Anthropomorph is a professional calling card of an artisan of Sarsvati Civilization.
Sheorajpur anthropomorph has an additional indicator on the chest: fish hieroglyph. aya'fish' rebus: ayas'alloy metal'.
The anthropomorph is shaped like the horns of a ram and like a human with spread legs. Both hieroglyphs are read rebus:
मेण्ड 'ram' (Monier-Williams) . Or. meṇḍa ʻ foolish ʼ; H. mẽṛā, mẽḍā m. ʻ ram with curling horns ʼ, ˚ḍī f. ʻ she -- goat do. (CDIAL 10120) mēṇḍha2 m. ʻ ram ʼ, ˚aka -- , mēṇḍa -- 4 , miṇḍha -- 2 , ˚aka -- , mēṭha -- 2 , mēṇḍhra -- , mēḍhra -- 2 , ˚aka -- m. lex. 2. *mēṇṭha- (mēṭha -- m. lex.). 3. *mējjha -- . [r -- forms (which are not attested in NIA.) are due to further sanskritization of a loan -- word prob. of Austro -- as. origin (EWA ii 682 with lit.) and perh. related to the group s.v. bhēḍra -- ]1. Pa. meṇḍa -- m. ʻ ram ʼ, ˚aka -- ʻ made of a ram's horn (e.g. a bow) ʼ; Pk. meḍḍha -- , meṁḍha -- (˚ḍhī -- f.), ˚ṁḍa -- , miṁḍha -- (˚dhiā -- f.), ˚aga -- m. ʻ ram ʼ, Dm. Gaw. miṇ Kal.rumb. amŕ n/aŕə ʻ sheep ʼ (a -- ?); Bshk. mināˊl ʻ ram ʼ; Tor. miṇḍ ʻ ram ʼ, miṇḍāˊl ʻ markhor ʼ; Chil. mindh*l l ʻ ram ʼ AO xviii 244 (dh!), Sv. yēṛo -- miṇ; Phal. miṇḍ, miṇ ʻ ram ʼ, miṇḍṓl m. ʻ yearling lamb, gimmer ʼ; P. mẽḍhā m., ˚ḍhī f., ludh. mīḍḍhā, mī˜ḍhā m.; N. meṛho, meṛo ʻ ram for sacrifice ʼ; A. mersāg ʻ ram ʼ ( -- sāg < *chāgya -- ?), B. meṛā m., ˚ṛi f., Or. meṇḍhā, ˚ḍā m., ˚ḍhi f., H. meṛh, meṛhā, mẽḍhā m., G. mẽḍhɔ, M. mẽḍhā m., Si. mäḍayā. 2. Pk. meṁṭhī -- f. ʻ sheep ʼ; H. meṭhā m. ʻ ram ʼ. 3. H. mejhukā m. ʻ ram ʼ. *mēṇḍharūpa -- , mēḍhraśr̥ṅgī -- . Addenda: mēṇḍha -- 2 : A. also mer (phonet. me r) ʻ ram ʼ (CDIAL 10310)
Rebus:
मेठ, मेढ, मेण्ड, मेण्ड-मेठ an elephant-keeper Gal. (cf. मेठ). karṇaka कर्णक 'spread legs' rebus kanahār 'helmsman'.
कर्णक m. du. the two legs spread out AV. xx , 133 'spread legs'; (semantic determinant) Rebus: kanahār'helmsman', karNI 'scribe, account''supercargo'. कर्णक 'spread legs' rebus: 'helmsman', karNi 'supercargo'; meṛed 'iron' rebus: meḍh 'merchant' ayo 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'metal'; 2. कर्णक 'spread legs' rebus: 'helmsman', karṇi 'supercargo' Indicative that the merchant is seafaring metalsmith. karṇadhāra m. ʻ helmsman ʼ Suśr. [kárṇa -- , dhāra -- 1 ]Pa. kaṇṇadhāra -- m. ʻ helmsman ʼ; Pk. kaṇṇahāra -- m. ʻ helmsman, sailor ʼ; H. kanahār m. ʻ helmsman, fisherman ʼ.(CDIAL 2836) Decipherment: कर्णक 'helmsman' PLUS mē̃d, mēd 'body' rebus: mē̃d, mēd 'iron', med 'copper' (Slavic).
Thus, anthropomorph hieroglyphic hypertext signifies mē̃d कर्णक karṇi 'an iron helmsman seafaring, supercargo, merchant.'
Decipherment of this anthropomorph at The pictrographs of young bull, ram's horns, spread legs, boar signify:
goldsmith, iron metalworker, merchant, steersman.
[Details: कोंद kōnda ‘engraver' (one-horned young bull hieroglyph); kundana 'fine gold' (bari barea 'merchant' (boar hieroglyph) PLUS karṇaka कर्णक steersman ('spread legs'); meḍho 'ram' rebus: mẽṛhẽt, meḍ 'iron']
meḍ 'body', meḍho 'ram' rebus: mẽṛhẽt, meḍ 'iron' (ram hieroglyph, (human) body hieroglyph)
कर्णक m. du. the two legs spread out AV. xx , 133 , 3 rebus: कर्णिक having a helm; a steersman (Monier-Williams)
ayas 'alloy metal' (fish hieroglyph)
कोंद kōnda ‘engraver' (one-horned young bull hieroglyph); kundana 'fine gold' (
bāṛaï 'carpenter' (boar hieroglyph)
Brāhmī inscription on Indus Script anthropomorph reads (on the assumption that Line 3 is an inscription with Indus Script hypertexts):
śam ña ga kī ma jhi tha mū̃h baṭa baran khāṇḍā
samjñā 'symbol, sign'
kī ma jhi tha 'of Majhitha'
Sha (?) Da Ya शद sad-a 'produce (of a country)'.-shad-ya, m. one who takes part in an assembly, spectator
Meaning:
Line 1 (Brāhmī syllables): samjñā 'symbol, sign' (of)
Line 2 (Brāhmī syllables): kī ma jhi tha 'of Majhitha locality or mã̄jhī boatpeople community or workers in textile dyeing: majīṭh 'madder'. The reference may also be to mañjāḍi (Kannada) 'Adenanthera seed weighing two kuṉṟi-mani, used by goldsmiths as a weight'.
Line 3 (Indus Script hieroglyphs): baṭa 'iron' bharat 'mixed alloys' (5 copper, 4 zinc and 1 tin) mū̃h'ingots' khāṇḍā 'equipments'.
Alternative reading of Line 3 (if read as Brāhmī syllables): Sha (?) Da Ya शद sad-a signifies: 'produce (of a country' or -shad-ya, m. one who takes part in an assembly, spectator.
Thus,an alternative reading is that the threelines may signify symbol of मांझीथा Majhīthā sadya 'assembly participant' or member of mã̄jhī boatpeople assembly (community).
Thus, this is a proclamation, a hoarding which signifies the Majitha locality (working in) iron, mixed alloys (bharat) ingots and equipments. Alternative reding is: symbol (of) produce of Majhitha locality or community
Alternatives:
A cognate word is: mañjiṣṭhā f. ʻ the Indian madder (Rubia cordifolia and its dye) ʼ Kauś. [mañjiṣṭha -- ] Pa. mañjeṭṭhī -- f. ʻ madder ʼ, Pk. maṁjiṭṭhā -- f.; K. mazēṭh, dat. ˚ṭhi f. ʻ madder plant and dye (R. cordifolia or its substitute Geranium nepalense) ʼ; S. mañuṭha, maĩṭha f. ʻ madder ʼ; P. majīṭ(h), mãj˚ f. ʻ root of R. cordifolia ʼ; N. majiṭho ʻ R. cordifolia ʼ, A. mezāṭhi, maz˚, OAw. maṁjīṭha f.; H. mãjīṭ(h), maj˚ f. ʻ madder ʼ, G. majīṭh f., Ko. mañjūṭi; -- Si. madaṭa ʻ a small red berry ʼ, madaṭiya ʻ the tree with red wood Adenanthera pavonina (Leguminosae) ʼ; Md. madoři ʻ a weight ʼ.māñjiṣṭha -- .Addenda: mañjiṣṭhā -- [Cf. Drav. Kan. mañcaṭige, mañjāḍi, mañjeṭṭi S. M. Katre]: S.kcch. majīṭh f. ʻ madder ʼ.(CDIAL 9718) மஞ்சிட்டி mañciṭṭi , n. < mañjiṣṭhā. 1. Munjeet, Indian madder, Rubia cordifolia; நீர்ப்பூடுவகை . (I. P .) 2. Arnotto. See சாப்பிரா . (L .) 3. Chayroot for dyeing; சாயவேர் . (L .) மஞ்சாடி mañcāṭi , n. [T. manḍzādi, K. mañjāḍi.] 1. Red-wood, m. tr., Adenanthera paronina; மரவகை . 2. Adenanthera seed weighing two kuṉṟi-mani, used by goldsmiths as a weight; இரண்டு குன்றிமணிகளின் எடை கொண்ட மஞ்சாடிவித்து . (S. I. I . i, 114, 116.)
The wor manjhitha may be derived from the root: मञ्ज् mañj मञ्ज् 1 U. (मञ्जयति-ते) 1 To clean, purify, wipe off. Thus, the reference is to a locality of artisans engaged in purifying metals and alloys. Such purifiers or assayers of metal are also referred to as पोतदार pōtadāra m (