Below is a very nice video about the Swastika as a symbol in Hinduism of purity, the Divine, etc. It speaks of the Nazi misuse of the symbol. As well done as the video is, to my mind a very important component is missing. This component is not only essential in a very literal sense, but is also missing in most discussions of Vedic Knowledge.
This essential point is that just as gravity or electricity is not a symbol, the swastika is not a symbol. The swastika is structured in the very nature of existence. It is an aspect of the very mechanic of nature. It is as if woven into the fabric underlying all of existence. It does not simply symbolize that, it IS that, just as the nuts and bolts in a car do not symbolize the structure of the car. The nuts and bolts are an essential aspect of the structure of the car.
So what does it mean to live in harmony with nature… in harmony with life? It means to live a life in harmony with the very structure of nature. As if to say not to deny gravity or electricity, but instead to live in harmony with it. To think of such things as merely symbols is to greatly compromise their significance. The fact that the swastika was used in such a horrendous manner by the Nazis only shows how out of alignment the world has been with nature.
Imagine a level of life when the deep underlying structure of nature is spontaneously known and lived. When all aspects of Vedic Knowledge are found within ones awareness, not out of habit or cultural orientation, but from inner knowing… inner wakefulness.
The more these things are represented on the surface with symbols and images, the better. However, the real value is that they are understood deeply as something that transcends religion in the traditional sense of the word ‘religion’. Instead they are directly experienced as eternal truths of nature… similar to how you might view gravity or electricity, only deeper and therefore more profound and meaningful. The various deities, pujas, havans, pradakshina, etc.… all these things must be understood, not as symbols but as technologies of Vedic science. It must not be based upon mere faith, just as your relationship with science is not based upon faith. It is one thing to say you know that, it is another to perceive it directly. That is the difference between knowing and Knowing.
All religions of the world dance around the underlying Truth of nature as echoes of Truth. But echoes of Truth can hold Truth at bay, if we cling to them simplistically. This is why I distinguish between the terms ‘Hindu’ and ‘Vedic’. Hinduism is a religion. Religions point in the direction of Vedic, but as it says in the Veda, real Knowledge only dwells in the awareness of the enlightened. Like everything in life, it is not just the things in life, it is your relationship with those things that make all the difference. Take care, lest that which is right under your nose will slip right through your fingers.
I have always been bothered by the horrible injustice that Hitler did to the swastika. Now I have a more complete understanding of how deep our world has gone into Kali Yuga. Maybe I’m even more bothered- the swastika, a beautiful part of the fabric of existence, is reviled by almost everyone in the West. I would love to hang a proper swastika on my wall, but I can’t… guests would think I’ve become a neo-Nazi.
I really like this blog. I think it is a good example of how there can be so much controversy and churning on the surface (in this case, what the symbol means) and how those things resolve as you go deeper (understanding that the swastika is structured in the very nature of existence and is an aspect of the very mechanic of nature). This seems key to bringing peace on earth.
When you talk about things being structured into the very nature of existence, I feel like I could spend oodles of time reflecting on that to understand it more fully. Thank you for another blog that takes us so much deeper.
By the way, for those of you who couldn’t post comments right away, the problem seems to be resolved.
I have heard your teachings on this in the past (in fact, I just listened to a class from 2001 where you discussed it). I thought I was listening carefully….! But this time it feels as if I am hearing it for the first time and its implications are so far-reaching. As you’ve quoted before, “the only true knowing is knowing that you know nothing”. It seems to me there is only one way….and it is as you’ve said…through the teachings of the enlightened. Not only that, but an enlightened being who is actually still on earth! I cannot believe how fortunate we are to live in your daily presence, to be assisted in freeing our consciousness so that we might, one day, come to “Know” all this from within.
Explaining the real meaning of the swastika has enhanced my perception beyond my old belief associated with Hitler and his distorted idea of unity. I appreciate, so much, your teaching and how you guide us, through meditation, to access this knowledge from deep inside. I so appreciate your presence every day.
I am very grateful for your finding this for us Brahmarshi. Even today, the library in my mom’s house has many books with the swastika on the spine. My dad was interested in the history of the Third Reich; my mother is still a German citizen despite have lived in the United States for many years now. She was a child when Hitler was in power. I’ve never even asked her how she feels about having this many of the swastikas still around in our house. I wonder if she has any awareness of it?
I know I held the negative association with the swastika as the first time I saw it on the forehead of a Hindu god, I was shocked and wondering who had debased the god’s picture in that way? And I’m realizing right now that even though I have been to many pujas now, that somehow I don’t “see” the swastika, either negatively or positively. I will have to meditate on this one…