The problem of identifying capricorn constellation by denoting corresponding pictorial motifs could be a fascinating narrative in the Hindu History of Jyotiṣa (Astronomy).
Importance of makara in Indian art may be seen in a Begram ivory, associating makara with river divinities:
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Importance of makara in Indian art may be seen in a Begram ivory, associating makara with river divinities:
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«River Deity», standing on a makara
Begram, area II, room 10
1st century
Ivory
45.6 cm
Musée National d’Afghanistan – MK 04.1.15
See: http://www.new1.dli.ernet.in/data1/upload/insa/INSA_1/20005abf_205.pdf
Excerpt from http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/Capricorn.html :"Capricornus represents the Winter Solstice (December 21st or 22nd) where the Sun, going south reaches its lowest point on the ecliptic, the Tropic, or turning, of Capricorn. There the Sun turns and starts to climb up, heading towards the northern hemisphere, and thereafter the Sun begins to appear higher and higher in the sky each day...Capricorn is from caper, 'goat', + cornu, horn, literally 'having horns similar to those of a goat', properly loan translation of Aigokeros, the old Greek name for this constellation [Klein, Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary]... Its figuring generally has been consistent, and as we now see it, with the head and body of a goat, or ibex, ending in a fish's, tail. Manuscripts from the 2nd to the 15th century show it thus; a Syrian seal of 187 BC. has it in the same way; as also an early Babylonian gem, surmounted, not {Page 138} inappropriately, by the crescent moon, for Capricorn was a nocturnal sign; and the same figure is on a fragment of a Babylonian planisphere, now in the British Museum, supposed to be of the 12th century B.C. So that this may be considered its original form, in full agreement with its amphibious character, and with some resemblance, in the grouping of the chief stars, to a goat's horns and a fish's tail...Earlier Hindu names were Mriga and Makara, — the Cingalese Makra and the Tamil Makaram, an Antelope; but occasionally it was shown with a goat's head upon the body of a hippopotamus, signifying some amphibious creature, and a later term was Shi-shu-mara or Sim-shu-mara, the Crocodile, although this originally was marked by stars of Draco. Varaha Mihira took his title for it, Akokera, from the Greeks; and it was the last in order of the zodiacal signs of India, as on the Euphrates. In the Aztec calendar it appeared as Cipactli, with a figure like that of the narwhal. "
Let us look at the Samskrtam equivalents of Greek zodiac names mentioned in Varahamihira:
क्रिय-तावुरु-जितुम-कुळीर-
लेय-पार्थोन-जूक-कोर्प्याख्या: /
तौक्षिक-आकोकेरो
हृद्रोगश्चन्त्यभं चेत्थम् //
The equivalents in Samskrtam:
क्रिय = मेष
तावुरु = वृषभ
जितुम = मिथुन
कुळीर = कर्कटक
लॆय ( leo ) = सिम्ह
पार्थोन = कन्या
जूक = तुला
कोर्पि (scorpion) = वृश्चिक
तौक्षिक = धनुस्
अकोकेर = मकर
हृद्रोग = कुम्भ
इत्थम् = मीनम्
One thing is clear from the equivalent names. Neither Greek nor Samskrtam seem to have influenced each other in finding names for the 12 names for the zodiac.Varahamihira just mentioned the Greek names. This does not mean that Varahamihira borrowed the zodiac concept from the Greeks. The sources for the Hindu rāśi (mathematics) names have to be found in the Vedic astronomical/mathematical traditions.
It is possible that the zodiac makara got transferred to Greek as aigokeros, replacing the ligature of crocodile + fish in Hindu tradition with the imagery of a ligature (goat + fish) . Maybe, there was also the impact of Sumer-Mesopotamian imageries and related astronomical sets which explain the continuum in both Greek and Hindu astronomy traditions..
Thanks to Smt. Jayasree Saranathan for the following links.
Dale Drinnon notes: "So we have the distinct possibility that the story and the constellations were imported from India, and the Cetus in this case would then be a Makara Or even actually a Saltwater Crocodile, which would make more sense."
makara occurs in Vajasneyi Samhita: mákara
, n. < makara. 1. See மகரமீன். மணிமகரம் வாய்போழ்ந்து (சீவக. 170). 2. Crocodile; முதலை. (சங். அக.) 3. One of the nine treasures of Kubēra; குபேரனது நவநிதியி லொன்று. (W .) 4. A great number; ஒரு பேரெண். (நாமதீப. 801.) It is thus logical to name a
rāśi as makara rāśi without having to derive the semantics from Greek. Maybe, the makara semantics and related imagery got transferred to Greek as aigokeros.
Capricornus literally means goat-horned. This is a parallel semantic from Greek Aigokeros Goat-Horned, from aigos, aix a goat + keros a horn. The Akkad name Suhu-massa, and the Sumerian name Suhur.mas, both mean the Fish-Goat.
See also: http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/cetus.htm
Dr Dale Drinnon, who specializes in anthropology, zoology and archeology is reproducing Smt. Jayasree Saranathan's articles on Greek vs Vedic astrology in his blog, and has added this note on Kali's face in the wine cup that Smt. Jayasree Saranathan mentioned in her posts. He discounts the theory that Vedic astrology borrowed some tenets from Greek astrology.
The picture below is the Kali- face I showed in the article.
Dr Dale Drinnon writes:-
[Note by Dale D. The face is a typical Gorgon face from Classical Greece and as such something very well known in both Greek and Roman society. Jayasree interprests the face as being that of Kali. This puts the story of Perseus and Medusa into a new light. Now it has been suspected for a long time (and rejected bu Scholars for a long time) that the name "Perseus" means "The Persian" but even this Perseus is shown dressed in Persian style wearing what looks like pyjamas and curly-toed boots and wearing a Phrygian cap. He is said to have taken the head of Medusa-this gorgon mask -by murdering the goddess because it was death for her to look upon anyone. By stealing the head of the Goddess he intended to control her powers of dealing death by showing the head only to people he wanted to die. He took the head to Joppa and used it to kill the Sea Dragon Cetus ("Whale", but usually shown as looking like a typical dragon) and to rescue princess Andromeda for his wife. Andromeda means "The one that men like to think about" and Kali in Greek means "Good-Looking", similar to the English Comely. It seems the true meaning is that this Persian fellow came back from a trip into India with an icon of Kali and used it to magically curse his enemies to death-so he said-and a story was added that he had killed the Goddess and took her head (The face mask was then given over to the Greek Goddess Athena and became one of her symbols, she was supposed to wear it as a badge on her goatskin over-robe) ALL of these mythological figures are constellations; the story figures heavily in Greek Astronomy and together they cover a fair section of the sky, from near the North Pole to the constellation Cetus, which lies below the ecliptic and the band of the constellations of the zodiac;
-So we have the distinct possibility that the story and the constellations
Were imported from India, and the Cetus in this case would then be a Makara
Or even actually a Saltwater Crocodile, which would make more sense.]
http://frontiers-of-
Proto-Indian in harosheth hagoyim (S.Kalyanaraman 2012)
The image of 'kali' mentioned by Smt. Jayasree Saranathan compares with the image on the chariot axle-linchpin discovered and linked with harosheth hagoyim, 'smithy of nations': http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2012/08/proto-indian-in-harosheth-hagoyim.html
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The image of 'kali' mentioned by Smt. Jayasree Saranathan compares with the image on the chariot axle-linchpin discovered and linked with harosheth hagoyim, 'smithy of nations': http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2012/08/proto-indian-in-harosheth-hagoyim.html
