Gudrun Bühnemann is a Professor at the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her book, Mandalas and Yantras in the Hindu traditions (2003) there’s a chapter about the hexagram, where I found some info that was new to me (but I didn’t find an answer to the question about the origin of the Indian hexagram).
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The hexagram (satkona, sadara, tara) - Begley [1] 1973:85 notes that the word star, Tara, appears as a synonym for satkona
My Note (zeevveez): the sound of the word "sadara" id also close to he sound of the word "star".
[1] Begley Wayne Edison, Vishnu's flaming wheel: the iconography of the Sudarśana-cakra, New York University Press for the College Art Association of America, 1973
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In Budhist Tantrism the word "evam" is thought to be represented by two intertwined triangles...Kolver discusses the shapes of the letter e and the va which were remeniscent of downward pointing and upward pointing triangles around the sixth century C.E. and were visualized as hexagram... when Vagra-yogini is described as situated “in evam” this means that she is visualized inside a hexagram.
In descriptions of the symbolic shapes (mandala) of the elements the hexagram represents the element wind.
In the hexagram the deities are often worshipped at the points of intersection of the two triangles…
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In Budhist traditions hexagrams appear especially in mandalas of Vajra-Varahi / Vajra-Yogini.
According to Nath 1975-1976:78 the hexagram is also found in Indian temples, especially in Rajastahn were it is believed to have been associated with the worship of Siva and Sakti.
The hexagram appears in Islamic monuments of North India. Its center features a point (bindu) a lotus or a dancing peacock. (Nath 1975-1976:74-75).
Picture is courtesy of Thoufeek Zakriya from
One of the factors that complicate researching the Star of David symbol is that the Hexagram is the name of a few different things:
A. The six-pointed star (Star of David)
B. The Unicursal hexagram (drawn unicursally)
C. The name of each of the 64 yin-yang diagrams in the Chinese Book of Changes (I Ching)
D. The name of a large silver coin issued by 7th century Byzantine Emperors (Heraclius, Constans II, and Constantine IV)
Picture is courtesy of Saperaud from Wikipedia entry Hexagram (coin)
From: Inman, Thomas (1820-1876) Ancient pagan and modern Christian symbolism (1884)
Sri lantra [Yantra] is an ancient Hindoo [Hindu] emblem. The circle represents the world, in which the living exist; the triangle pointing upwards shows the male creator; and the triangle with the apex downwards the female; distinct, yet united. These have a world within themselves, in which the male is uppermost. In the central circle the image to be worshipped is placed. When used, the figure is placed on the ground, with Brahma to the east, and Laksmi to the west. Then a relic of any saint, or image of Buddha, like a modern papal crucifix, is added, and the shrine for worship is complete. It has now been adopted in Christian churches and Freemasons' lodges.
Vernon Jenkins MSc wrote on
http://www.whatabeginning.com/Misc/Tess2/P.htm
The Gematria of the letters of Genesis 1 is 2701 which is the result of 37 X 73.
37 and 73 may be depicted as a star of David
Nick wrote two excellent posts at his blog
This metal shield (click the link) with the zodiac Signs and with Solomon’s Seal framing the date 1594, belonged to the Moghul emperor Akbar (1542 –1605) and it is presented in the British Museum. On the web page of The disciples of Bhagawan Shri Lahari Krishna they write that the hexagram is known for almost all the Hindus in India as a symbol of the arrival of their king, who would unite them and rebuild the Indian nation. The authors of this page go on and tell us that Akbar’s shield reflects this messianic belief, since he put this six-pointed star near Pisces believing that the Indian Messiah is expected to come in February.
This messianic belief (assocated to the hexagram) is amazingly similar to the the Jewish and the Christian messianic beliefs - so the question is where exactly did this belief originate?
John J. Robinson claimed in his book (born in blood: the lost secrets of Freemasonry, 1989 ISBN 0871316021) that there’s a similarity between The Masonic Square and Compasses and Solomon’s Seal and the reason for this is that the Masonic Square and Compasses are one of many Masonic “loans” from the Knight Templars.
Star of David appears on a male headstone, and a Menorah on a female headstone at the Dallas Jewish cemetery.
I read that the appearance of the Menorah on female headstones is connected to the verse from Proverbs 20:27 "The spirit of man is the LORD 's lamp".
Picture is courtesy of carlamarieweir
This Greek Terracotta Drinking Cup (now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC), which is dated to ca. 560 B.C.E., shows Hercules fighting an Amazon. Right at the center we see a Shield with a six-pointed star surrounding a lily. In every day language, we might say that we see here the Star of David on a Shield. It makes you think that this is the ORIGIN of the Jewish legend about King David’s Shield with the six-pointed star engraved on it (or that King David who ruled around 1000 B.C.E. influenced the Greek mythology).
This picture is of the highest importance to me:
This picture was taken by: Glenn Gulley from Flickr. Copyright: Glenn Gulley 2008
P.S.
Pay attention that aside from the inner hexagram the composition imitates two equilateral triangles: a. arms and toes; b. heads and knees.
I guess if German rabbi and folklorist Max Grunwald [1871-1953] knew about this discovery, he would have jumped on it as a proof to his theory [Historia Judaica: a Journal of Studies in Jewish History, Espescially in the Legal and Economic History of the Jews, Vol. IX, 1947 , translated from German by Hilde Kisch, p. 118 ff] and in the Universal Jewish Encyclopedia entry "Shield of David"The use of the term “shield” points to an astrological and mythical connection, and is reminiscent of the shield of Melkart (Hercules), with which the latter slew the giant Antaeus
