Svastika

Although in the modern mind the
svastika is indelibly associated with
Adolph Hitler’s Germany, it has a long
and venerable history as an Indian symbol, predating the Nazis by several thousand years. The name is compounded
from su (“good”) + asti (“to be”) + ka
(“making”), and a general translation
would be something like “bringing good
fortune.” In Hindu India the svastika is a
symbol of life, prosperity, and good fortune, at least when the arms are pointing in a clockwise direction. Circling an
object in this direction presents one’s
right side to the central object, and since
this side is considered purer, the svastika
with arms pointing clockwise is considered more auspicious than its counterclockwise counterpart.