ayana and svastika in the script of the Sarasvati (Harappan) civilization

S. Kalyanaraman mdsaaa48 at giasmd01.vsnl.net.in
Sun Feb 16 01:04:11 UTC 1997


Hi,
I have suggested that the svastika (which occurs nearly 50 times in the script corpus) may be tagged
to the sememe: ayana. Svastika (right- and left-handed alike)
 is a pictorial motif as much as it is a script sign.
Does it connote a sattra or festival in those times? It is intriguing that in Indian languages,
there are a number of compounds containing -ayana.
In Tulu, aayano means a temple festival.
Note for e.g. the compounds such as baudhaayana, zaankhaayana, and 
there are many other words ending in ayaNa, e.g. raamaayaNa, naaraayaNa, prayaaNam. 
Five svastikas occur in a sequence in an inscription; I have interpreted the 5-time repetition, as a phonetic determinatives: ain = five (cf. also panca = five). I suppose such
an approach to tackle the decipherment problem may yield successful results in resolving some
parts of the enigma that is the undeciphered script.

In one pictorial motif, as the tiger pushes at the svastika in a square, the term, a compound, may be: read as: kaTakaayana, the winter solstice sattra (cf. the mahaavrata).

I would appreciate receving comments and suggestions.

Best regards, Kalyanaraman (mdsaaa48 at giasmd01.vsnl.net.in)






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