Is Indian Flag Spiritual or Secular?
(Compilation
for a Discourse by N.R.Srinivasan, August 2014)
Indian National flag was based on
the flag of Indian National congress with three bands of saffron, white and
green with spinning wheel or Charaka so dear to Mahatma Gandhi in the middle on
the white background. The Chakra or
wheel which replaces Charaka is at the center of the National Flag of the
Republic of India where it appears in navy-blue color on a white
background. A few days prior to India’s
Independence (July 27 1947), a specially constituted Constituent Assembly
decided that the flag of India must be accepted by all parties and communities.
The modified version retained the three bands as such but replaced the Chraka
with Chakra, the Wheel of Dharma from
Buddhism with 24 spokes. They also
justified that way the flag takes care of the least represented Buddhist
followers in India which guarantees protection of minority interests by its
secular constitution.
When Buddha attained enlightenment
in Gaya he came to Saranath on the
outskirts of Varanasi. There he
re-found his Panchavargeeya Bikshus or five disciples (Buddhist monks)who had
earlier moved out of him. He gave his first sermon to them, promulgating
Dharmachakra containing eight spokes to represent eight paths of duty. An eight-fold Dharmachakra resembles traditional ship's wheel. As a nautical emblem this image is a common sailor's tattoo. Later Dharmachakra had 12 spokes. Asoka
Chakra is an adoption of Dharmachakra of Buddha. This had 24 spokes as in the Indian National
Flag. Later Buddhists followers during
Asoka’s time interpreted 12 out 24 spokes as representing twelve casual links
to life taught by Buddha. These are: 1.
Avidyaa (lack of spiritual
knowledge; 2) Samskaara (sacrament); 3) Vijnaana (Consciousness); 4) Naamaroopa (name and form); 5) Shadyaatana (six sense including mind);
(6) Sparsa (contact); (7) Vedanaa (Pain); (8) Trishnaa (Thirst); 9)
Upaadaana (Seeking alms); 10) Bhaava
(existing) 11) Jaati (Birth in specific society) and 12) Jaraa-marana
(old age and death). These 12 together
with the reflection on the other side constituted 24 Dhamma or Life (in Pali
language).Probably these 24 represents 24 aspects of the Sun. Buddhist explanation of 24 spokes in Ashoka
Chakra is actually 12 on one side and the mirror image of 12 on the other side,
making it, 24.
Extending this Buddhist explanation above of Asokachakra Hindus may explain this
twenty-four spokes to be representing 48 letters of Sanskrit which 48
symbolizes Supreme Principle (Kshetra of
Akshara or Ksherjana). Svetasvatara Upanishad describes Brhamachakra of 50
spokes which includes in addition to 48 alphabets Bindu (.) and Visarga (:) which are not alphabets.
Sanskrit language has 48 alphabets from A to Ha which represents Supreme Principle
who is described as aksharah and aham as contained in Mahavakya aham Brahmaasmi. The consonants ka to Bha containing 24 alphabets are also
said to symbolize 24 aspects of Sun according to Hindu Scriptures. 16 vowels
represent Moon the transcendental aspect of Brahman. The consonants from ma to the last letter ha are ten aspects of Fire. Parabrahman is also called Rudra and
glorified with Panchabrahma Mantras in MNU.
Sun, Moon and Fire are the three eyes of Parabrahman or Rudra praised in
Vedas in Rudraprasna. It is therefore logical to conclude that Asokachakra
lends itself more towards Brahmachakra than Buddhist Dharmachakra. The
forty-eight spokes of the wheel back and forth together represent 48 alphabets
of Sanskrit or Parabrahman. 24 spokes could also represent 24 hours in a day
and the wheel Kaalachakra whose custodian is Kaala or Time that is Brahman
which is in continuous forward motion as a wheel. It is likely 24 aspects of
Sun represented by consonants Ka to Bha might have given the idea for Western astronomers to divide
a day into 24 equal divisions moving away from 30 Muhurtas for a day as
originally followed by ancient Hindu astrologers for time calculation.
Again, the wheel consists of Hub the origin representing
Creation, Spokes Sustenance, and Rim the Ending representing three aspects as
Srishti, Sthiti, Laya and the wheel as a whole the cyclic nature of these three
aspects. Again of the three colors the green represent Motherland, Orange
represents spirit of sacrifice and white represent maintenance of Peace which
reminds the duty of every Indian to protect the Motherland in a spirit of
sacrifice and maintain universal peace. From Vedantic point of View wheel
Represents Parabrahman and three colors represents Parasakti in her three
aspects of Jnaanasakti, Icchaasakti and Kriyaasakti. Chandrasekharanada Saraswati in his speech
on August 15, 1947 when India got its Independence says Green represents Durga
as the Universal Mother (Earth is hailed as Universal Mother in MNU) orange of
golden hue indicating Prosperity for Lakshmi and white representing Saraswati
or Knowledge. It is also possible Green represents Mother Earth or Lakshmi
indicating Prosperity; orange (kesari) representing Veerya of Durga (veera-kesari often referred to lion),
strength or power and White
Saraswati representing Light or Knowledge. He also refers Wheel of Dharma as Bhagawan
represented by Sudharsana Chakra which
Krishna occasionally wielded to preserve Dharma as dharmachakra (vinaasaaya
cha dushkritaam). Just as Vishnu with Sudarsana Chakra, Siva is
always identified with the Trident.
However Swamiji does not refer to Brahmachakra of Upanishads. Thus the
Indian Flag is complete in itself as representing Brahman in his Nirguna aspect
(Purusha) and Saguna aspect (Prakriti) and as the manifestation of Kaalachkra
with twenty four wheels to represent twenty-four hours in a day in a continuous
process in motion as a wheel. Whatever
may be the explanation of the flag to defend the secular declaration of
Government of India it represents the Supreme Being in all aspects and completely
in concurrence with the motto Satyameva Jayate where Satya means Truth which again
means Brahman alone. Thus it is a wheel focused on Sanatana Dharma.
Radhakrishnan, the philosopher was an authority in Hindu
philosophy. He was aware of Sri Rama’s statement
in Ramayana “Jananee janmabhoomischa praanaadapi gareeyaci” (Mother and Mootherland are dearer
than life). He also knew the famous
Vedic quote Charaiveti Charaiveti (Move on and move forward).
He also associated the flag with
the motto Satyameva Jayate—Truth alone triumphs or prevails or Brahman alone is True.
Sarvapalle Radhakrishnan who later
became India's first Vice President and then second President, explained
the features the adopted flag and described its significance as follows:
“The saffron color or Bhagwa denotes renunciation or
disinterestedness. Our leaders must be
indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. The White
in the center is light, the path of Truth to guide our work. The green shows
our relation to (the soil); our relation to the plant life here, on which all
other life depends. The Ashoka Chakra in the center of the white is the wheel
of Dharma. Truth or Satya-dharma or virtue ought to be the controlling
principle of those who work under the flag. Again, the wheel denotes motion.
There is death in stagnation. There is life in movement. India should no more
resist change, it must move and go forward. The wheel represents the dynamism
of peaceful change.” Probably The President was recalling the Vedic Mantra Charaiveti
Charaiveti from Vedas
meaning move on and move forward, represented by the motion of the wheel.
America’s motto “In God we Trust” with no reference to any
God based on religion is free from any religious bias. USA’s other quote found in all currencies “E
pluribus Unum” meaning
“Out of many One” clarifies that God is One, the Universal Lord as defined in
Vedas
Tadekam, that alone or Truth. Similarly India’s
motto “Satyameva
Jayate” reference to
Supreme Principle often referred as “Truth” with no reference to later Puraanic
Hindu deities—Satyam, sivam, sundaram is free from any religious bias. Hindu origin is Sanatana Dharma which
is obligated to treat all people on earth as one family-- “Vasudeka Kutumbakam”. It is interesting to note the Dharmachakra is also US armed forces military chaplain's insignia for Buddhist chaplains. Thus the two countries are spiritually secular if not politically
secular but fail to politically convince atheists whose number is growing in
the material world.
REFERENCES AND
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
1.
Jagadguru
Chandrasekharananda Saraswati, India’s Independence Day Speech on August 15,
1947.
2.
Seshiengar A, India through the Ages, Sri
Ramchandra Book Depot, Mysore, India.
3.
Srinivasan
N.R., Srichakra of Sri Lalita and Brahmachakra of Parabrahman,
<nrsrini.blgspot.com>
4.
Srinivasan
N.R., Sanskrit Language is Divine, is Tamil too?
5.
Wikipedia
and other Internet sources.
[This discourse material is a compilation from the reference above as well as other sources for a prepared
lecture for delivering at Vedanta Class of Sri Ganeha Temple which is
gratefully acknowledged. I do not claim anything as original though I have
included my explanations and comments elaborately suitably editing. Anybody is
free to download partly or fully this discourse, modify and redistribute this
as well as other discourses from the
blog Hindu Reflections <nrsrini.blogspot.com> for spreading the wisdom of
Vedas and scriptures further. These lectures are
posted on the blog for the benefit of those who are not able to attend
my lectures personally due to personal reasons or due to not living in
Nashville or able to go through the various sources as I have done.]