Meluhha hieroglyphs: evidence of continuum in ancient dharma-dhamma traditions

Mirror: https://www.academia.edu/8748967/Meluhha_hieroglyphs_evidence_continuum_in_ancient_dharma-dhamma_traditions

It is an artistic as well as a philological challenge to trace the history of art traditions and in particular, to explain, in a cultural context, the 'meanings' of some hieroglyphs such as śrivatsa. I suggest an interpretation based on Meluhha glosses that the śrivatsa hieroglyph should be read as: ayira dhamma based on hieroglyphs: ayo 'fish' PLUS dhāma 'rope'. This suggestion is based on the readings of other hieroglyphs which occur together with śrivatsa hieroglyph: svastika, molluscs, pair of fishes, safflower, portable furnace.

A Hindi phrase is instructive. kāmdhām
ʻwork, businessʼ. The gloss kāmdhām is a remarkable combination two life-activities: religious conduct and work. This is consistent with the tradition which explains dhām as an ethical overtone of 'responsibility, responsible conduct'. This semantics gets enshrined in the governing value system of social conduct which uniquely identifies Indian historical tradition of dharma-dhamma.

Excerpts from a recent report (Dr. Vasant Shinde and Dr. Rick Willis) on copper plates with Indus script inscriptions:"The copper plates described in this article are believed to date from the Mature Harappan period, 2600–1900 BC. They were given to the second author in 2011, who realized that the plates were unusual, as they were large and robust, and bore mirrored Indus script as found in seals, but the inscriptions were relatively finely incised and unlikely capable of leaving satisfactory impressions, as with a seal...The copper plates superficially resemble large Indus Valley seals, as seven of the plates bear an image of an animal or person, plus reversed text. Two of the copper plates bear only mirrored Indus characters boldly engraved in two rows. The plates are illustrated in Figure 2...

Figure 2

The nine copper plates. Top row: Plates 1–3. Middle row: Plates 4–6. Bottom row: Plates 7–9. Scale in centimetres...No seal is known that is overall comparable to Plate 1 (Figure 10), which depicts a naked figure, wearing a horned head-dress, seated in a yogic position, and bearing a star or gem symbol on his chest, perhaps antecedent to the jewel Kaustubha worn by Vishnu (S. Chandrasekhar, pers. comm.)" http://www.ancient-asia-journal.com/article/view/63

The assumption about 'kaustubha'ratna'gemstone' or treasure is suggested based on the following traditional s'loka which lists14 treasures acquired from the Churning of the Milky Ocean.

लक्ष्मीः कौस्तुभपारिजातकसुराधन्वन्तरिश्चन्द्रमाः। ::

गावः कामदुहा सुरेश्वरगजो रम्भादिदेवाङ्गनाः। ::

अश्वः सप्तमुखो विषं हरिधनुः शङ्खोमृतं चाम्बुधेः।::

रत्नानीह चतुर्दश प्रतिदिनं कुर्यात्सदा मङ्गलम्। ::

"Lakshmeeh kaustubhapaarijaatakasuraadhantarischandramaah,Gaavah kaamaduhaa sureswaragajorambhadidevaanganaah, Ashwah saptamukhovisam haridhanuh sankhomrtam chaambudheh,Ratnaaneeha chaturdasa pratidinam kuryaatsadaa mangalam."

Hieroglyphs on the seated person: 'penance', 'horns', 'a pair of fishes' (Note: I suggest that the hieroglyph shown on the chest of the seated person is NOT kaustubha but a pair of fishes, denoting cast alloy metal -- treasure --, which can be read rebus in Meluhha glosses).

kamaḍha ‘penance’ Rebus: kammaṭa ‘mint, coiner’.
koḍ = horns (Santali); koḍ ‘workshop’ (G.)
Pair of fishes (hieroglyph on the chest of the seated person): dula 'pair' Rebus: dul'cast metal'ayo'fish' Rebus: ayas'metal alloy'; aya'iron' (Gujarati). Thus dul aya'cast metal alloy'.

This 'pair of fishes' hieroglyph is vividly elaborated in the historical periods which is referred to as śrivatsa or nandipāda in literature dealing with the history of Indian epigraphy.

A pair of fishes occur repeatedly in Ayagapatta.

Ayagapatta. Pink sandstone relief showing puja to a stupa. Kusana period. Lucknow Museum. Note the pattern of molluscs on the Mathur panel which compares with Susa ritual basin glyphic. Photograph of a sculpture panel from Mathura, taken by Edmund William Smith in the 1880s-1890s. Mathura has extensive archaeological remains as it was a large and important city from the middle of the first millennium onwards. It rose to particular prominence under the Kushans as the town was their southern capital. The Buddhist, Brahmanical and Jain faiths all thrived at Mathura, and we find deities and motifs from all three represented in sculpture. In reference to this photograph in the list of photographic negatives, Bloch wrote that, "The technical name of such a panel was ayagapata [homage panel]." The tablet shows a representation of a stupa with a staircase

leading up to a terrace which is surrounded by a railing similar of those of the stupas of Bharhut and Sanchi. It appears from the inscription that the tablet is Jain. The piece is now in the Lucknow Museum.

The pair of fishes shown atop the stupa is more vividly seen on the Pre-Kusana Jaina ayagapattas of Mathura:

On such ayagapattas, other hieroglyphs are also shown: svastika, fish-tails entwined by a rope, portable furnace, pair of fishes, safflower, molluscs.

śrivatsa depicted on sāñci stūpa and Mathura Lion Capital.

Molluscs on Susa ritual basin compared with Molluscs on Sanchi Monument Stupa II Huntington Scan Number 0010873 (See more examples in: http://www.scribd.com/doc/13267649/Resources-Hieroglyphs-Ancient-Indian-Tradition)

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2011/11/susa-ritual-basin-decorated-with.html

During the historical periods, the possible readings of the hieroglyphs are:

Pair of fishes: dul aya'cast metal alloy'

Molluscs: śāṅkhika ʻ relating to a shell ʼ śāṅkhinī -- (śaṅkhinī -- f. ʻ mother -- of -- pearl ʼ Bālar.). 1. K. hāngi ʻ snail ʼ; B. sã̄khī ʻ possessing or made of shells ʼ.2. K. hö̃giñ f. ʻ pearl oyster shell, shell of any aquatic mollusc ʼ(CDIAL 12380). Rebus: sanga'stone' (Kashmiri) sanga'attached to'; 'caravan'. (CDIAL 13084, 13328)

Svastika: sattva'glyph' Rebus: jasta'zinc'.

Safflower: करडी [ karaḍī ] f (See करडई) Safflower: also its seed. Rebus: करडा [ karaḍā ] Hard from alloy--iron, silver &c (Marathi) karaḍa -- m. ʻsafflowerʼ, °ḍā -- f. ʻ a tree like the karañja ʼ (Prakrit); M. karḍī, °ḍaī f. ʻ safflower, carthamus tinctorius and its seed ʼ. (CDIAL 2788). Rebus: करडा [karaḍā] Hard from alloy--iron, silver &c. (Marathi) kharādī ' turner, a person who fashions or shapes objects on a lathe' (Gujarati)

Portable furnace, lathe: śagaḍī = lathe (Gujarati) sangaḍa, ‘lathe, portable furnace’; rebus: battle; jangaḍiyo ‘military guard who accompanies treasure into the treasury’ (Gujarati) Rebus: sanghāḍo (Gujarati) cutting stone, gilding (Gujarati); sangatarāśū = stone cutter (Telugu)

Rope tying the fish-tails, garland: dhāma 'rope' Rebus: dhamaka'blacksmith'; dam 'blast of furnace' (Kashmiri)(CDIAL 6730).Pk.dhamma-- m.; OB. dhāma ʻ religious conduct ʼ; H. kāmdhām ʻ work, business ʼ; OSi. dama ʻ religion ʼ; dhárma m. ʻ what is established, law, duty, right ʼ AV. [dhárman -- n. RV. -- √dhr̥]Pa. dhamma -- m. (rarely n.), Aś.shah. man. dhrama -- , gir. kāl. &c. dhaṁma -- ; NiDoc. dham̄a ʻ employment in the royal administration ʼ;(CDIAL 6753).

Glosses in the Indian linguistic area (sprachbund):

dāˊman ʻ rope ʼ RV. dāmana -- , dāmanī -- f. ʻ long rope to which calves are tethered ʼ Hariv.1. Pa. dāma -- , inst. °mēna n. ʻ rope, fetter, garland ʼ, Pk. dāma -- n.; Wg. dām ʻ rope, thread, bandage ʼ; Tir. dām ʻ rope ʼ; Paš.lauṛ. dām ʻ thick thread ʼ, gul. dūm ʻ net snare ʼ (IIFL iii 3, 54 ← Ind. or Pers.); Shum. dām ʻ rope ʼ; Sh.gil. (Lor.) dōmo ʻ twine, short bit of goat's hair cord ʼ, gur. dōm m. ʻ thread ʼ (→ Ḍ. dōṅ ʻ thread ʼ); K. gu -- dômu m. ʻ cow's tethering rope ʼ; P. dã̄u, dāvã̄ m. ʻ hobble for a horse ʼ; WPah.bhad. daũ n. ʻ rope to tie cattle ʼ, bhal. daõ m., jaun. dã̄w; A. dāmā ʻ peg to tie a buffalo -- calf to ʼ; B. dām, dāmā ʻ cord ʼ; Or. duã̄ ʻ tether ʼ, dāĩ ʻ long tether to which many beasts are tied ʼ; H. dām m.f. ʻ rope, string, fetter ʼ, dāmā m. ʻ id., garland ʼ; G. dām n. ʻ tether ʼ, M. dāvẽ n.; Si.dama ʻ chain, rope ʼ, (SigGr) dam ʻ garland ʼ. -- Ext. in Paš.dar. damaṭāˊ, °ṭīˊ, nir. weg. damaṭék ʻ rope ʼ, Shum. ḍamaṭik, Woṭ. damṓṛ m., Sv. dåmoṛīˊ; -- with -- ll -- : N. dāmlo ʻ tether for cow ʼ,dã̄wali, dāũli, dāmli ʻ bird -- trap of string ʼ, dã̄wal, dāmal ʻ coeval ʼ (< ʻ tied together ʼ?); M. dã̄vlī f. ʻ small tie -- rope ʼ.
2. Pk. dāvaṇa -- n., dāmaṇī -- f. ʻ tethering rope ʼ; S. ḍ̠āvaṇu, ḍ̠āṇu m. ʻ forefeet shackles ʼ, ḍ̠āviṇī,ḍ̠āṇī f. ʻ guard to support nose -- ring ʼ; L. ḍã̄vaṇ m., ḍã̄vaṇī, ḍāuṇī (Ju. ḍ̠ -- ) f. ʻ hobble ʼ, dāuṇī f. ʻ strip at foot of bed, triple cord of silk worn by women on head ʼ, awāṇ. dāvuṇ ʻ picket rope ʼ; P. dāuṇ,dauṇ, ludh. daun f. m. ʻ string for bedstead, hobble for horse ʼ, dāuṇī f. ʻ gold ornament worn on woman's forehead ʼ; Ku. dauṇo m., °ṇī f. ʻ peg for tying cattle to ʼ, gng. dɔ̃ṛ ʻ place for keeping cattle, bedding for cattle ʼ; A. dan ʻ long cord on which a net or screen is stretched, thong ʼ, danā ʻ bridle ʼ; B. dāmni ʻ rope ʼ; Or. daaṇa ʻ string at the fringe of a casting net on which pebbles are strung ʼ, dāuṇiʻ rope for tying bullocks together when threshing ʼ; H. dāwan m. ʻ girdle ʼ, dāwanī f. ʻ rope ʼ, dã̄wanīf. ʻ a woman's orna<-> ment ʼ; G. dāmaṇ, ḍā° n. ʻ tether, hobble ʼ, dāmṇũ n. ʻ thin rope, string ʼ, dāmṇī f. ʻ rope, woman's head -- ornament ʼ; M. dāvaṇ f. ʻ picket -- rope ʼ. -- Words denoting the act of driving animals to tread out corn are poss. nomina actionis from *dāmayati2.

3. L. ḍãvarāvaṇ, (Ju.) ḍ̠ã̄v° ʻ to hobble ʼ; A. dāmri ʻ long rope for tying several buffalo -- calves together ʼ, Or. daũ̈rā, daürā ʻ rope ʼ; Bi. daũrī ʻ rope to which threshing bullocks are tied, the act of treading out the grain ʼ, Mth. dã̄mar, daũraṛ ʻ rope to which the bullocks are tied ʼ; H. dã̄wrī f. ʻ id., rope, string ʼ, dãwrī f. ʻ the act of driving bullocks round to tread out the corn ʼ.Brj. dã̄u m. ʻ tying ʼ.Brj. dã̄wrī f. ʻ rope ʼ.(CDIAL 6283).

Ayo & Aya (nt.) [Sk. ayaḥ nt. iron & ore, Idg. *ajes -- , cp. Av. ayah, Lat. aes, Goth. aiz, Ohg. ēr (= Ger. Erz.), Ags. ār (= E. ore).] iron. The nom. ayo found only in set of 5 metals forming an alloy of gold (jātarūpa), viz. ayo, loha (copper), tipu (tin), sīsa (lead), sajjha (silver) A iii.16 = S v.92; of obl. cases only the instr. ayasā occurs Dh 240 (= ayato DhA iii.344); Pv i.1013 (paṭikujjita, of Niraya). -- Iron is the material used kat)e)coxh/n in the outfit & construction of Purgatory or Niraya (see niraya & Avīci & cp. Vism 56 sq.). -- In compn. both ayo˚ & aya˚ occur as bases.I. ayo˚: -- kapāla an iron pot A iv.70 (v. l. ˚guhala); Nd2 304 iii. d 2 (of Niraya). -- kūṭa an iron hammer PvA 284. -- khīla an iron stake S v.444; M iii.183 = Nd2 304 iii. c; SnA 479. -- guḷa an iron ball S v.283; Dh 308; It 43 = 90; Th 2, 489; DA i.84. -- ghana an iron club Ud 93; VvA 20. -- gharaan iron house J iv.492. -- paṭala an iron roof or ceiling (of Niraya) PvA 52. -- pākāra an iron fence Pv i.1013 = Nd2 304 iii. d 1. -- maya made of iron Sn 669 (kūṭa); J iv.492 (nāvā); Pv i.1014 (bhūmi of N.); PvA 43, 52. -- muggara an iron club PvA 55. -- sanku an iron spike S iv.168; Sn 667.

II. aya˚: -- kapāla = ayo˚ DhA i.148 (v. l. ayo˚). -kāra a worker in iron Miln 331. -- kūṭa = ayo˚ Ji.108; DhA ii.69 (v. l.). -- nangala an iron plough DhA i.223; iii.67. -- paṭṭaka an iron plate or sheet (cp. loha˚) J v.359. -- paṭhavi an iron floor (of Avīci) DhA i.148. -- sanghāṭaka an iron (door) post DhA iv.104. -- sūla an iron stake Sn 667; DhA i.148.(Pali)

Ayira (& Ayyira) (n. -- adj.) [Vedic ārya, Metathesis for ariya as diaeretic form of ārya, of which the contracted (assimilation) form is ayya. See also ariya] (n.) ariyan, nobleman, gentleman (opp. servant); (adj.) arīyan, well-born, belonging to the ruling race, noble, aristocratic, gentlemanly J v.257; Vv 396. -- f. ayirā lady, mistress (of a servant) J ii.349 (v. l. oyyakā); voc. ayire my lady J v.138 (= ayye C.).(Pali)

papers presenting an overview of the decipherment:

Indus Script on copper plate reported by Dr. Vasant Shinde & Dr. Rick Willis more

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