The Swastika in Hinduism

The swastika is one of the oldest and most auspicious symbols in Hinduism. For thousands of years it has been used to invite good fortune, prosperity and well-being. It is drawn at the entrances of homes, on account books, on wedding invitations and in temples, and it is marked during puja and festivals such as Diwali. In the West, however, the symbol is associated above all with the Nazis, who adopted and distorted it in the twentieth century.

What the word means

The word swastika (Sanskrit svastika) comes from su, “good”, and asti, “it is”: in other words, “well-being” or “it is well”. The common blessing svasti means “may it be well”, and appears in many Vedic prayers.

The Hindu swastika

The Hindu swastika is an equal-armed cross with each arm bent at a right angle, usually in the clockwise direction, and is often drawn with a dot in each of the four quarters. It is normally shown upright, not tilted. Hindus give it many meanings:

• the four directions, and the sun moving through the sky;
• the four Vedas, the four aims of life, the four stages of life and the four ages;
• the endless turning of the cycle of creation;
• Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, with whom it is closely associated, and Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune.

An anticlockwise form, sometimes called the sauvastika, is associated in some traditions with night or with the goddess Kali, though usage varies.

How Hindus use the swastika

• Drawn in red kumkum or turmeric at the threshold or door of a home, to welcome good fortune.
• Marked on the first page of new account books, especially at Diwali, with the words Shubh Labh (“auspicious profit”).
• Drawn on vehicles, ritual pots and offerings during puja.
• Used on wedding invitations, at house-warmings and at the start of new ventures.

A universal ancient symbol

The swastika is far older than Hinduism as we know it. It appears on seals of the Indus Valley Civilisation, and similar designs are found in ancient cultures around the world, including Neolithic Europe, ancient Greece, Celtic and Norse art, and among Native American peoples. It is also sacred in Buddhism, where it often appears on images of the Buddha and is known in Japan as the manji, and in Jainism, where it is the emblem of the seventh Tirthankara and part of the official Jain symbol.

The Nazi distortion

In the late nineteenth century, European scholars and nationalists linked the swastika to the idea of an ancient “Aryan” race, misusing a term that in Sanskrit simply means “noble”. In 1920 the Nazi Party adopted a black swastika, tilted at 45 degrees on a white circle and red background, as its emblem. The Nazis called it the Hakenkreuz, “hooked cross”. After the crimes of the Nazi regime, the symbol became, for most people in the West, a sign of hatred, genocide and white supremacy.

Reclaiming the symbol

For Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, the swastika remains a sacred sign of peace and well-being. Many Hindus in Britain, Europe and North America have campaigned to explain its true meaning and to distinguish it from the Nazi emblem; some propose using the term “Hakenkreuz” for the Nazi symbol. At the same time, Hindu communities in the West are often careful about displaying the swastika publicly, aware of the pain it can cause to people who have suffered from Nazi and neo-Nazi hatred.

Sources and further reading

• Steven Heller, The Swastika: Symbol Beyond Redemption? (Allworth Press, 2000).
• Malcolm Quinn, The Swastika: Constructing the Symbol (Routledge, 1994).