The Swastika and what it really stands for.
Posted by Enkill_Eridos on January 21, 2009
There is a difference between the inverted Swastika (Nazi) and the Swastika. The Swastika was a symbol of Good Luck, peace, prosperity and in some geographical areas fertility. But since World War 2 all Swastika’s are concidered hate or racist symbols. Primarily Anti-Semetic. Just like in the south. When I say south I mean the real south. Georgia, Alabama, Tenesee, Kentucky, and Virginia, but not west. Later in the Confederacy Florida, Louisiana, and Texas were counted. I am sure I am missing a few states but I do not care about the semantics of this example. But in the south displaying the Confederate Flag is also concidered a racist act. I will address this in my next post however. But the Swastika is truely not a hateful symbol.
Vedic Dharma or its sects which include Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism, have never done anything wrong to other religions, they have never waged any atrocities on other faiths. Vedic (Hindu) Dharma teaches the principles of help, charity, tolerance and non-violence with exceptional limitation of self-defence. The living example of its greatness is in the thousands of years old settlements of Jews and Parsi’s (Persian Zoroastrians) in India, who have practised their faith freely and without any persecution and their community flourished in India with respects and dignity and freedom. The deplorable deed perpetrated by Hitler for his own gain, fame and supremacy had nothing to do with Vedic/Hindu Dharma or its sects.
The presence of Swastika is evident in various civilisations such as the Egyptians, Mayans, Aztec, Inca, Native Americans, Romans, Greeks, Chinese, Japanese, ancient Troy and Celts to name but a few and that derived from the Vedic Dharma of Aryans of Bharat or India.
Romans were very much familiar with the symbol of swastika, for them it is was an Etruscan symbol from which the Roman culture derived. Romans considered it as the emblem of their Supreme God Jupiter. Romans freely used the both handed Swastikas in decorating the mosaic floors and walls of Pompeii. They widely used the pattern of Swastika on the temples, altars, household potteries & goods, brooches in their conquered territories in Europe and British isle and North Africa. Roman Altar found near the Great Roman Wall in Northumberland, England, has two Swastikas carved on either side of a crescent moon.
Greeks believed Swastika as sacred symbol and associated it with the Apollo, their Sun God. The statue of Apollo in his chariot at historical museum in Vienna has a large Swastika depicted on his chest. Greeks called Swastika a Gammadion and used it very extensively on terracotta figures, tiles, shields, coins.
Aztec, Mayan and Inca civilisation in central and South America also used Swastika freely along with whirly form of Swastika in their art work and in their temples. Swastika has migrated across many cultures, races and religions and has become the universal symbol. It is amazing fact how this non-violent and kind symbol found its way even into Islamic Mosques! The Friday Mosque in Sfahan, Iran, has lots of beautiful mosaic symbols in various places and many of them have beautiful and colourful images of Swastika designed.
People may think Swastikas would be oddly out of place in a Christian church, but the Swastika has a long history as a symbol for Christ. During the first three centuries A.D, it is said, the Swastika was the only form of cross used by Christians in catacombs and churches. It was a disguised form of the cross and a unifying symbol among those who survived a common persecution. In Rome, it is called Crux Dissimulata because the early Christians concealed themselves, the Church did not adopt the crucifix until the sixth century when Christianity had become the official religion of Rome. Swastikas can be seen decorating the Christian Catacombs of Rome.
In Japan Swastika is called Manji, named after an ancient God. It is found on major temples and street-corner shrines in Japan and far eastern countries. The Chinese called it “Wan”. The ancient Chinese Falun Dafa or Gong practitioners have five Swastikas in their organisation’s logo and they hold very high respects for Swastika and they have been propagating worldwide for re-establishing the use of Swastika again in its original purpose. Swastika was widely used in ancient Persia, now known as Iran, before the Islamic invasion.
Swastika is originated in Aryavarta, present Bharat or India as westerner calls it. It is the first meaningful symbol of human race. In the present day it is evident that Swastika is prominent religious symbol in East. It is worshipped in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Taoism many millenniums and centuries before Jesus Christ and respected by many in the Asian continent. Swastika is part and parcel of daily life and worship for the people of Asian and Eastern countries. Swastika is present everywhere in India! The lesser-publicised aspect of the Swastika symbol is the positive presence of Swastika in the western world prior to World War II. , The Swastika was widely used on good luck greeting cards, as part of company logos and promotions. Even the world famous drinks company “Coca-Cola”, in 1925, made a lucky watch fob in the shape of a Swastika. There is much evidence that Swastika was used as a lucky talisman in Britain, America and much of Europe just prior to the Second World War.””