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Meaning of OM and Swastik

 

OM

om

Om is a sound and symbol, rich in meaning and depth, often chanted at the beginning and end of yoga classes. It appears at the beginning and end of most Sanskrit (ancient language originated in India) prayers. It is a mystic syllable, considered the most sacred mantra. Lord Ganesha as OM is the ruler of the letters or mantras of Sanskrit.

Hindus believe that as creation began, the divine, all-encompassing consciousness took the form of the first and original vibration manifesting as sound “OM”. Hindus believe the mantra “OM” is the name of God, the vibration of the Supreme. It is sometimes chanted as three sounds, a-u-m, symbolic of the three major Hindu deities: Brahma Shakti (creation), Vishnu Shakti (preservation), and Shiva Shakti (liberation, and/or destruction).

Om reminds us that we have the ability to move past our physical and mental states of consciousness and connect with the divine – both in ourselves and others. It has been said that Om is the sound of the universe. In its essence, Om represents the sound of divinity in all things in the past, present, and future.

SWASTIK

swastik

Swastik, equilateral cross with arms bent at right angles, all in the same rotary direction, usually clockwise. The swastika as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune is widely distributed throughout the ancient and modern world. The word is derived from the Sanskrit svastika, meaning “conducive to well-being.” It was a favorite symbol of ancient Mesopotamian coinage. In Scandinavia, the left-hand swastika was the sign for the god Thor’s hammer. The swastika also appeared in early Christian and Byzantine art (where it became known as the gammadion cross, or crux gammata, because it could be constructed from four Greek gammas [ Γ ] attached to a common base), and it occurred in South and Central America (among the Maya) and in North America (principally among the Navajo).