Bhaktisandesam - Hindu Symbols

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Symbols We Live With.

Important Hindu symbols explained!

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Hinduism employs the art of symbolism with amazing effect. No

religion is so replete with symbols as this ancient religion. And all

Hindus are touched by this all-pervasive symbolism all through the

life in some way or the other.

 

Basic Hindu symbolism is enunciated in the Dharmashastras, but much

of it developed with the evolution of his unique 'way of life'. On

the surface, many Hindu symbols may seem to be absurd or even dumb,

but discovering the deeper meaning of the such symbolism is sheer

joy!

 

Om or Aum

As the cross is to Christians, the Om is to Hindus. It is made up of

three Sanskrit letters, aa, au and ma which, when combined, make the

sound Aum or Om. The most important symbol in Hinduism, it occurs in

every prayer and invocation to most deities begins with it. As the

symbol of piety, Om is often found at the head of letters, pendants,

enshrined in every Hindu temple and family shrines.

 

This symbol is actually a sacred syllable representing the Brahman or

the Absolute -the source of all existence. Brahman, in itself, is

incomprehensible so a symbol becomes mandatory to help us realize the

Unknowable. The syllable Om occurs even in English words having a

similar meaning, for

instance, 'omniscience', 'omnipotent', 'omnipresent'. Thus Om is also

used to signify divinity and authority. Its similarity with the

Latin 'M' as also to the Greek letter 'Omega' is discernable. Even

the word 'Amen' used by Christians to conclude a prayer seems to be

akin to Om.

 

Swastika

Second in importance only to the Om, the Swastika, a symbol which

look like the Nazi emblem, holds a great religious significance for

the Hindus. Swastika is not a syllable or a letter, but a pictorial

character in the shape of a cross with branches bent at right angles

and facing in a clockwise direction. A must for all religious

celebrations and festivals, Swastika symbolizes the eternal nature of

the Brahman, for it points in all directions, thus representing the

omnipresence of the Absolute.

 

The term 'Swastika' is believed to be a fusion of the two Sanskrit

words 'Su' (good) and 'Asati' (to exist), which when combined

means 'May Good Prevail'. Historians say Swastika could have

represented a real structure and that in ancient times forts were

built for defense reasons in a shape closely resembling the Swastika.

For its protective power this shape began to be sanctified.

 

The Saffron Color

If there is any color that can symbolize all aspects of Hinduism,

it's saffron - the color of Agni or fire, which symbolizes the

Supreme Being. The saffron color, also auspicious to the Sikhs, the

Buddhists and the Jains, seems to have obtained religious

significance much before these religions came into being.

 

Fire worship had its origin in the Vedic age. The foremost hymn in

the Rig Veda glorifies fire: " Agnimile purohitam yagnasya devam

rtvijam, hotaram ratna dhatamam. " When sages moved from one ashram to

another, it was customary to carry fire along. The inconvenience to

carry a burning substance over long distances may have given rise to

the symbol of a saffron flag. Triangular and often forked saffron

flags are seen fluttering atop most Sikh and Hindu temples. While

Sikhs regard it as a militant color, Buddhist monks and Hindu saints

wear robes of this color as a mark of renunciation of material life.

 

 

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Jai Shree Krishna !