|| Auspicious Signs -Vol-1 ||

||  Auspicious Signs   ||

 

||  Om: Cosmic Creation ||

 

The Foremost among them is the sacred Om. It is believed to be the visual depiction of cosmic sound, from which all matter and space originates. In its monosyllabic sound, it contains the Brahman or the entire universe and its energy. So fundamental is Om to Hindu culture, that it is the first shape that every child draws as he begins his education. It is also the first chant of the priest as he invokes the gods in prayer. This motif can be seen on doorways, temples, account books, religious texts, the cradles of the newborn and on ceremonial clothes, in a variety of colors and with many embellishments.

 

||  Swastika: Symbol Of The Sun God  ||

 

The early Aryans looked upon the sun as the source of energy and life. They created a golden-limbed deity - Surya, the sun god - who rides a golden chariot drawn by seven horses. They raised many exquisitely sculpted temples to venerate him. A special graphic symbol was visualized to represent the sun's energy and munificence - the swastika. Hindus draw the swastika in vermilion on business documents and bridal clothes for luck. They paint it on the walls and thresholds of homes to energize the environment. Naturally linked with the glitter of gold, the swastika is worn as a locket hung on a gold chain - a talisman to ward off darkness, despair and danger. The word swastika means 'all-well'. Its short form swasti is commonly used in all sacraments and ceremonial chants. The shape of this symbol was created to point our the four cardinal directions in which fire sticks were placed to begin Vedic sacrificial fires. An ancient symbol, it was found in civilizations such as the Greek, Egyptian and Chinese. Used in snake worship, it is supposedly seen on the hoods of cobras. The auspicious Swastika is always dedicated to the springtime sun.

 

||  The Third Eye: Font Of Perception  ||

 

An Indian symbol that often baffles many in the West is the third eye. A number of Hindu deities, particularly Shiva, the destroyer and cosmic dancer, and his wife Durga, are portrayed in iconography as having a third eye in the centre of the forehead. In fact, this is merely a symbol representing the capacity of human consciousness to see beyond the obvious to perceive beyond the outwardly visible and tangible; to reach that inner source of life which is the font of divine energy and power. This symbolism says that all human beings who use their discriminative powers, can, in the silence of their inner selves, seek the sanctuary of truth and purity. Despite this deep metaphysical meaning, the symbol of the third eye is often mistake as the power of destroys.