Vedic Knowledge Series • Part 7
पवित्र प्रतीक
The signs and emblems that carry a whole truth in a single shape, passed heart to heart across the ages
Long before ideas were set down in words, they were carried in symbols — a sound, a shape, a sign that could hold a whole truth in an instant and pass it from heart to heart across the ages. Sanatana Dharma is rich in such symbols, found drawn at doorways, painted on foreheads, carved above temple gates, and worn as ornaments. A single sign can hold a truth that a thousand words reach for — and the heart understands it at a glance.
Om — written ॐ — is the most sacred of all sounds, the seed from which, the sages say, the whole universe arose. It is the primordial sound, the first vibration, the hum that underlies all things. In its three curves it is said to hold the three states of waking (A), dreaming (U), and deep sleep (M), and the dot above represents the silent fourth — pure awareness, Turiya. Chanted alone or opening and closing every mantra, it is a name of Brahman itself.
The swastika — whose name means 'that which brings well-being' (su + asti = good + being) — is among the most ancient and auspicious of signs, drawn at doorways and thresholds at the start of every sacred undertaking to invite good fortune. Its four arms stand for the four directions, the four Vedas, the four aims of life (dharma, artha, kama, moksha), and for the eternal cycle of time turning in all directions. It is found in civilisations worldwide — from Mohenjo-Daro to ancient Greece and Rome.
The lotus — padma — is the flower of purity and awakening. It rises from the mud at the bottom of the pond, grows through the murky water, and opens at the surface in flawless beauty, untouched and unstained by the mire it came from. So too, the soul may rise through all the troubles of the world and remain pure. It is the seat of Brahma, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. The Buddha achieves enlightenment under the lotus sky. In yogic tradition, the chakras are described as lotuses with differing numbers of petals.
The trishul — Shiva's three-pronged trident — holds the three powers of creation, preservation, and dissolution; the three qualities (gunas) that weave through all of nature (tamas, rajas, sattva); and the three times of past, present, and future. It is raised above the temples of Varanasi, the most sacred city on earth. When Shiva wields the trishul, all illusion is pierced. In personal practice it reminds us that we must master all three dimensions of our being — body, mind, and spirit.
The Sudarshan Chakra is the spinning, flaming discus that rests upon the finger of Lord Vishnu — his swiftest and most powerful weapon, sent out to cut down evil and shield the good. Its name means 'fair to behold' (su + darshan). The ever-turning wheel stands for the turning of time and the unbreakable law of dharma. It is said to spin at the speed of the mind — faster than thought. It destroys the impure and returns, like mercy itself, always back to its source.
The Shiva Linga is the form in which Lord Shiva is most widely worshipped — and yet it is the sign of the formless. A smooth column rising from a rounded base (the Yoni, representing Shakti), it is not the image of any earthly thing, but a mark pointing to the God who is beyond all shape, all measure, all beginning and all end. The column and base together represent the union of Shiva (pure consciousness) and Shakti (divine energy) — the inseparable pair from which all creation flows.
Sacred sounds to chant — the Sanskrit, how to say it, and what it means.