Wednesday 21 February 2007

What does the Swastika means now ?

The other day I learnt that Germany has put a ban on the use of the swastika symbol because it represents Nazism … Hitler has turned swastika into hatred !!

This equatorial cross with its arms bent at right angles, all in clockwise direction, is the symbol of eternity & continuity of life and since time immemorial has been the auspicious symbol of the Hindus. swastika has symbolic meaning for the Jains and Buddhists as well.

Some authorities have interpreted swastika as the symbol of good luck in the old Mesopotamian culture and symbol of deity during the old iron age. Another interpretation of the symbol attaches it with power, strength & symbol of sun … and I guess that is what made Adolf Hitler pick it up for the Nazi flag !!

In Mein Kampf , Hitler described the Nazis' new flag: "In red we see the social idea of the movement, in white the nationalistic idea, in the swastika the mission of the struggle for the victory of the Aryan man, and, by the same token, the victory of the idea of creative work, which as such always has been and always will be anti-Semitic."

For decades, the swastika meant life and good luck. But because of the Nazis, it has also taken on a meaning of death and hate. Can there be two completely different meanings for a symbol?

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