Svaprakasha
(“self-revealing”) In Indian philosophy,
the notion that certain things such as
knowledge are self-revealing and do not
need anything else in order to be known.
The issue about whether these things
existed, and what they were if they did,
was a source of lively disagreement
among Indian thinkers.
Svarup
(“own-form”) In popular devotional dra-
mas such as the Ram Lila, which is
based on the story of the Ramayana,
svarup is the name for the child-actors
(most often brahminboys) playing the
parts of the gods and goddesses.
Viewing these performances is not sim-
ply entertainment but also an act of reli-
gious devotion, since such dramas are
considered to be ways in which the gods
reveal themselves to their devotees
(bhakta). When the actors are in make-
up and in character—or wearing
crowns, as in the case of the Krishna
lilasin the town of Brindavan—they are
actually considered to be forms of the
deity, revealed within the context of the
lila. As one sign of this status, a regular
feature of such performances is time set
aside for darshan, in which the actors sit
perfectly still for the viewers to view
them as an act of worship, in the same
way that people would interact with an
image in a temple.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 sym-
bol, predating the Nazis by several thou-
sand 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 for-
tune, at least when the arms are point-
ing 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 consid-
ered more auspicious than its counter-
clockwise counterpart.Svastikasana
(“svastika-posture”) One of the sitting
postures (asana) described in commen-
taries to the Yoga Sutras. In this posi-
tion, the right foot is inserted into the
space between the left thigh and calf,
and the left foot into the space between
the right thigh and calf (one of the feet is
pointing upwards, and the other down-
ward). The opposing directions of the
feet and the crossed legs evokes images
of the svastika, hence the name.Svatahpramanya
(“self-validating”) In Indian philosophy,
the notion that certain things, such as
knowledge, are self-validating. This
means that they can be definitively
known to be true in themselves, withoutSvaprakasha
In Indian traditions the image of a svastika, arms
pointed in a clockwise direction, symbolizes life,
prosperity, and good fortune.