What Madhav and Nagaraj  say (that the devanagari 4 with dot on top) in this manuscript represents oM makes sense from the contents but is it more complicated? 

1) This symbol (numeral 4 with dot on top) mostly occurs as oM before a bIja mantra followed by namaH. And all bIja mantras followed by namaH use this symbol (numeral 4 with dot) as oM. See folios 5b, 6a,6b,7a,7b etc.

2)  ओं  is also used throughout the manuscript  See folios 1a,2a,2b,4a,5b, 11a

3)Has anyone seen this symbol (numeral 4 with dot on top) used in any other manuscripts?

Harry Spier

On Tue, Apr 2, 2024 at 12:57 AM Nagaraj Paturi <nagarajpaturi@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes, it is occurring in the place wherever om ॐ is  expected. 

On Tue, Apr 2, 2024 at 6:11 AM Madhav Deshpande via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Harry,

     In all likelihood, this is a sign for the letter ॐ.

Madhav

Madhav M. Deshpande

Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies

Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India

[Residence: Campbell, California, USA]

On Mon, Apr 1, 2024 at 5:33 PM Harry Spier via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear list members,

I've attached a pdf of folio 6a of śrīvidyānityapaddhatiḥ by Sahib Kaul. On In that folio there are multiple occurrences of what looks to me like the numeral four with a dot over top.

Can anyone tell me what these are, some kind of repetition symbol?

The entire manuscript can be downloaded from archive.org at:

https://archive.org/download/ShriVidyaNityaPaddhatiOfSahibKaulAlm27Shlf260531673KDevanagariTantra/Shri%20Vidya%20Nitya%20Paddhati%20of%20Sahib%20Kaul_Alm_27_shlf_2_6053_1673_K_Devanagari%20-%20Tantra.pdf

Harry Spier

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Nagaraj Paturi

 

Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.

Dean, IndicA

BoS, MIT School of Vedic Sciences, Pune, Maharashtra

BoS Kavikulaguru Kalidasa Sanskrit University, Ramtek, Maharashtra

BoS Veda Vijnana Gurukula, Bengaluru.

Member, Advisory Council, Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthanam, Bengaluru

Former Senior Professor of Cultural Studies, 

FLAME School of Communication and FLAME School of  Liberal Education, 

Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.