The Nazi connection with the Sanskrit Language
The Nazi regime was known to having certain occult beliefs. Many high ranked officials, including Hitler himself, were attracted to such knowledge and consequently sent an official expedition Tibet between 1938 and 1939 at the invitation of the Tibetan Government to attend the Losar (New Year) celebrations. Tibet had suffered long wars and attacks on its culture, language and religion, and therefore attempted to gain protection from the Japanese and German government. The governments agreed to a pact of neutrality but it only took Hitler a few years to dishonour it and defeat the Japanese. Several post-war writers on the Occult have asserted that Buddhism and the legend of Shambhala played a role in the German-Tibetan official contact.
This all began with the belief of the mystic land of Hyperborea-Thule. Plato had cited the Egyptian legend of the sunken island of Atlantis, Herodotus mentioned the Egyptian legend of the continent of Hyperborea in the far north. When ice destroyed this ancient land, its people migrated south. Rumours had spread that the Hyperborea had split into two islands, namely, Greenland and Iceland as we know them today. Next, historically, theories have suggested that the earth is in fact hollow, consisting of four concentric spheres. Shortly after, began the concept of vril, a superior race who lived beneath the earth who planned to conquer the earth with vril, a psychokinetic energy. The French author Louis Jacolliot linked the power of vril with the people of Thule, people who would become supermen and rule the world. During this time, Nietzsche was constructing the concept of the Ubermensch, and more interestingly started his final book , Der Antichrist with :
"-- Let us look one another in the face. We are Hyperboreans -- we know well enough how much out of the way we live. 'Neither by land nor sea shalt thou find the road to the Hyperboreans': Pindar already knew that of us. Beyond the North, beyond the ice, beyond death -- our life, our happiness.... We have discovered happiness, we know the road, we have found the exit out of whole millennia of labyrinth."
Although Nietzsche did not directly mention the concept of vril, he mentioned that we , as human beings, have a herd mentality, looking for protection , morality and rules. The supermen on the other has an internal vital force which provides them with the force to go beyond the herd. In The Arctic Home of the Vedas (1903), the early advocate of Indian freedom, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, added a further touch by identifying the southern migration of the Thuleans with the origin of the Aryan race. Therefore, many Germans of the time, including Hitler, were lead to believe that they were the rightful descendants of the Aryans who had migrated south from Hyperboread-Thule. They also believed that they were destined to become the supreme race, known as the supermen, through the power of vril.
The Swastika symbol was very much influenced from the Tibetan culture and Sanskrit language. The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit words su, meaning "well," and asti, meaning 'to be.' The swastika was used in various forms by many civilizations all over the world. It has been used by Scandinavians as a sign of Thor's hammer and early Christians as an alternative cross to avoid persecution. The symbol was also present in many eras and cultures namely, native American , Oriental, Egyptian and also Irish cultures. Although its exact origins are unknown researches believe that its first use might have been as a solar calendar illustration. "Swastika" is an Anglicization of the Sanskrit word svastika, which means well-being or good luck. The Germans did not use the Sanskrit word swastika, instead they called it "Hakenkreutz" meaning "hooked cross." Which would replace the Christian symbol of the cross, just as Neo-Paganism would defeat and replace Christianity.
The symbol of the Swastika is the archetype for spiral or spin -at 90 degree angles. 90 degrees represents separation - to become invisible - moving beyond the frequency of third dimension.
Since our reality is based on electromagnetic energies we usually perceive our reality as dualistic, hence theories which prove and sustain our idea of the North and South Pole. It is believed that our conscious awareness moves from one experience to the other in a spiral fashion ( This is known as the Fibonacci Spiral of Consciousness - Golden Mean - Phi Ratio.) These are believed to explain the nature of our reality. Hitler believed that if we spiral our conscious awareness downward we might be able to enter the third dimension which includes the physical realms – the place of duality and emotions. The four arms on the other hand relates to a symbol of completeness which might also explain how the origins of the word Swastika ( to be well/ all is well) might be seen as a route towards perfection.
It is interesting to see how a word in relation to a symbol might change its own very definition subjectively. As an ancient religious symbol the right-hand swastika is known to be one of the 108 symbols of the Hindu god Vishnu, as well as the symbol of the sun or the Hindu sun god, Surya. This is because it was primarily based on the rotation of the sun. The left-hand swastika , on the other hand, represents the Hindu goddess Kali who represents night and magic. Although this form of the swastika is not considered evil, this is in fact the type of swastika most commonly used in Buddhism. In Hinduism, it is also believed that the two symbols represent the two forms of the creator god Brahma: clockwise it represents the evolution of the universe (Pravritti), anti-clockwise it represents the involution of the universe (Nivritti). Also, this form of the swastika is often found on Chinese food packaging to signify that the product is vegetarian and can be consumed by strict Buddhists. It is often sewn into the collars of Chinese children's clothing to protect them from evil spirits. Additionally, the left-facing swastika is found on Japanese maps to indicate a temple. The swastika used in Buddhist art and scripture is known in Japanese as a manji, and represents Dharma, universal harmony, and the balance of opposites. When facing left, it is the omote (front) manji, representing love and mercy. Facing right, it represents strength and intelligence, and is called the ura (rear) manji. Balanced manji are often found at the beginning and end of Buddhist scriptures.
Unfortunately this information might not be recognised by many due to the connotations it has now gained after world war II. It is still fascinating to understand that even in recent History one single Sanskrit word has the ability to hold within it a whole philosophy about its objectivity and subjectivity. This, I believe, shows how Sanskrit really takes us back to our roots in language and although it might be considered as a dying language in today's society it will always remain one of the most resourceful languages known to mankind.
Bibliography
Berzinarchives.com, (2014). The Nazi Connection with Shambhala and Tibet. [online] Available at: http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/advanced/kalachakra/shambhala/nazi_connection_shambhala_tibet.html [Accessed 22 May. 2014].
Cdn.preterhuman.net, (2014). [online] Available at: http://cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/religion.occult.new_age/occult.conspiracy.and.related/Berzin%20Archives%20-%20The%20Nazi%20Connection%20with%20Tibet.pdf. [Accessed 22 May. 2014].
Religionfacts.com, (2014). Swastika - Hindu Symbols - ReligionFacts. [online] Available at: http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/symbols/swastika.htm [Accessed 22 May. 2014].
