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भ० महावीर-स्मृति ग्रंथ।
The soverth symbol, the Swastikā, in the Astmangala group bas very wide application in art is of a very ancient tradition in the history of world thought. Among the symbols bearing a boary antiquity the symbol of svastikā finds a conspicuous place It is the most philosophically Scientific of all of them, as also the most comprehensive. The entire 'theory of creative evolution is summarised, as is said, in the fer lines represented by it. From the universal principles of god-head of cosmeotheogony down to anthropogony or the principle underlying human forms of the deities, from the indivisible unknown Parabrahman to the humble mojeron of common materialistic Science, it represents but one simple summary of them all. This 18 why Sivastikā, in whatever form or design it may be, is present as a mystic symbol 10 almost all the ancient patioas of the world. The lines represented in the combination are those of the 'Worker's Hammers' of the Chaldean Book of Numbers * The sparks coming out from the strikes of these Hammers form the nucleus of the worlds themselves The Jain interpretation of the syastıkā as given in the Acāradinaxara is but quite simple. According to that text the symbol being only an auspicious mark is to be drawn in front of the Lord as signifying peace and prosperity that reigned on earth on the cre of the birth of the Tirthankara 36 The discovery of the Swastika in the lowest stratum at Susa suggests the connecting link between the Sumerian and the other Western Asiatic countries and the Indian or the Arean This is in fact one of those Constituent elements in Indian art that are not peculiarly Indian but properly speaking, found in common with many of the countries in Western Asia In the Hathīgumpbā caves at Khandagiri this Swastika symbol has been found to exist as early as the first Cent. A. D. Numistracic evidence too points to the same conclusion that along with other symbols like the wheel, taurine etc, the Swastiki was used as a Coin mark on the early coinages, from the 2nd. and gbe 3rd. Cent. B. C. An anonymour coin from Kosam" and another from Avanti and 'a third from Taxila shot this symbol. The Swastika along with the Taurine, eta, is thus very ancient Peculiarly to Jain ideology it has a meaning of its OPA. The 'Sathia' as it is called in modern Guzrati, is the most important of all
38 Compare in this connection the hammers of Viswakarman of Hinda mythology, who comes dearest to the conception in the Chaldean civilisation. 39 CF. Svastıbhūgagapanāga pistapesuditam Jibayarodayo Ksaņāt Svastikam taddgumānato Jinasyāgrato budhajanairvitishyahell
--Acāradınkara, loc. cit. 40 A. K. Coomers wamy, History of Indian and Indonesian Art p 13.
41. V. A Smith-Catalogue of the coins in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, Vol 1 (London) 1906, p. 155, pl XX, 6 5
42 Ibid p. 153, pl XX, fig 2, and p 156 Pl. XX fig. 6,
