The Powerful Symbol of the Swastika and its 12,000 Year History

chanakyakripa

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The swastika is asymbol that was used in the 20 th century byof one of the most hated men ever to have lived, a symbol that now representsthe slaughter of millions of people and one of the most destructive wars onEarth. But Adolf Hitler was notthe first to use this symbol. In fact, it was used as a positive and powerful symbol thousands of years before him,across many cultures and continents.

SpiritualBeginning for the Swastika

For the Hindus and Buddhists in India and other Asian countries, the swastika wasan important symbol for many thousands of years and, to this day, the symbolcan still be seen in abundance - on temples, buses, taxis, and on the cover ofbooks. It was also used in Ancient Greece and Rome, and can be found in theremains of the ancient city of Troy, whichexisted 4,000 years ago. The ancient Druids andthe Celts alsoused the symbol, reflected in many artifacts that have been discovered. It wasused by Nordic tribes, and even early Christians used the Swastika as one oftheir symbols, including the TeutonicKnights , a German medieval military order, which became a purelyreligious Catholic Order.But why is this symbol so important and why did Adolf Hitler decide to use it?

Positive Days of the Swastika

The word ‘swastika’ is a Sanskrit word (‘svasktika’) meaning ‘Itis’, ‘Well Being’, ‘Good Existence, and ‘Good Luck’. However, it is also knownby different names indifferent countries - like ‘Wan’ in China, ‘Manji’ in Japan, ‘Fylfot’ inEngland, ‘Hakenkreuz’ in Germany and ‘Tetraskelion’ or ‘Tetragammadion’ inGreece.

In 1979, a Sanskrit scholar P. R.Sarkar said that the deeper meaning of the word is‘Permanent Victory’. He also said that like any symbol it can have positive andnegative meaning depending on how it is drawn. So in Hinduism, the right-handswastika illustrated below is a symbol of the God Vishnu and the Sun, while theleft-hand swastika is a symbol ofKali and Magic.

The double meaning of symbols is common in ancienttraditions , like for example the symbol of the pentagram(five pointed star), which is viewed as negative when pointing downwards, andpositive when pointing upwards

12,000 Years of Symbolism

The earliest swastika ever found was uncovered in Mezine, Ukraine, carved on an ivory figurine which dates back anincredible 12,000 years. One of the earliest cultures that are known to haveused the Swastika was a Neolithic culture in Southern Europe, in the area thatis now Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, known as the Vinca Culture,which dates back around 8,000 years.

In Buddhism, the swastika is a symbol of goodfortune, prosperity, abundance and eternity. It is directly related to Buddhaand can be found carved on statues on the soles of his feet and on hisheart.  It is said that it contains Buddha’s mind.

On the walls of the Christiancatacombs in Rome, the symbol of the Swastika appearsnext to the words “ZOTIKO ZOTIKO” which means “Life of Life”. It can also befound on the window openings of the mysterious Lalibela Rock churches of Ethiopia, and in various other churches around the world.

In Nordic Myths , Odinis represented passing through space as a whirling disk or swastika lookingdown through all worlds. In North America, the swastika was used by theNavajos. In Ancient Greece, Pythagoras used the Swastika under the name‘Tetraktys’ and it was a symbol linking heaven and earth, with the right armpointing to heaven and its left arm pointing to Earth.

It has been used by the Phoenicians as asymbol of the Sun and it was a sacred symbol used by the priestesses.

How and why did so many diverse countries and cultures, acrossmany eras, use the same symbol and apparently with the same meaning?  

It is ironic, and unfortunate, that a symbol of life andeternity that was considered sacred for thousands of years has become a symbolof hatred.

Taken from: ARTICLE By John Black

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