Ans.
In the conventional type of a fort, the fall of one of
the gates to the attacking army would lead to the Enemy's
pouring into the fort and lead to massacre or capture
of all or most of its inhabitants. But under the Swastika
grids fall of one of the four gates could still keep,
at least three-fourths of the fort safe.
The
understanding of the Swastika as a blueprint for a fort
can also be etymologically corroborated. In Sanskrit,
Vasa means to inhabit and Vastu means habitation. While
Su means good. The word Swastika might be an amalgam of
the terms 'Su' and 'Vastu' pronounced as as 'Swastu')
meaning 'a good habitation'.
Incidentally
in Sanskrit the term Swasta means calm or peaceful. Thus
the term and concept of Swastika might as well be a derivation
of the name of a defensive structure which due to its
impregnable character was looked upon as a good habitation.
That
this form of a defensive arrangement was a fact is also
corroborated by the military practice of Chakra-vyuha
used during ancient times. In the Chakra-vyuha, the army
was arranged in the form of a circular grid which an enemy
army was supposed to break. This was one of the techniques
used during the Mahabharata war in which Arjuna's son
Abhimanyu was killed. That the Chakra-vyuha was an effective
form of defense and it was very
|
diffciult
to break it is corroborated by the episode of Abhimanyu
in the Mahabharata. Briefly, this episode is as follows:
The clue that the Grid like the Swastika as a defensive
arrangement was a fact is also corroborated by the military
practice of Chakra-vyuha used during ancient times. In
the Chakra-vyuha, the army was arranged in the form of
a circular grid which an enemy army was supposed to break.
This was one of the techniques used during the Mahabharata
war in which Arjuna's son Abhimanyu was killed. That the
Chakra-vyuha was an effective form of defense and it was
very difficult to break it is corroborated by the episode
of Abhimanyu in the Mahabharata.
When
Abhimanyu was on the family way, Sri Krishna used to take
Subhadra (Abhimanyu's mother) on excursions. To humour
her, Krishna used to relate many of his adventures to
the pregnant Subhadra. On one such excursion Krishna was
narrating his experience with the technique of Chakra-vyuha
and how step by step the various circles could be penerated.
It seems that Subhadra did not find this topic interesting
enough for she soon went into a slumber. But someone else
was interested in Sri Krishna's narration and that was
the yet to be born Abhimanyu.
While Subhadra dozed off, Abhimanyu continued to carefully
follow Srl Krishna's narrative of the Chakra-vyuha. But
after talking for sometime and not
|
receiving
any response from Subhadra, Sri Krishna turned back and
saw that Subhadra was savouring a sweet nap. Sri Krishna
who had at that time come upto the seventh step of the
Chakra-vyuha, gave up his narration and returned with
Subhadra to the palace. The unfortunate Abimanyu could
never obtain the technique of breaking all the circles
in the chakra-vyuha, but whatever he had heard Sri Krishna
say, he carefully preserved in his memory. He grew up
to be a brave handsome young man. Many years later when
during the Mahabharata war the Kavravas set up a Chakar-vyuha
and challenged the Pandavas to come forward and break
it, none of the Pandavas knew the technique of doing so.
At that Juncture to save the honour of the Pandavas, Abhimanyu
came forward and offerred his services for the task of
breaking the chakra-vyuha. Despite his incomplete knowledge
of the technique he entered tne grid and overcame one
circle after another till he come to the seventh one for
the breaking of which he had no knowledge. Brave and ambitious
as he was he fought valiantly in the unequal struggle
but in vain. His strength and bravery proved no match
against the skillfully laid out maze on warriors fighting
whom, he met his end.
Similarly
the Swastika could also have originated as a defensive structure which due to
its vast practical utility was considered powerful and was sanctified.
Back
| Top
|