When I visited the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art in New York, there was an exhibit of Hindu shrines, arts, and culture. The celebration began on Diwali, which is beautiful if you have not seen it.
At the time of my visit (free entry), I learned so much about Diwali and the deities with swastikas in their palms as mudras, or symbols. I felt anger come over me with disdain. I needed to calm down before asking questions.
At that moment, I walked around to find a curator who could educate me on the anger I felt. To my surprise, the curator already knew what I was going to ask with a polite smile. They said, “This is the place to learn, ask questions, and be curious at any age.”
As stated by the curator, Hitler used the swastika for evil and harmful intent. The swastika has been used for over 5,000 years as a symbol of peace. I felt relieved by their words and my brain began to be curious about all the exhibits.
The Buddhist shrines were amazing, and the sound of healing just vibrated through my soul. I sat for about 30 minutes, meditated, and began to view the art pieces with more swastikas. There were educational pieces discussing the meaning of a swastika.
In Sanskrit, the word swastika means “conducive to well-being,” “su” means “good,” and “asti” means “to be,” according to the BBC’s piece on the history of the Hindu swastika. The direction of a swastika also dictated a different meaning before it was co-opted by Nazis. The right-facing swastika symbolizes the sun, prosperity, and good luck, and the left-facing swastika is called sauvastika and symbolizes night or tantric aspects of Kali, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Hindus adorn their thresholds with the swastika, especially during Diwali. The symbol would also be used on clay lamps, pots, shrines, art, or others as an ancient teaching of peace. Of course, there is a historical fight to protect this sacred symbol from the misguided use of it for hate by the Neo-Nazis and Hitler.
The sacred truth is the limbs have a variety of meanings that are symbolic in Hindu scripture. These are core to the four Vedas (Rig, Yakur, Sama, Atharva). They can also be seen as the four goals of life: Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha (right action, worldly prosperity, worldly enjoyment, and spiritual liberation). The limbs can also represent the four seasons, the four directions, and the four yugas, or epochs (Satya, Treta, Dvapara, Kali), according to a piece published by the Hindu American Foundation.
In Buddhism, the swastika signifies Buddha’s footprints and heart. For Jains, it’s a symbol for the seventh Tirthankara (one of the liberated souls showing the way of others). The arms represent one of four places where a soul is reborn as a cycle of birth and death, according to the same piece.
India’s belief in the ancient sacred symbol is positive. The right-facing swastika (clockwise) is an uspicious sign that’s drawn on doorsteps, vehicles, and during festive occasions. Swastikas with dots are a variation that is believed to increase its spiritual power for those of the Hindu belief.
The deity Lord Ganesh sometimes has a swastika on his right palm, and when I saw it, I was baffled at first. However, I realized it was important to address my ignorance of a taught behavior to ask questions and become educated on something that is used for hate.
