MY IGNORANCE

This was during my last year’s visit to Agra and Mathura. It was quiet late in the evening when we reached Mathura after the Agra visit. There was an Englishman who was travelling with us and he had got chatty with my kids and so he stuck with us during the entire Mathura visit as we all were translating to him in English what the guide was telling us in Hindi.

First, we visited the place where Lord Krishna was supposed to have been born, yes, the very jail. (I am saying ‘supposed to’ because the place looked quiet modern, with ASI having restored it over the years.) Being the holiday season, the crowd was huge and as we pushed through (it was claustrophobic), this Englishman showed us a symbol on the wall and asked its meaning.  I went closer to have a look at the symbol, which was a “swastika” and I was stumped!!! Am familiar with the symbol, but its meaning?? Boy! Was I embarrassed and ashamed?

It is humanly not possible for a person to know everything but, this……we Hindus grow up with these symbols, i.e., the OM, SHRI, and SWASTIK. As toddlers we are first taught to write these symbols in the “Akasharabhaysa” ceremony that initiates us to the world of formal education. As kids, we are taught to use these symbols before writing anything in our books, as they are auspicious. These symbols can be seen on invitation cards and the Priest makes a swastika in vermilion before starting a religious ceremony, pooja or a ritual. These symbols are such an integral part of our customs and rituals and I did not know the meaning of this.

The old is giving way for the new and we are all evolving and changing in terms of beliefs and faiths. Our customs are evolving too….we are discarding what we no longer believe or need. But, we are not able to impart cultural and religious values to our kids as our parents did to us. I do feel that the basic knowledge of these should be imparted to our future generations as a part of our legacy as they are still relevant and play a pivotal role in our lives

FOR YOUR INFORMATION: - (for people like me who don’t know the meaning of swastika)

The word swastika came from the Sanskrit word svastika, meaning any lucky or auspicious object, and in particular a mark made on persons and things to denote good luck. It is composed of su- meaning "good, well" and asti "to be" svasti thus means "well-being." The suffix -ka either forms a diminutive or intensifies the verbal meaning, and svastika might thus be translated literally as "that which is associated with well-being," corresponding to "lucky charm" or "thing that is auspicious.( source- Wikipedia).