Sri Bharatamata

Ashtottaram 59

 

59) OṀ DHARMA CHAKRA BHŨMYAINAMAH:

           OṀ (AUM) - DHAR-MA- CHAK-RA- BHOO- MYAI- NA-- MA- HA

 

(Dharma: means-Virtue, duty, code of conduct; Chakra: means-wheel)

 

 

 

 

In the middle of our National Flag, is a wheel which is 'dharma chakra'- a symbol of progress and dharma. It has 24 spokes. This is also called 'Dharma Chakra of Aśoka' who was one of the Emperors of India. It reminds us to be dhārmic, in every minute of our life. Our scriptures are full of eulogy for dharma. Dharma is 'that which upholds or supports'. What is this 'dharma' about which our scriptures and great men have waxed so eloquent throughout history! As is the case with many other Sanskrit words, it is rather difficult to give exact translation of the word dharma. It has been variously translated as 'religion,' 'law,' 'duty,' 'religious ordinance or rite,' 'code of conduct' and so on. It can mean any one or more or all of these, depending upon the context.

 

The wheel also symbolizes as the 'wheel of saṃsāra' (trans-migratory existence, cycle of birth and death). It reminds us not to get caught in the wheel of birth and death. This wheel is the 'wheel of time' in which the 24 spokes represent 24 hours of the day, progress to weeks, months, seasons and years; and rolls on as the times moves on. There is so much to know about the progress. Anciently, our land has shown advancement in every field of secular as well as spiritual knowledge and ancient sages and seers have explored every aspect of life in every angle for the advancement of humanity and human progress. When ancient western people are wearing animal skins and struggling to make fire, our seers were performing yāgas, yajnams, and homams (fire rituals and offerings) to please the gods, goddesses and the Prakruti (goddess of the nature). As far back as in Ṛigveda, the wheel was symbolized for the Sun god, because Sun represents the moving time. Sri Vishṇu holds a discus in his right hand called 'Sudarśana Chakra,' which has 6 spokes representing the 6 seasons.

By placing the wheel at the center of the flag, we are reminded constantly, to move forward in all spheres of life including spirituality. Death has no movement and is 'jada' meaning 'motionless'; however life is full of 'chaitanyam' meaning awareness. So, we can see this meaning also in the wheel. It tells us that we must get rid of our stupidity, idiocy, nonsensical- senselessness, and move forward with open-mindedness, enthusiasm, tolerance and hard work. If you look at it from another different angle, during the freedom movement, to protest the British rulers imposing taxes on the fabric produced by our own cotton, in our own mills, by our own people; to show that injustice to our people, Gandhi started spinning the fabric thread on a spinning-wheel. As a reminder of that freedom struggle also, the wheel may have been included

in our National flag!

 

From so many angles, our National leaders thought of including a wheel in the center of the flag and our land is 'Dharma Chakra Bhūmi'.