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PALM The palm is a symbol of Jain religion. The lower portion of this palm shows fearlessness and symbolize the feeling of non-violence ‘Ahimsa’ towards all the creatures in this world. The circle in the middle of the hand symbolizes the cycle of reincarnation ‘Samsara’ and the 24 spokes represent the preachings of the 24 Tirthankars – ‘enlightened souls’, which can be used to liberate a soul from the cycle or reincarnation. The mantra of ‘Ahimsa’ at the bottom of emblem means ‘Live and Let Live’ - ‘Parsparograho Jivanam’. All creatures should help one another. The wheel of dharma with 24 spokes represents the religion preached by the 24 Jain Tirthankars which consist of nonviolence - ‘Ahimsä’, compassion, Aparigraha, Anekäntvaad and other virtues and equality of all the souls.

JAINISM The Swastika is a sacred symbol in Jainism. The four sides of Swastika symbolize the four forms of existence of the worldly (non-liberated) souls. The four forms are; heavenly beings, human, Tiryanch (which includes animals, birds and plants) and hellish beings. It reminds us that worldly souls undergo a continuous cycle of birth, suffering, and death in these four forms. Hence one should follow the true religion and be liberated from suffering. The three dots represent the Jain path of liberation the - Jain trinity: Right Faith - ‘Samyak Darshan’, Right Knowledge – ‘Samyak Jnäna’, and Right Conduct – ‘Samyak Chäritra’, which together lead to liberation. The crescent of the moon represents the region known as ‘Moksha’. This region is beyond the three worlds and it is the permanent place where the liberated souls reside .

SWASTIKA The Swastika is an extremely powerful symbol which is in use for over 3000 years. The image of swastika was used by many cultures around the world, including China, Japan, India and southern European countries. The symbol has many names: ‘wan’ in China, ‘flyflot’ in England, ‘hakenkeuz’ in Germany, ‘tertraskelion’ and ‘gammadion’ in Greece and ‘swastika’ in India. Native Americans also have long used the symbol of swastika. It is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. It remains widely used in Indian religions, specifically in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, primarily as a 'tantric' symbol to evoke 'Shakti' or the sacred symbol of good luck. The word 'swastika’ comes from the Sanskrit ‘svastika’ - ‘su’ meaning ‘good’, ‘asti’ meaning ‘to be’ and ‘ka’ as a suffix. It is the symbol which represents life, sun, power, strength and good luck.