It [the Swastika] occurs often at the beginning of the Buddhist
inscriptions, on Buddhist coins, and in Buddhist manuscripts.
Historically, the Svastika is first attested on a coin of Krananda,
supposing Krananda to be the same king as Xandrames, the predecessor
of Sandrokyptos, whose reign came to an end in 315 B. C. (See Thomas
on the Identity of Xandrames and Krananda.) The paleographic evidence,
however, seems rather against so early a date. In the footprints of
Buddha the Buddhists recognize no less that sixty-five auspicious
signs, the first of them being the _Svastika_ [see fig. 32], (Eugene
Burnouf, "Lotus de la bonne loi," p. 625); the fourth is the
_Suavastika_, or that with the arms turned to the left [see fig. 10];
the third, the _Nandyâvarta_ [see fig. 14], is a mere development of
the _Svastika_. Among the Jainas the _Svastika_ was the sign of their
seventh Jina, Supârsva (Colebrooke "Miscellaneous Essays," II, p. 188;
Indian Antiquary, vol. 2, p. 135).
In the later Sanskrit literature, _Svastika_ retains the meaning of an
auspicious mark; thus we see in the Râmâyana (ed. Gorresio, II, p.
318) that Bharata selects a ship marked with the sign of the Svastika.
Varâhamihira in the Brihat-samhitâ (Mod. Sæc., VI, p. Ch.) mentions
certain buildings called Svastika and Nandyâvarta (53.34, seq.), but
their outline does not correspond very exactly with the form of the
signs. Some Sthûpas, however, are said to have been built on the plan
of the Svastika. * * * Originally, _svastika_ may have been intended
for no more than two lines crossing each other, or a cross. Thus we
find it used in later times referring to a woman covering her breast
with crossed arms (Bâlarâm, 75.16), _svahastas-vastika-stani_, and
likewise with reference to persons sitting crosslegged.
Dr. Max Ohnefalsch-Richter[14] speaking of the Swastika position, either
of crossed legs or arms, among the Hindus,[15] suggests as a possible
explanation that these women bore the Swastikas upon their arms as did
the goddess Aphrodite, in fig. 8 of his writings, (see fig. 180 in the
present paper), and when they assumed the position of arms crossed over
their breast, the Swastikas being brought into prominent view, possibly
gave the name to the position as being a representative of the sign.