Pillaiyar Suḻi (Tamil:பிள்ளையார் சுழி), also renderedGanesha's curl orGanesha's circle, is a sacred textual symbol. It is dedicated to theHindu deityPillaiyar (Ganesha), who is ritually worshiped first with prayers for success and is used to symbolize an auspicious beginning. The symbol consists of a circle and a curve similar to theTamil letterஉ(u) with two lines and a dot below. It is used primarily byTamil Hindus , who usually use it before writing anything new.
Pillayar Suli inTamil language can be roughly translated to "Ganesha's curl" in English withPillayar denoting theHindu god "Ganesha" andSuli meaning "curl". It is also known as "Ganesha's circle".[1] The symbol consists of a circle and a curve similar to the fifthvowel of theTamil scriptஉ(u) accompanied by two straight horizontal lines and a dot below.[1]
The symbol is used to denote theHindu godGanesha, who himself was a scribe helpingMaharishiVeda Vyasa to write theHindu epicMahabharata.[1] As Ganesha is ritually worshiped first with prayers for success, the symbol is written to herald auspiciousness and to remove any obstacles in the path towards success.[1][2] The origin of the symbol has various explanations.
Pillayar Suli is considered as a truncated version of the Hindu auspicious symbol and mantraAum.[3]Aum is considered a fusion of five forms, the letters signifyingAkhara symbolizing lordShiva,Ukhara symbolizingShakti andMakhara representingMalam (taints that adhere to the soul) to go with the fourth and fifth letters in sound form representingMaya (reality and existence) andĀtman (the soul).[2][4] Ganesha as the son of Shiva and Shakthi is denoted by the Pillayar Suli, which combines the first two forms namelyAkhara andUkhara.[2]
As per thePuranas,Aum symbolizes theTrimurti withAkhara symbolizing the creator godBrahma,Ukhara symbolizing the protector godVishnu andMakhara symbolizing destroyer god Shiva. Pillayar Suli represents the fusion of Brahma and Vishnu, as a means to create and protect any new creation.[5] According toKanchiSankaracharya, there are various meanings of the symbol. The symbol similar to the Tamil letterஉ(u) may be derived from Umayaval or Uma, a name of Parvati who is considered as a sister of Vishnu. As Parvati created Ganesha, the symbol became associated with him. He further explains that the curve emanating from a circle indicates that everything arises from theuniverse (represented by the circle) and the curve may represent Ganesha's trunk. The curve followed by straight lines may also indicate that any work that deviates will be set right on worship to Ganesha.[6]
Tamil saint andNayanmarTirumular gives a varied explanation in hisShaiva treatiseTirumantiram. In the fourth section of the tenthThirumurai, he explains thatAgharam denotes the soul andUgharam denotes the body and the combination them represents life.[7][8]
The symbol might have had a different realistic usage during the ancient period. Before the advent and widespread usage ofpaper,palm leaves were used to writemanuscripts. The symbol consisting of a circle, a curved line, straight lines and a dot might have been used to test the quality of palm leaves before writing other contents.[1] It later came to be associated with Ganesha.
The symbol is a sacred textual symbol primarily used byTamil Hindus.[2][9] The symbol is used to denote auspiciousness and good luck, it is often used before writing anything new.[1] The symbol is often used in day to day activities such as writing a letter, document or a diary.[10] Students often write the symbol before writing exams or tests.[1]
The practice is similar to writingShri (Tamil:ஸ்ரீ, Sanskrit:श्री) prevalent inNorth India where the word is used to denote lord Ganesh.[1]Sri Vaishnavas believe that “௳” sign represents the goddessLakshmi, and it is an alternative for writing Shri.[11]
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)