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A 'dotted circle', a 'trefoil' are vivid hieroglyphs on Indus Script Corpora. They signify an important person rendered in a statue wearing an uttariyam (shawl) decorated with these hieroglyphs, leaving the right-shoulder bear and wearing what are perhaps golden fillets on the forehead and on the right shoulder. The fillets also have the central badge to signify 'dotted circle'. What does the hieroglyph connote when voiced in Meluhha speech? A possible lead is in the orthography of the syllable 'tha' in Brahmi signified by a 'dotted circle'.
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m006 Mohenjo-daro seal.
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A possible rebus-metonymy rendering of 'trefoil' hieroglyph-multiplex orthographically a joined set of three dotted circles: धा PLUS तृ
धातृ a[p= 514,1] m. establisher , founder , creator , bearer , supporter (cf. वसु-) , orderer , arranger RV. &c N. of a divine being who personifies these functions (in Vedic times presiding over generation , matrimony , health , wealth , time and season , and associated or identified with सवितृ , प्रजा-पति , त्वष्टृ,
बृहस्पति , मित्र , अर्यमन् , विष्णु &c RV. x AV. TS. S3Br. &c ; later chiefly the creator and maintainer of the world = ब्रह्मा or प्रजा-पति MBh. Ka1v. Pur. ; in ep. one of the 12 आदित्यs and brother of वि-धातृ and लक्ष्मी , son of ब्रह्मा MBh. ; or ofभृगु and ख्याति Pur. ; Fate personified Ka1v. )N. of a ऋषि in the 4th मन्व्-न्तर Hariv. (C. धामन्)of an author Cat. ; (त्री) f. » धात्री([cf. Zd. da1tar;Gk. θεÏήÏ;
Slav. de8teli.])धात्री , &c » col.1.
तृ [p= 453,1]n. (= स्त्/ऋ) nom. pl. त्/आरस् , the stars RV. viii , 55 , 2 cf. तारा.
The fillets worn are पट्ट [p= 579,2]m. (fr. पत्त्र?) a slab , tablet (for painting or writing upon) MBh.; a bandage , ligature , strip , fillet (of cloth , leather &c ) MBh. Sus3r.a frontlet , turban (5 kinds , viz. those of kings , queens , princes , generals , and the प्रसाद-पट्टस् , or turban of honour ; cf.VarBr2S. xlix) , tiara , diadem MBh. Ka1v. Ra1jat. (ifc. f(आ).)coloured or fine cloth , woven silk (= कौशेय) Ka1v. Pan5c. (cf. चीन-प्° , पट्टा*ंशुक &c ); an upper or outer garment Bhat2t2. पट्टी f. a forehead ornament L.f. a city , town (cf. -निवसन).
Thus, together, the expression signified by the ornamentation on the stone sculpture is: धातृ पट्टी to signify the frontlet worn by a founder of a guild of artisans.
Semantics of Hieroglyph: ti-dhāū 'threefold'Rebus: dhāū, dhāv m.f. ʻa partic. soft red stoneʼ (Marathi):
त्रि--धातु [p= 458,3]mfn. consisting of 3 parts , triple , threefold (used like Lat. triplex to denote excessive) RV. S3Br. v , 5 , 5 , 6 dhāˊtu n. ʻ substance ʼ RV., m. ʻ element ʼ MBh., ʻ metal, mineral, ore (esp. of a red colour) ʼ Mn., ʻ ashes of the dead ʼ lex., ʻ *strand of rope ʼ (cf.tridhāˊtu -- ʻ threefold ʼ RV., ayugdhātu -- ʻ having an uneven number of strands ʼ KātyŚr.). [√dhā ]
Pa. dhātu -- m. ʻ element, ashes of the dead, relic ʼ; KharI. dhatu ʻ relic ʼ; Pk. dhāu -- m. ʻ metal, red chalk ʼ; N. dhāu ʻ ore (esp. of copper) ʼ; Or. ḍhāu ʻ red chalk, red ochre ʼ (whence ḍhāuā ʻ reddish ʼ; M. dhāū, dhāv m.f. ʻ a partic. soft red stone ʼ (whence dhā̆vaḍ m. ʻ a caste of iron -- smelters ʼ, dhāvḍī ʻ composed of or relating to iron ʼ); -- Si. dā ʻ relic ʼ; -- S. dhāī f. ʻ wisp of fibres added from time to time to a rope that is being twisted ʼ, L. dhāī˜ f.(CDIAL 6773)
*dhaṭavāhin ʻ scales -- carrier ʼ. [dhaṭa -- 1 , vāhin -- ]S. L. P. dhaṛvāī m. ʻ village weighman ʼ; H. dhaṛwāī m. ʻ market officer who weighs grain ʼ, M. dhaḍvaī m.(CDIAL 6710).
A 'dotted circle', a 'trefoil' are vivid hieroglyphs on Indus Script Corpora. They signify an important person rendered in a statue wearing an uttariyam (shawl) decorated with these hieroglyphs, leaving the right-shoulder bear and wearing what are perhaps golden fillets on the forehead and on the right shoulder. The fillets also have the central badge to signify 'dotted circle'. What does the hieroglyph connote when voiced in Meluhha speech? A possible lead is in the orthography of the syllable 'tha' in Brahmi signified by a 'dotted circle'. If the three 'dotted circles' which constitute the trefoil represent three strands of fibre which get twisted into a rope, the signified word is: ti-dhāū 'three strands'.
If so, the expression which was intended to be evoked in rebus-metonymy is: Rebus: ti-dhā̆vaḍ 'iron-smelter, iron-worker in three ferrite ores: poLa, bica, goTa 'magnetite, hematite, ilmenite'; dhātr̥ धातृ 'founder, arranger'; dhaṛwāī m. ʻmarket officer who weighs grainʼ.
See a variant rendering assuming 'dotted circle' to be a 'pierced, perforated bead' the image on the sculpture is read as potr̥ 'soma purifier priest', pot 'jeweller's polishing stone' at
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/06/stone-smithy-guild-on-meluhha-standard.html
Pa. kandi (pl. -l) necklace, beads. Ga. (P.) kandi (pl. -l) bead, (pl.) necklace; (S.2 ) kandiṭ bead. (DEDR 1215) Rebus: kanda'fire-altar'. Hieroglyph: Ko. kaṇṭ-po·t flesh of hind thigh of animal; kaṇṭ-ka·l calf of leg. Ka. kaṇḍa flesh, meat. Koḍ. kaṇḍa piece or lump of meat. Te. kaṇḍa id., flesh. Nk. khaṇḍepiece, piece of flesh. Ga. (S.3 ) kaṇḍa muscle (< Te.). Go. (Tr.) khānḍum (pl. khānḍk), (Ch.) khānḍ, khānḍum, (Ph.) khānḍk flesh; (SR.) khānḍum id., mutton (Voc. 1001). Konḍa kaṇḍa meat, flesh, muscle. Kuwi (Isr.) kaṇḍa piece. / Probably < Skt. khaṇḍa- (Turner, CDIAL, no. 3792) with development of meaning: piece > piece of flesh > flesh.(DEDR 1175). ![]()
Steatite statue fragment; Mohenjodaro (Sd 767); trefoil-decorated bull; traces of red pigment remain inside the trefoils. After Ardeleanu-Jansen 1989: 196, fig. 1; Parpola, 1994, p. 213.
Pa. kandi (pl. -l) necklace, beads. Ga. (P.) kandi (pl. -l) bead, (pl.) necklace; (S.2 ) kandiṭ bead. (DEDR 1215) Rebus: kanda'fire-altar'. Hieroglyph:
Ko. kaṇṭ-po·t flesh of hind thigh of animal; kaṇṭ-ka·l calf of leg. Ka. kaṇḍa flesh, meat. Koḍ. kaṇḍa piece or lump of meat. Te. kaṇḍa id., flesh. Nk. khaṇḍepiece, piece of flesh. Ga. (S.3 ) kaṇḍa muscle (< Te.). Go. (Tr.) khānḍum (pl. khānḍk), (Ch.) khānḍ, khānḍum, (Ph.) khānḍk flesh; (SR.) khānḍum id., mutton (Voc. 1001). Konḍa kaṇḍa meat, flesh, muscle. Kuwi (Isr.) kaṇḍa piece. / Probably < Skt. khaṇḍa- (Turner, CDIAL, no. 3792) with development of meaning: piece > piece of flesh > flesh.(DEDR 1175).
Steatite statue fragment; Mohenjodaro (Sd 767); trefoil-decorated bull; traces of red pigment remain inside the trefoils. After Ardeleanu-Jansen 1989: 196, fig. 1; Parpola, 1994, p. 213.![Sumerian marble calf with inlaid trefoils of blue stone. From the late Uruk era, cira 3000 B.C.]()
Sumerian marble calf with inlaid trefoils of blue stone. From the late Uruk era, Jemdet Nasr cira 3300 - 2900 B.C.E 5.3 cm. long; Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin; Parpola, 1994, p. 213.
See:
See:
It is possible that the 'dotted circles' ligatured to the 'standard device' on Indus Script Corpora is intended to signify a retroflex consonant: as in सङ्घाट sanghATa, joinery (sangaḍ 'lathe''portable furnace').
m006 Mohenjo-daro seal.In Devanagari, the written form of Samskritam, धा is used as a suffix in numeral counts: f. instr. (= nom.) perhaps in the suffix धा (which forms adverbs from numerals e.g. एक-ध्/आ , द्व्/इ-धा &c ).ध [p=508,1] mf(आ)n. ( √1. धा ; cf. 2. धा) ifc. placing , putting holding , possessing , having bestowing , granting , causing &c (cf. अ-दोम-ध्/अ , गर्भ-ध्/अ)m. N. of ब्रह्मा or कुबेर L. धा
[p= 513,3] only thrice cl.2 P. ध्/आति RV. ; to appoint , establish , constitute RV. S3Br. (Monier-Williams)
Thus, त्रिधा tridhā ind. In three ways, or in three parts; एकैव मूर्तिर्बिभिदे त्रिधा सा Ku.7.44; ज्ञानं कर्म च कर्ता च त्रिधैव गुणभेदतः Bg.18.19.![]()
Brahmi syllables
Brahmi syllables Comparison of some Brahmi and other script syllabaries
A possible rebus-metonymy rendering of 'trefoil' hieroglyph-multiplex orthographically a joined set of three dotted circles: धा PLUS तृ
धातृ a[p= 514,1] m. establisher , founder , creator , bearer , supporter (cf. वसु-) , orderer , arranger RV. &c N. of a divine being who personifies these functions (in Vedic times presiding over generation , matrimony , health , wealth , time and season , and associated or identified with सवितृ , प्रजा-पति , त्वष्टृ,
बृहस्पति , मित्र , अर्यमन् , विष्णु &c RV. x AV. TS. S3Br. &c ; later chiefly the creator and maintainer of the world = ब्रह्मा or प्रजा-पति MBh. Ka1v. Pur. ; in ep. one of the 12 आदित्यs and brother of वि-धातृ and लक्ष्मी , son of ब्रह्मा MBh. ; or ofभृगु and ख्याति Pur. ; Fate personified Ka1v. )N. of a ऋषि in the 4th मन्व्-न्तर Hariv. (C. धामन्)of an author Cat. ; (त्री) f. » धात्री([cf. Zd. da1tar;Gk. θεÏήÏ;
Slav. de8teli.])धात्री , &c » col.1.
तृ [p= 453,1]n. (= स्त्/ऋ) nom. pl. त्/आरस् , the stars RV. viii , 55 , 2 cf. तारा.
The fillets worn are पट्ट [p= 579,2]m. (fr. पत्त्र?) a slab , tablet (for painting or writing upon) MBh.; a bandage , ligature , strip , fillet (of cloth , leather &c ) MBh. Sus3r.a frontlet , turban (5 kinds , viz. those of kings , queens , princes , generals , and the प्रसाद-पट्टस् , or turban of honour ; cf.VarBr2S. xlix) , tiara , diadem MBh. Ka1v. Ra1jat. (ifc. f(आ).)coloured or fine cloth , woven silk (= कौशेय) Ka1v. Pan5c. (cf. चीन-प्° , पट्टा*ंशुक &c ); an upper or outer garment Bhat2t2. पट्टी f. a forehead ornament L.f. a city , town (cf. -निवसन).
Thus, together, the expression signified by the ornamentation on the stone sculpture is: धातृ पट्टी to signify the frontlet worn by a founder of a guild of artisans.
Semantics of Hieroglyph: ti-dhāū 'threefold'Rebus: dhāū, dhāv m.f. ʻa partic. soft red stoneʼ (Marathi):
Pa. dhātu -- m. ʻ element, ashes of the dead, relic ʼ; KharI. dhatu ʻ relic ʼ; Pk. dhāu -- m. ʻ metal, red chalk ʼ; N. dhāu ʻ ore (esp. of copper) ʼ; Or. ḍhāu ʻ red chalk, red ochre ʼ (whence ḍhāuā ʻ reddish ʼ; M. dhāū, dhāv m.f. ʻ a partic. soft red stone ʼ (whence dhā̆vaḍ m. ʻ a caste of iron -- smelters ʼ, dhāvḍī ʻ composed of or relating to iron ʼ); -- Si. dā ʻ relic ʼ; -- S. dhāī f. ʻ wisp of fibres added from time to time to a rope that is being twisted ʼ, L. dhāī˜ f.(CDIAL 6773)
*dhaṭavāhin ʻ scales -- carrier ʼ. [
S. Kalyanaraman
Sarasvati Research Center
October 20, 2015