Hypertexts on select Indus Script inscriptions decipheredS. Kalyanaraman

Sarasvati Research Center

July 22, 2016

Terracotta seal and faience tablets: Bronze Age Revolution also created an Age of Symbols, a writing system for data archiving in support of 1. long-distance trade by seafaring merchants; 2. dissemination of knowledge systems; and3. śrḗṇi or guild, a corporate form to create Bronze Age products of utility value and exchange value.

Given the small space of the tablets/seals, unique orthographic devices of hyperpics/hypertexts are used as rebus signifiers of expressions related to metalwork/seafaring vessels.

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Dwaraka and Amri seals. Orthographic style of hypertext with combined animal parts signifies ചങ്ങാടം čaṇṇāḍam (Tu. ജംഗാല, Port. Jangada). (Malayalam) catamaran

Hieroglyph: स ांगड [sāṅgaḍa] m f (सांघट्ट S) f A body formed of two or more (fruits, animals, men) linked or joined together (Marathi) Rebus: sãgaḍa ʻfloat made of two canoes joined togetherʼ (Marathi)' ‘catamaran‘ (सांघटS) A float composed of two canoes or boats ചങ്ങാടം čaṇṇāḍam (Tu. ജംഗാല, Port. Jangada). Ferryboat, junction of 2 boats. ച. കെ ട്ടുെ; ച'ത്തില് കെററി TR. ക ാണിെള് ച' ങ്ങള് വഞ്ചിെള്പടവുെള് Bhr. also rafts. (Malayalam)

What is carried on the canoe (shown on Dwaraka shell seal and on Amri06 seal)?

1. barad, balad ‘ox’ rebus: भरत bharata 'factitious alloy of copper, pewter, copper, tin’

PLUS 2. mlekh ‘goat’ rebus: milakkhu, mleccha ‘copper’

PLUS 3. koDiya ‘rings on neck’, ‘young bull’ koD ‘horn’ khōṇḍī 'pannier sack'ख ांडी (p. 216) [ khōṇḍī ] f An outspread shovelform sack (as formed temporarily out of aक ांबळ , to hold or fend off grain, chaff &c.) khOnda‘young bull’ rebus 3: kOnda ‘lapidary, engraver’ rebus 4: kundAr ‘turner’क ांड [kōṇḍa] A circular hamlet; a division of a मौज or village, composed generally of the huts of one caste. kōḍiya Same as kodeకోడె (p. 326) kōḍe kōḍe. [Tel.] n. A bullcalf. కోడెదూడ. A young bull. కాడిమరపదగినదూడ. Plumpness, prime. తరుణము. జోడుకోడయలు a pair of bullocks. కోడె adj. Young. కోడెత్రాచు a young snake, one in its prime. "కోడెనాగముుంబలుగుల రేడుతన్ని కొన్నపోవుతెరుంగు" రామా. vi. కోడెకాడు kōḍe-kāḍu. n. A young man. పడుచువాడు. A lover విటుడు. కారుకోడె (p. 275) kārukōḍe karu-kode. [Tel.] n. A bull in its prime.

Rebus:1 koṭiya 'dhow seafaring vessel‘ Rebus 2: ख ट [khōṭa] Alloyed--a metal

Thus, sãgaḍa ‘seafaring catamaran’ as a koṭiya 'dhow seafaring vessel‘ is signified., (with cargo of) 1. copper (milakkhu) , 2. pewter (bharata, ‘factitious alloy of pewter, copper and tin’; and 3. ख ट [khōṭa] Alloyed- metal .

Rebus as Hyperpic metaphors (Pictorial extravaganza, literary work characterized by freedom of style of the artist) even on sculptures or objects in the roundHieroglyph-multiplex as masks

karabha 'trunk of elephant' (Pali) ibha 'elephant'

(Samskritam) Rebus: karba 'iron' ib ‘iron’

rango 'buffalo bull' Rebus: ranga 'pewter, solder'

kola ‘woman’ kola 'tiger, feline' Rebus: kol

'working in iron‘’

mũh 'face' Rebus: mũhe 'ingot'

Three-headed: elephant, buffalo, bottom jaw of a feline. NS 91.02.32.01.LXXXII. Dept. of Archaeology, Karachi. EBK 7712 Tiger,

bovine, elephant, Nausharo NS 92.02.70.04 h. 6.76 cm; w. 4.42; l. 6.97 cm.

Hieroglyph-multiplex (hypertext) demonstrated (after fig. 6 in: harappanchimaeras as 'symbolic hypertexts'. Some thoughts on plato, chimaera and the indus civilization (Dennys Frenez & Massimo Vidale, 2012 on m0300) & huntington’s reconfiguration of composite animal (m0299)

e.g. muh ‘face’ rebus: muhA ‘quantity of

metal produced in furnace’

karibha ‘trunk of ele[phant’ rebus: karba

‘iron’ ajirda karba very hard iron (Tulu).

dato ‘scarf’ rebus: dhatu ‘mineral, ore’

kulA ‘hood of serpent’ kola ‘tiger’ rebus: kol‘working in iron’

poLa ‘zebu’ rebus: poLa ‘magnetite ferrite ore’

mlekh ‘goat’ rebus: milakkhu ‘copper’ rango‘buffalo’ rebus: rango ‘pewter’

स ांगड sāṅgaḍa ‘A body formed of two or more (fruits, animals, men) linked or joined together’ (Marathi) Rebus 1

jangaḍiyo ‘military guard who accompanies treasure into the treasury’, sanghāḍiyo ‘lathe worker’.Rebus 2: sãgaḍa

ʻfloat made of two canoes joined togetherʼ (Marathi)' ‘catamaran‘

http://huntington.wmc.ohio-

state.edu/public/index.cfm Huntington

reconfigures composite animal on m0299

Kur. kaṇḍō a stool. Malt. Kanḍo stool, seat. (DEDR 1179)

Rebus: kaṇḍ 'stone (ore)' as in: ayaskāṇḍ 'excellent iron' (Panini)

kaNDa ‘implements’

dhaṭu m. (also dhaṭhu) m. ‘scarf’ (WPah.) (CDIAL 6707)

Allograph: ḍato = claws of crab (Santali) Rebus: dhātu = mineral

(Skt.), dhatu id. (Santali) koDiyum ‘rings on neck’ rebus: koTiya

‘dhow, seafaring vessel’

mũh 'face' (Santali). Rebus: mũh metal ingot (Santali)

mũhã̄ = the quantity of iron produced at one time in a

native smelting furnace of the Kolhes; iron produced by

the Kolhes and formed like a four-cornered piece a little

pointed at each end; mūhā mẽṛhẽt = iron smelted by the

Kolhes and formed into an equilateral lump a little

pointed at each end; kolhe tehen mẽṛhẽtko mūhā akata

= the Kolhes have to-day produced pig iron

(Santali.lex.) baTa ‘rimless pot’ PLUS muka ‘ladle’ rebus: baTa ‘iron’ bhaTa ‘furnace’ PLUS mũhã̄ ‘quantity of metal taken out of furnace’miṇḍāl 'markhor' (Tor.wali) meḍho 'a ram, a sheep'

(G.)(CDIAL 10120)mēṇḍhaʻramʼ(CDIAL 9606).मेंढ

[mēṇḍhā] m (मेष S through H) A male sheep, a ram or

tup. मेंढक or क्य [ mēṇḍhakā or kyā ] a (मेंढ ) A

shepherd (Marathi) Rebus: meḍ 'iron' (Ho.) mēṇḍh 'gold'

as in: मेंढसर [ mēṇḍhasara ] m A bracelet of gold thread.

(Marathi)

मेढ [mēḍha] f A forked stake. Used as a post. Hence a

short post generally whether forked or not. Pr. ह ती ां

ल गली चेड आणि धर म ांडव ची मेढ.

John C. Huntington identifies the nature of the offering on m1186: it is a

bowl with ladles. See m0488

Hyperpics on m0299, m0300:

bhaTa 'worshipper' Rebus: bhaTa 'furnace' baTa 'iron' (Gujarati) PLUS muka 'ladle' (Tamil)(DEDR 4887) Rebus: muh ’ingot’. Thus, furnace ingot.

saman 'make an offering (Santali) samanon 'gold' (Santali)

maNDa 'branch, twig' (Telugu) Rebus: maNDA 'warehouse, workshop' (Konkani)

karibha, jaTa, kola Rebus: karba,ib, jasta, 'iron, zinc, metal (kol ‘alloy of fivemetals)

maNDi 'kneeling position' Rebus: mADa 'shrine; mandil 'temple' (Santali)

The rice plant adorning the curved horn of the person with the pig-tail (scarf) is kolmo; read rebus, kolime ‘smithy’. Smithy of what? kol ‘pancaloha’.

The curving horn is: kod.u = horn; rebus: kod. artisan’s workshop (Kuwi)

Thus, the hyperpics of inscriptions on m0299 and m0300 are data archives of seafaring merchant’s cargo from metal workshop, of gold, minerals, alloys (smithy), iron/copper ingots, implements

Hypertexts on m0299, m0300:

kole.l = smithy, temple in Kota village (Ko.) Rebus: kolime smithy' (Ka.) kol ‘working in iron, blacksmith (Ta.)(DEDR 2133) The ligature glyphic element within 'room' glyph (Variant Sign 243): baṭi 'broad-mouthed, rimless metal vessel'; rebus: baṭi 'smelting furnace'. Thus, the composite ligatured Sign 243 denotes: furnace smithy.)

ayo, aya ‘fish’ rebus: aya ‘iron’ ayas ‘metal’ PLUS khANDA ‘notch’ rebus: kaNDA ‘implements’

kanka, karNaka ‘rim of jar’ rebus:karNI ‘supercargo’ karNaka ‘scribe, account’

karNika ‘spreadlegs’ rebus: karNadhAra ‘helmsman’ karNika ‘scribe, account’

Sign 229. sannī, sannhī = pincers, smith’s vice (P.) śannī f. ʻ small room in a house to keep sheep in ‘ (WPah.) Bshk. šan, Phal.šān ‘roof’ (Bshk.)(CDIAL 12326). seṇi (f.) [Class. Sk. śreṇi in meaning "guild"; Vedic= row] 1. a guild Vin iv.226; J i.267, 314; iv.43; Dāvs ii.124; their number was eighteen J vi.22, 427; VbhA 466. ˚ -- pamukha the head of a guild J ii.12 (text seni -- ). -- 2. a division of an army J vi.583; ratha -- ˚ J vi.81, 49; seṇimokkha the chief of an army J vi.371 (cp. senā and seniya). (Pali)

Hieroglyph: ḍato = claws of crab (Santali) Rebus: dhātu = mineral (Skt.), dhatu id. (Santali)

Thus, the hypertext part of inscription signifies: cargo from furnace smithy guild, minerals, implements, (handed over) to supercargo, a representative of the ship's owner on board a merchant ship, responsible for overseeing the cargo and its sale.

This is complemented by the hyperpic part of inscription: Seafaring merchant’s cargo from metal workshop, of gold,minerals, alloys (smithy), iron/copper ingots, implements.

Namaste toys from Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization and Ladies offering prayers in Bali

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