• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Meaning of the swastika?

Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
Could you please tell me about the original meaning of the swastika? What does it stand for? Why do some swastikas have dots?
 

von bek

Well-Known Member
The swastika is also an important symbol in Buddhism. In fact, a swastika on his chest is one of the Buddha's 32 special marks. You will see many statues of the Buddha in East Asia that depict this swastika. Oftentimes, when the statues from China, Japan, and Korea are reproduced in America and Europe, the swastika is removed. This is because most Westerners only associate it with Nazism. Frankly, I find the removal of these swastikas to be a little offensive. It suggests that somehow the only valid use of the symbol belongs to Nazis, it doesn't. The swastika predates the Nazi Party by thousands of years, at the least. Far from being a symbol of darkness, in Buddhism the swastika has connections to light, good fortune, and a long life.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
However, this happens only in India:

aupmanyav-albums-swasti-picture4891-swasti-star.jpg


Both symbols are loved by us. Star of David is auspicious for Shakti. See my two 'Swasti' albums.
 

Sb1995

Om Sai Ram
However, this happens only in India:

aupmanyav-albums-swasti-picture4891-swasti-star.jpg


Both symbols are loved by us. Star of David is auspicious for Shakti. See my two 'Swasti' albums.

The star of david is NOT auspicious for Shakti. The "hexagram" which is a shape is auspicious for Shakti.

"Within Indic lore, the shape is generally understood to consist of two triangles—one pointed up and the other down—locked in harmonious embrace. The two components are called "Om" and the "Hrim" in Sanskrit, and symbolize man's position between earth and sky. The downward triangle symbolizes Shakti, the sacred embodiment of femininity, and the upward triangle symbolizes Shiva, or Agni Tattva, representing the focused aspects of masculinity. The mystical union of the two triangles represents Creation, occurring through the divine union of male and female. The two locked triangles are also known as 'Shanmukha'—the six-faced, representing the six faces of Shiva & Shakti's progeny Kartikeya. This symbol is also a part of several yantras and has deep significance in Hindu ritual worship and history."
 

Marcion

gopa of humanity's controversial Taraka Brahma
The Swastika is a universal (non-religious) symbol which symbolizes the dynamism of the universe.
The vertical line symbolizes Purusha, the Supreme Consciousness within which the created universe is a projection and which is present within everything and everyone (Panentheism).
The horizontal line symbolizes Prakrti, the universal force or power which crudifies a part of Purusha into the expressed universe.

Purusha and Prakrti are inseparable like the two sides of the same coin.
The 'tails' of the cross suggest a circular movement which symbolizes the dynamism and progression of the creation within time and space.
If the cross moves clockwise it is a positive swastika, which works beneficial on the human mind, if it moves counter clockwise it is a negative swastika.

(perhaps I got the vertical & horizontal or the clockwise stuff the wrong way round)
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
And not necessarily from India. We sure gave it a nice color (Never black - red, orange, yellow, never make a swastika with coal) and a good meaning (all around welfare without discrimination).
 
Trying To Associate Red Skin Team Symbol With Racism
I was just looking at the page regarding the term Red Skins and the team name and seeing the Nazi swastika next to the southern flag next to a picture of the Red Indian entitle red skins a slur no , no way man not buying that, this is just pandering information control, if I may say, it is worth knowing for those who do know that the swastika proceeding the settlers, colonial and pilgrims to the once new world, that the swastika was and still is an Indian symbol used not just in Asian but also America as a symbol that had nothing to do with political racialism until the 1930s when fascist Germany came to power and adapted the swastika giving it another yet a new identity which did not have anything to do with religious culture warrior as did the American Indian brave and warrior, during the period of colonialization and the sixty years Indian Wars which took place because of the ideas of manifest destiny not even the British, Dutch, Swedish, French, Spanish, Germans ever even considered using the American Indian swastika which was present in indigenous American Indian history of religious culture not as a fascist symbol for at least 12,000 years, the term red Indian has been a matter of explanation in different contrast to Asian Indians of the east, hence red man or white man or black man and so Red man of America, frankly this is just an media portrayal and can only worsen matters rather than make matters better, in my opinion it is much ado about nothing, it’s a football team name and I am sure none of the Red Skins Football team even dislike American Indian in the slightest or have ever thought of a racial slur in fact many of them are not even white, the real damage to place hundreds of years ago when the settlers, colonial and pilgrims came to Indian shores of America. I also happen to know that in Germany and certain countries when looking at images of leaders their seen faced to the left, is almost practical fact that you face your picture or skull to the right so its viewed by on looking right face because the pictures of the German fascist leader of the fascist party born in the 30s are all faced left when viewed by onlookers are right faced. This is just pandering + I like seeing it especially when the Red Skins beat the Dallas Cowboys, here is one of the many pre Nazi swastikas designed and used by American Indian dated over 12,000 years ago

NFL official: Redskins 'not a slur' - ABC News
 

Attachments

  • This one vff.jpg
    This one vff.jpg
    72.7 KB · Views: 187
Last edited:

Vishvavajra

Active Member
I don't know that the swastika meant anything originally. Lots of cultures have come up with it independently. The exact form is probably inspired by a basic pattern in basketweaving. In Indian iconography it may have originated as a solar wheel pictogram. Nowadays it's simply a way of marking sacred or auspicious things. The dots I think are more of a flourish than anything representative. Over time some traditions developed meanings for different shapes and orientations, but originally it probably made no difference.

The swastika was already well established as an auspicious sign by the time Buddhist iconography developed, and it has been a convenient shorthand for anything relevant to Buddhism ever since. In Chinese supermarkets it even serves as the equivalent of the kosher sign, to show that something is vegetarian (i.e. conforming to Buddhist dietary practices).
 
Top