July 14, 2007 - Kolkata, India

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
~ Yoda

While walking through street vendors today, I spotted a woman selling hand-carved wooden stamps. I immediately purchased a few and did not even haggle the price, because I was so impressed with the craft. The woman then reached for my left hand. In India the left hand remains a symbol of uncleanliness and is rarely ever touched, so I was surprised. She then proceeded to take my newly purchased stamps, and others that surrounded her, dip them into a deep red-like paste, and cover my palm in a henna design.

The swastika is a Hindi symbol, meaning good fortune, luck, and well-being. It comes from the Sanskrit word svasti (sv = well; asti = is). When placed on the left hand, it represents night and magic. It is an important symbol in Hindi weddings, much like the heart in the US. We have repeatedly seen the symbol on temples, ashrams, and yoga retreats.

Sadly, in the early 1900's, the Nazis adopted the swastika, reversed the direction of the arms, and changed the meaning to purity and superiority of the Aryan race. The Nazis believe the early Aryans of India were white invaders. In reality, Aryans came from Iran and melded with the native Indians relitively peacefully. The Indian people have refused to let the negative connotations in the Western World overrun the deeply rooted meaning the swastika holds in the Eastern World.

The beautiful henna design on my left hand includes a swastika.