WHAT is The MEANING of a SWASTIKA ?

The word ‘Swasti’ means auspicious, benevolent, a good deed or good wishes. The Swastika is considered auspicious and is painted on the doors of houses in India to ward off evil spirits, its origin goes back to the ‘Vedic times (4500- 2500 B. C.), maybe even earlier. Seals with the Swastika symbol have been found at excavation sites in Harappa which date back to about 2000 years. The Swastika is in the form of a Greek cross with the ends of the arms bent at right angles. The right-handed Swastika moves in the clockwise direction and the left-handed in the counter-clockwise direction. The latter is considered an evil omen and generally never used.

The Swastika is said to represent the Sun or Lord Vishnu in the Puranas it has been described as the ‘Sudarshana Chakra’ or the wheel of Vishnu and also symbolizes the constant changes in the universe. The Swastika has also been associated with the Sun (the arms representing the sun’s rays) and also with Ganesha, the pathfinder whose image is often found at the crossroads.

In the ‘Siddhanta Saar’ the hub of the Swastika has been described as the navel of Vishnu and the four lines as the four faces and four arms of Brahma. The Swastika is considered as a tantric symbol and is drawn in various stylized forms. It is a tradition to pray to it during religious festivals and auspicious occasions. During Diwali, the festival of lights, and the financial year-end for the Hindu businessmen, new account books are opened and decorated with the Swastika symbol and the words ‘Shubh-Labh’ (meaning ‘Auspicious Profit’) next to it. Prayers are also held so that the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, will be benevolent.

                                             How the Word is Derived
In Sanskrit, the proper spelling of the word swastika is svastika. Sanskrit has no 'w'. Literally, the word svastika is a statement of affirmation, "It is!" "Life is good!" "There is value" "There is meaning!" Svastika is a term that affirms the positive values of life. The word is made of su + as. "As" is the root of the copular verb "to be" of which the third person singular is, "asti," "it is." Su is a prefix used in Sanskrit to intensify meaning in a positive way, thus su+asti means literally, "it really is!" When combined, the 'u' changes into a 'v' thus giving the form svasti. The ending 'ka' makes this verbal form into a noun. This is the linguistic morphology of the word, svastika.

A Negative Symbol

Right Handed Swastika

Today, the Swastika is primarily known as a symbol of racism, persecution and anti semitism, which, primarily, arises from the ideology of the German Nazi party and World War II. I remember performing a wedding between a Hindu girl and a Jewish boy. Right at the beginning of the ceremony, when it is traditional to hold a decorative cloth between the boy and girl, the Hindu mother proudly presented a special cloth with a huge red Swastika in the middle that she wanted me to hold between the couple. Half the audience was Jewish! Another time, I performed a ground-breaking ceremony for a Hindu family, who was going to build a new home in an exclusive gated community. The man had me draw a large red Swastika on the ground where the house would be built. Later, as we were walking around the perimeter of the property, someone came walking a dog and saw the red Swastika. In terror, this person called the police thinking that a neo-Nazi cult was moving into his neighborhood. On many occasions, I have had to explain to confused fire and building inspectors why there are Swastikas in our Hindu temples. As a priest, I regularly bless people using the expression, svasti svasti svasti! and even inscribe swastikas on the heads of newly shaved babies for their health and prosperity!

Its History

A Nazi Swastika

In fact, the Swastika is an ancient solar symbol that has been used by many cultures going back at least 3000 years. It has been found used by the celts in northern Europe and by the Greeks as early has 1000 BCE. In India the symbol has been used since Vedic times. It is most commonly seen as an ancient Aryan symbol. Nazi Germany did not invent the symbol, but only borrowed it in order to show the "aryan" roots of their new German state. Today, unfortunately, the Swastika is most commonly known for the destruction of life rather then its affirmation.




Its Use in India

Left Handed Swastika

In India, the Swastika is used in two forms, one with the arms moving to the right, the right-handed Swastika, and the other with the arms moving to the left, the so-called "left-handed" occult Swastika. It is commonly thought that the Nazis used the left-handed Swastika and that this is the difference between the Hindu's use of the Swastika and the Nazi's use of it. But this is not the case. In fact, the Nazis used the same right-handed Swastika that is used in modern Hinduism, but gave it a 45 degree turn. This gives it the appearance of being left-handed, even though it is not. Regardless, in India many groups have used the left-handed Swastika. One common example amongst Hindu groups is the Theosophical Society, which used it on their logo. The left-handed Swastika is also associated with esoteric tantric practices. Jains and Buddhists often use the left handed Swastika as well. Today the right-handed Swastika is mainly used in Hindu temples, homes and sacred ceremonies as a symbol or affirmation of good luck, health and prosperity. A "yes" to life!