Harappan Deciphered?!

[Michael Witzel]

>Prof. Rajaram:
>> People should read the whole book before judging it.

Certainly, but K.Elst's (originally, enthusiastic, if I remember well,)
description, combined with the one line from Dholavira  already  was more
than *enough* to show three major flaws and  many other disconcerting
details, as listed in two emails.

Using the ingenious Rajaram/Jha method, I can read the Dholavira
inscription much better, however, not as:

>Dholavira signboard acc. to Jha/Rajaram:
>"mad-dvaidhah-raaga-vedhaashvaih-sahasra-dhaa"      ---    i.e.:

    m -d - d     -     r -g   -  v - d -  z        - s        -    d

but as:

   maitradhaa -raaghava-deza-saadha!

"Success to the Country of Raaghava which promotes friendship!"

Much better for  a city wall! Especially so, as it rightly refers to Lord
Krishna's realm and his capital, situated just over the Rann of Cutch,
where it recently has been dredged up from the ocean at Dwarka.
In short: Mine is the *only correct* reading in the geographical and early
historical context!
You read it here first!

SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT from Rajaram/Jha's, isn't it:
>"I was a thousand times victorious over avaricious raiders desirous of my
>wealth of horses"


                                ***

Maybe, our esteemed colleagues who are better at composing Skt. Shlokas
can come up with some nicer two dozen or so readings of this line. Just
remember, the rules are:  Consonants count little, vowels nothing.

I suggest a contest, and let the best  (most imaginative) 'reading' win!
And receive a prize. From me. I mean it.

Prof. Rajaram continues:
>>Anyway it is moot since
>> we have now read pretty much all the seals.... We are
>> working on a magnum opus that deciphers and interprets all the seals.

If based on the same principles, procedures and "constructive" use of
imagination:  "leave all hope behind!"

                Case closed.

To quote an old Nepali friend of mine who always issues a
saavadhaana-pattra ("warning sheet") whenever a new book on history comes
out:

                "We have already condemned him!"

Anything on the recent  Munda reading?
========================================================
Michael Witzel
Department of Sanskrit & Indian Studies, Harvard University
2 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge MA 02138, USA

ph. 1- 617-496 2990 (also messages)
home page:  http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/mwpage.htm

Elect. Journ. of Vedic Studies:  http://www1.shore.net/~india/ejvs
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