What is the writing on the attached image?

[Deshpande, Madhav]

Hi Dominik,

"What is that sun doing in the top right corner?"  The sun makes perfect sense, as Patañjali describes Pāṇini as prāṅmukhaḥ upaviśya sūtrāṇi praṇayati sma.  However, in Patañjali's description of Pāṇini composing his sūtras with great effort (mahatā yatnena), he is sitting facing the east, with the sacred darbha grass in his hand (darbha-pavitra-pāṇi), and not a pen to write down his rules.  So, the artist has tried to save Pāṇini from the charge of illiteracy!

Madhav

Madhav M. Deshpande
Professor of Sanskrit and Linguistics
Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
202 South Thayer Street, Suite 6111
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-1608, USA
________________________________________
From: Indology [INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Dominik Wujastyk [wujastyk at GMAIL.COM]
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011 6:19 AM
To: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] FW: [INDOLOGY] What is the writing on the attached image?

Indeed !

The diagram in the background, behind the writing Panini, has the general
look as a jyotiṣa jātaka or horoscope chart, but with the Brāhmī numerals in
the 12 positions, instead of the zodiac.  And what's that sun doing in the
top right corner?

Dominik

On 14 February 2011 04:16, Hans Henrich Hock <hhhock at illinois.edu> wrote:

> ... or in having Pāṇini *write*
>
> Hans Henrich Hock
>
>
>
> On 13 Feb 2011, at 20:59, Deshpande, Madhav wrote:
>
>  Thanks to all those who have pointed out that the characters on the
>> postage stamp of Panini represent Brahmi numerals 1-9.  I wonder what the
>> designer of the stamp had in his mind in putting these numerals on the
>> stamp.  Best,
>>
>> Madhav M. Deshpande
>> Professor of Sanskrit and Linguistics
>> Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
>> 202 South Thayer Street, Suite 6111
>> The University of Michigan
>> Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-1608, USA
>> ________________________________________
>> From: mkapstei at uchicago.edu [mkapstei at uchicago.edu]
>> Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2011 8:55 PM
>> To: Deshpande, Madhav
>> Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] What is the writing on the attached image?
>>
>> Hi Madhav,
>>
>> They show the Brahmi numerals.
>>
>> best,
>> Matthew
>>
>> Matthew T. Kapstein
>> Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies
>> The University of Chicago Divinity School
>> Directeur d'études
>> Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris
>>
>