They don't know why they worship it. Does n't it indicate the pre-Aryan and pre-Hindu origin of svastika? Another interesting feature of Harappan svastika is that the Harappans were well aware that the earth is round and svastika symbolizes the spherical nature of the earth. If Harappans regarded svastika as the sacred symbol, they were simply worshiping the mother earth."
A brain storm! The Harappan civilization is traced back to the second millennium B.C.. This explains that this svastika symbol is very old and well-attached with the Ancient Indian Culture (I can not call Hindu culture here). It is not sure if svastika has its roots from Hinduism. Atleast, 5000 years ago, the Indians, had been familiar with the svastika and the symbol could have been borrowed into Hinduism (my views). Vedic and Hindu cultures had incorporated svastika. As I mentioned earlier in my article on Bottu, svastika(mu) is another symbolic gesture which has become a traditional practice in Hinduism. Svastika symbol need not necessarily had originated from Hinduism or Vedas. History reveals that svastika had been familiar to Indians during pre-Vedic and pre-Hindu times.
Svastika could have been also a symbolic language indicating "good luck" and declaring "victory". If one looks at the paintings of Gitopadesa by Srikrishna to Arjuna, the pillars of the chariot has the svastika carvings. What do they mean? Those svastikas on the chariot in the battle ground may mean 2 things:
1) mamgaLam (for Pandavas) good luck (for Pandavas) 2) dushTa SikshaNa sisTa rakshaNa victory (over the bad and cruel)
Going more into the philosophical sides of svastika, one can explain the significance of svastika as follows.
1)The fist four sides (+) (cross) of svastika are the 4 roads (ma'rga'lu) for self-realization in Hinduism. (1) karma yoga, (2) Raja yoga, (3) Bhakti yoga, and (4) Gnana yoga. This cross (+) of svastika also alerts the idividual to remove "ego" from one's self (remove the "I" with in you i.e. +) and unite with others and ultimately the God, the supreme Brahman. One can also see the affinities of Hindu Svastika symbol with the Cross of Christianity (this is my view; please don't raise controversial flames on this).
2)The second set of 4 sides originating from the first set of 4 planes (+) either in the clockwise or counter clockwise direction are the 4 tools for the attainment of Brahma Gnana. (1) wisdom (vivEkam), (2) dispassion (vaira'gyam), (3) shaTsampada, and (4) mumukshutvam.
One interesting observation here is, if one does not have the original 4 roads (+) of svastika (i.e. remove ego or forget the "I" within you), the individual will never attain the Brahma Gnana, the second set of 4 roads originating form the first set (+) which lead some where unimaginable (towards solvation).
One who is aware of Patamjali Yoga Sastra, will agree with me that the 8 sides (planes) of svastika denote the astamgas (ashTa'magamulu) of Raja Yoga such as (1) yama, (2) niyama, (3) a'sana, (4) pra'Na'ya'ma, (5) pratya'ha'ra, (6) dha'raNa, (7) dhya'na, and (8) sama'dhi. The first 5 are called bahira'mgamulu and the rest 3 are called amtara'mgamulu. For Yogis the svastika is a symbol which always alerts them the self-control that they have to obey and follow a methodical practice for spiritual attainment.
Another remarkeable feature of svastika is the 4 Gnanas in the first 4 sides (+) (cross roads) such as (1) prama'ta, (2) pramEya, (3) pramati, and (4) Gnana sadhanas. The meaning of those is the following:
1) prama'ta: telusukonduva'Du (the learner) 2) pramEya : telusukonadagu vishayamu (the thing to be learned) 3) pramati : telusukonna sthiti (state of learning) 4) ~na'na sa'dhanalu : ~na'na'niki avasaramaina prama'Na'lu (tools to aquire knowledge)
pramEya: These are 12. The first 4 sides of svastika (+), the second set of 4 subsides, and the 4 spaces in between the 4 Us (void space), altogether 12. They are: (1) a'tma, (2) Sariiramu, (3) imdriyamulu, (4) tanma'tralu, (5) budhdhi, (6) manassu, (7) pravRutti, (8) dOsha, (9) prEtyaBa'va, (10) Pala, (11) duhKa, and (12) vimukti.
~na'na sa'dhanamulu (prama'Namulu): These are again 4 (the first 4 roads i.e. +). They are: (1) pratyakshamu, (2) anuma'namu, (3) upama'namu, and (4) Sabdamu. These are the essential tools for the pursuit of knowledge. They are embedded in svastika(mu).
The Concept of Universe: Svastika also describes the entire Universe with regards to Hinduism. The physical universe is well embedded in the svastikamu. The eight sides and the space are nothing but the physical nature of the universe: (1) Boomi, (2) jalamu, (3) agni, (4) ga'li, (5) pra'Namu, (6) ka'lamu, (7) manassu, (8) a'tma (so far the 8 sides of svastika) and (9) space (the space around svastika finally).
The 16 Tools Suitable to Attain Supreme Knowledge: The most suitable tools (sa'dhanalu) to attain the Supreme Knowledge are symbolically represented by the svastika. They are the 8 sides inward and 8 sides outward (2 dimensional) and their total is 16: (1) prama'Namu, (2) pramEya, (3) samSaya, (4) prayOjana, (5) dRushTa'mta, (6) sidhdha'mta, (7) avayava, (8) tarka, (9) nirNaya, (10) va'da, (11) jalpa, (12) vitamDa (without tongue; in Oriya they say "bitamDo ba'do" i.e. in Telugu "vitamDa va'damu; you know what I mean), (13) hEtva'Ba'na, (14) cala, (15) jati, and (16) nigrahastha'na.
In one way or the other, Svastika also propagates the sa'mKya Sa'stra. sa'mKya Sa'stra is also known as the niriiSvara va'damu i.e. not willing to accept the existence of God. Samkhyas follow 4 major ways for their philosophical being: (1) pratyaksha (existentialism), (2) anuma'na, (3) upama'na or tulana, and (4) kriya'poorvaka prama'Namulu. It is appropriate to talk about the svastika of Nazism at this point. Why did Nazis picked the svastika as their symbol? Some argue that Nazis were Aryan lineage and Svastika is Aryan symbol and thereby they adopted that symbol. This may be true that Nazis picked up the Svastika from Aryan culture. What about the influx of Svastika from pre-Aryan culture in India into Aryan culture and its efflux into the west from the Indo-Aryan and Hindu culture? Any way, if Svastika symbolizes sa'mKya va'da (not exactly atheism), could it be possible that Nazism inclined towards sa'mKya va'da and hence had adopted the svastika symbol. It is even a matter of debate whether Nazis had a relegious basis and if Hitler ever had relegion. Some where It was documented that Hitler used to listen to his God.
Tantric (ta'mtric) practices in India go hand in hand with the Chakras and especially the svastika has close alliance with those Chakras (the Chakras are not the subject of this essay here).
The most unfortunate state of Svastika the way it is perceived in the west due to the adoptation by Nazis of the symbol will never disappear from the history of mankind. An American friend asked me "Why do Hindus worship svastika?" I replied "Why did Nazis choose svastika as their symbol?". No reply.
---PALANA
Note: These are topics which I have been working for a number of years. The information is scattered here and there. Some I read while I was young. For some questions, I never got answers while I was in India. When time and my mental state permit, I put these together for someone out there who is interested. It is better a mathematician with a pinch of philosophical touch concentrates on topics like svastika. Dr. Vemuri is a right person to do so. Any mistakes may be excused. I could never dig out an essay on Svastika. I put this together. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- palana cas columbus ohio Disclaimer: Opinions expressed above are not those of the CAS. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------