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Indus Script Interpretation Table (0-417)

Indus Script Interpreted as Iconography of Hindu Mythology by Celeste Claire Horner (2026).     Interpretations 2024 draft     Long 417 glyph table draft.   Mahadevan 1977 catalog pg 32-35     jump #     |     2024 spreadsheet     |     LEGENDS (Churning | Jyotirlinga | Kumaras | Tripura etc) (CCH 2026-9-1, 2026-8-5, 2026-5-14 )

Sign # Glyph Image Label Freq Description Legend (Puranic Connection) Reference
#0 Glyph 0 Zero 10+ ? Zero, nothing, not, void, singularity, focus, point, curse (set at naught). Seed. BINDU. (Point glyph widely used but not indexed in Mahadevan 1977, added by Celeste Horner 2025)
  • Jyotirlinga [50%]. Vishnu and Brahma find no end to Jyotirlinga, Shiva's infinite pillar of light. Brahma's egotistical 5th head eliminated. The dead upside-down bird is Brahma's beheaded swan avatar, disgraced for lying. It is coming down from its flight to look for the top of the Shiva linga.
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [20%]. Shiva swallows and eliminates the poison released by the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, thus saving the world.
    		•  Inscription 6405.
    Chanhudaro.
    Brahma dead swan, zero,
    infinite pillar, axis, spine
    Zero end found to infinite Jyotirlinga.
    Brahma zero ego
    Kenoyer: Peshawar zero, 4 CE.

    Tower destruction

    2 Glyph 2 Emergence 21 A god emerging from a pillar of light. Emergence, manifestation, revelation, doorway. Omnipresent god emerging from cosmic axis.
  • Jyotirlinga [50%]. Shiva emerges from Jyotirlinga, an infinite pillar of light
    		•  glyph #2
    #4 Glyph 4 Horse-head god of wisdom 4 horse-head god of wisdom
  • Hyagriva [80%]. Horse-head form of Vishnu which rescued the Vedas from a horse-head demon, who stole them and hid them at the bottom of the sea. Ashwini Kumara, horse-head twins of great wisdom.
  • Daksha - Decapitated, head replaced with a goat.
    		• Inscription 1189. Mohenjodaro. Chakra and knife represent Vishnu's discus weapon. Vishnu, decapitated by bowstring, obtains horse-head. This magically enabled him to defeat Hyagriva, the horse-head demon who kidnapped the four Vedic wisdom scriptures, personified as children, taking them to the bottom of the sea.

    #16 Glyph 16 Gods turning Mountain
    Mount Mandara    		 1 Mountain with 2 gods on either side. Gods and demons turning Mount Mandara in the Ocean of Milk. Gods uprooting Mount Mandara, broken mountain peak of Mount Meru.
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [100%]. The central peak of Mount Meru used as a churning rod in the Samudra Manthan.
    		•  Seal 2518

    M-288
    #17 Glyph 17 Goddess Shakti, Tree of Life, Amrita 1 Supreme goddess Shakti. Mother goddess with large breasts, holding child. Cosmic feminine principle. Tree of Life. Durga with sword, ready to defeat Mahashisura. Goddess with sword of self-sacrifice.
  • Shakti
  • Sati
  • Mother Earth Bhumii
  • Mother Tara nursed Shiva after he swallowed Churning Ocean poison to save world
  • Banyan tree, Tree of Life
  • Durga
  • Sage Markandeya survived Pralaya flood floating on Banyan leaf, spoke to Vishnu
    		•  Mahadevan (1977) Concordance and Tables, pg 183
    25 Glyph 25 Sage with walking stick 53 Sage with walking stick. Immortal
  • Curse of the Kumaras [40%]. Ancient sages who look like children cursed Vishnu's gatekeepers for disrespect.
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [10%]. The cantankerous sage Durvasa who cursed Indra and the gods, leading to the loss of their fortune.
    		•  Wisdomlib: Durvasa
    28 Glyph 28 Kama (god of love) / Kshatriya (warrior) 28 Kama, god of love, with bow. Kshatriya warrior with weapon
  • Kama, god of love [50%]. Makes people fall in love with his enchanted arrows. Was burnt to ash for disturbing the meditation of Shiva.
    		•  *
    39 Glyph 39 Three-legged man 39 Three-legged man, Bringhi.
  • ARDHANARISHVARA LEGEND [70%]: Bhringhi, cursed by Parvati to have 3-legged form, because he would only circle Shiva with reverence, but not her. When Shiva and Parvati fused their bodies into one half-male, half-female Ardhanarishvara form, Bringhi turned into a bee and bored through their navel.
  • Dharma, which has 4 legs in Satya Yuga, 3 legs in Treta Yuga, 2 legs in Dwarpa Yuga, and 1 leg in Kali Yuga.
  • Nataraja: Three-leg form of Shiva, intended to suggest his actio of dancing.
  • Vamana: Dwarf incarnation of Vishnu expands so that 3 strides cover the universe.
    • #40 Glyph 40 Leg-trapped man 14 Man with a circle, noose, or trap around his leg. Represents humans that are partially free, yet bound to the cycle of Samsara, reincarnation.

    In the story of Ardhanarishvara, Sage Bhringi circled only one leg of Shiva to worship him, since the other half of Shiva had fused with Parvati.

    Pashupati: Pashu, noose. Pada, foot. Shiva is lord of liberation of bound souls.

  • ARDHANARISHVARA LEGEND [70%]: Bhringhi, cursed by Parvati to have 3-legged form, because he would only circle Shiva with reverence, but not her. When Shiva and Parvati fused their bodies into one half-male, half-female Ardhanarishvara form, Bringhi turned into a bee and bored through their navel.
  • Dharma, which has 4 legs in Satya Yuga, 3 legs in Treta Yuga, 2 legs in Dwarpa Yuga, and 1 leg in Kali Yuga.
  • Nataraja: Three-leg form of Shiva, intended to suggest his actio of dancing.
    • #41 Glyph 41 Giant. (Vamana, dwarf avatar of Vishnu) Vamana, the dwarf avatar of Vishnu, expanded to giant size, as he conquers demon king Bali with three steps which span the universe
  • VAMANA AVATAR OF VISHNU [70%].
    • #48 Glyph 48 Skeleton, Corpse of Sati Skeleton of self-immolated Sati, corpse, spine
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [20%]. Represents the power of Garuda, Vishnu's eagle, who transported Mount Mandara through the air.
  • Jyotirlinga [10%]. Wings of Brahma's swan avatar. He flew up to look for the top of Jyotirlinga, Shiva's infinite pillar of light.
    		•  Inscription 4355


    Harappa H-2000 faience tablet

    Death of Sati vs Tree of Life
    hidden by thorny Tree of Knowledge
    with a bull-fight underneath. Sunburst of knowledge,
    clamshell containing pearl of wisdom. 2026-10-6
    #52 Glyph 52 Squirrel descending tree Sage Narada Muni, who travels all three worlds. Gathered wisdom in many incarnations including monkey, squirrel, and woman. Sometimes a mischievous messenger and musical bard, diverting sons of Daksha to explore the world instead of marrying. (Compare mischievious squirrel on world tree Yggdrasil). Otherwise, swan avatar of Brahma, descnding after failing to find the top of Jyotirlinga.
  • Sage Narada [1%].
  • Jyotirlinga [10%]. Brahma's swan avatar. Descending after he flew up to look for the top of Jyotirlinga, Shiva's infinite pillar of light.
    		•
    56 Glyph 56 Wings 8 Wings of Garuda the eagle, the mount of Vishnu. Amrita. Prana, chi, life-energy, uplifting power. Immortality.
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [20%]. Represents the power of Garuda, Vishnu's eagle, who transported Mount Mandara through the air.
  • Jyotirlinga [10%]. Wings of Brahma's swan avatar. He flew up to look for the top of Jyotirlinga, Shiva's infinite pillar of light.
    		•  Seal M-314
    #87 Glyph 87 Number two Two strokes, number two. Jyotirlinga, pillar of light. Division and paired, side-by-side unity. A river has two banks, yet it is one river. Both dual and union.
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [10%]. Churning rod.
  • Jyotirlinga [50%]. Infinite pillar of light.Often paired with #391, a symbol for light
    		•  Mahadevan (1977) Concordance and Tables, pg 273
    #135 Glyph 135 Mount Kailash, Shiva's abode Mount Kailash, abode of Shiva and Parvati. Domain of spirits and ganas, companions of Shiva
  • Shiva [10%]
    		•  [@]
    #267 House (heavenly abode). #99 of. #65 Goddess, Parvati.
    #135 Mount Kailash. #342 Shiva
    #162 Glyph 162 Shiva's trishul trident 162 Shiva's trishul trident, iconic weapon
  • Shiva [30%]
    		•
    169 Glyph 169 Hand 169 Hand. Finger count. Creation. Carving. Giving, action, praise, sacrifice, friendship, alliance, marriage. Arm. Wings. Branches. 4 pillars of heaven. Meru 5 - Mandara. Kusha grass. Scythe. Wisdom, discriminaton, judgement. Alchemical filtration, purification. Aa7 T14 Egyptian throwstick, smiting blade, karma which circles back to thrower. Karma. Slicing
  • Hand on Shiva's damaru drum which creates time and space with its sound.
  • Hand: creation, destruction, representing a being.
  • Kusha grass. Sacred and purifying. Sharp, slicing.
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [20%].
  • Jyotirlinga [30%]. Brahma's 5th head cut off with grass or Shiva's thumbnail. Multiple strokes are flapping Wings of Brahma's swan avatar. He flew up to look for the top of Jyotirlinga, Shiva's infinite pillar of light.
    		•
    #171 Glyph 171 Ocean sceptre, 5-tine trident 171 Sceptre of ocean dominion
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [60%]
    		•
    #176 Glyph 176 Measuring rod 176 Measuring stick. Height. Length. Ananta. Endless. Spine. Book. Palm leaf stack. Veda or Purana. Hand. Axis mundi. Pillar. Comb. Sorting, ordering, differentiation, discernment. Concept application: Central role of human spine and kundalini. DNA sugar phosphate acid spine coordinating with 4 bases. Metaphor of gods with 4 faces or 4 arms, electron bonding. 4 base math terrestrial; 3 base math levels light. 2, 1, 0. Chi level of pan (ocean expanse) crown #171
  • Jyotirlinga [60%]. Shiva's infinite pillar of light. Neither Vishnu nor Brahma could find the end.
    		•
    #193 Glyph 193 Funeral pyre 193 Cremation pyre, funeral pyre, fire altar, kunda, underworld, sacrifice
  • Shiva [20%]
  • Sati 50%
  • Churning 50%
    		•  Mahadevan (1977) p451
    #198 Glyph 198 Five heads of god Brahma 198 Head of Brahmin with shikha topknot. Five segments symbolizing the original 5 faces or heads of Brahma, before they were reduced to four as penalty for lying about finding the top of the infinite Jyotirlinga pillar of light manifested by Shiva.
  • Jyotirlinga [60%]. Shiva's infinite pillar of light. Neither Vishnu nor Brahma could find the end.
    		•  Mahadevan (1977) p 458
    212 Glyph 212 Pillar 212 Pillar. Sanskrit stambha. Up arrow and enclosure
  • Jyotirlinga [60%]. Jyotirlinga, Shiva's infinite pillar of light. Cosmic axis
    		•  5 inscriptions Indusscript.in


    #212: Pillar, Jyotirlinga. #402: Vishnu boar tusk. #84: Vishnu boar leg. #55: Shiva eye emerges from linga. #127: Top. (Neither Brahma nor Vishnu found the top of Jyotirlinga)
    244 Glyph 244 Tiger skin, jaws 244 Shiva's tiger skin meditation mat. The jaws of a tiger. Phonetic "Br" as in Brahma
  • Hand on Shiva's damaru drum which creates time and space with its sound.
  • Hand: creation, destruction, representing a being.
  • Kusha grass. Sacred and purifying. Sharp, slicing.
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [20%].
  • Jyotirlinga [30%]. Brahma's 5th head cut off with grass or Shiva's thumbnail. Multiple strokes are flapping Wings of Brahma's swan avatar. He flew up to look for the top of Jyotirlinga, Shiva's infinite pillar of light.
    		•  Inscription 1337 BRAHMAN
    #267 Glyph 267 Temple, divine abode,
    OM    		 376 Combines 10-avatar (dashavatar) symbol and universe upholding sign for god Vishnu
  • Temple, OM [60%].
    		• Mahadevan 1977 Concordance p564

    Temple of Vishnu (10 avatar upholder of the universe) and Shiva (origin and annihilator)
    #269.1 Glyph #269A or Glyph #269.1 Amrita. Elixir of life, gold, fortune, goddess Lakshmi 1 (M77 misindexed. 210 Glyph #817, Indusscript.net / ICIT Amrita, elixir of immortality. Very important symbol for immortality, gold. OM. This glyph missed by M77 index, Yajnadevam indusscript.net / ICIT counts 221 frequency. Ocean of Milk conch shell, vessel of divine nectar. Wish-fulfilling gem. Eye looking up. Symbol of life: a germinated seed or egg. 7-day implanted embryo. Female vessel, house, temple, vulva. Heart and nested diamond representing soul, spirit, or light. Prayer. Ratti seed measure of gold. (Mukhopadhyay, 2022)
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [60%]. Represents Amrita, the elixir of immortality which was obtained by the churning of the Ocean of Milk.
  • Garden of Eden [25%].
    		•  glyph #269. C-66, M-314, Mohenjodaro zebu seal Mohenjodaro zebu seal. * This glyph is frequent, but not indexed correctly, requires recount.


    Amrita and poison, tug-of-war (Churning of Ocean).

    Marshall (1931) v3
    Mahadevan (1977) p531

    #301 Glyph 301 Crescent moon M77: 13 / ICIT Yajnadevam: 151 Crescent moon that crowns Shiva's head. Month. Night. Bow
    307 Glyph 307 Bow and arrow Bow and love-inspiring arrows of Kama, the Hindu god of Love. Pashupat, the divine bow and arrow weapon of Shiva. Weapon has power to destroy the cosmos. Symbolizes Shiva's role as potent protector from supernatural poison. Decipherment 2026-5-19 CCH: Forms the Pashupati title of Shiva in Indus inscriptions. (Ankle cuff glyph #40 also Pashupati noose-foot pashu pad)
  • Shiva Pashupati [30%].
  • Destruction of the Daksha Yajna [20%].
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [5%].
  • Kama, Hindu god of love [60%]
    		• H-10 unicorn seal with two hearts, archer with bow Inscription 2043, Mohenjodaro 43 (Further Excavations), Inscription 2049: Archer with two bows **



    indusscript.in
    #319 Glyph 319 Shaligram, sacred conch 27 Shaligram, ammonite fossil form of Vishnu. Sacred conch of Vishnu which produces the cosmic OM. Churning of the Ocean of Milk
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [40%].
    		• Mahadevan 1977
    #328 Glyph 328 Deva, god. Vishnu 323 Garland honoring a divinity. Vessel of divinity. General sign for a god. Often refers to Vishnu.
  • Vishnu [10%].
    		• Mahadevan 1977 Concordance p564
    #348 Glyph 348 Dashavatar upholder Vishnu 323 Combines 10-avatar (dashavatar) symbol and universe upholding sign for god Vishnu
  • Vishnu [60%].
    		• Mahadevan 1977 Concordance p564

    Temple of Vishnu (10 avatar upholder of the universe) and Shiva (origin and annihilator)
    #391 Glyph 391 Wheel / Chakra 182 Wheel. Chakra discus weapon of god Vishnu. Shining light. Star. Cosmic axis. Singularity. Shell of Kurma, turtle avatar of Vishnu.
  • Churning of the Ocean of Milk [80%]. The Sudarshan Chakra (Vishnu's weapon) or Kurma (the turtle avatar) upholding the mountain. The wheel represents the churning action.
    		•  Mahadevan 1977
    402 Glyph 402 Mouth, tusk, branch 402 Sanskrit letter va. Mouth voca. Shiva swallow poison. Sage curse Indra, Kumaras curse. Leaf, bilva leaf offered to Shiva lingam
  • Churning 20%
  • Kumaras 20%
  • Shiva 20%
    		• L-29. Temple of Shiva, leaf, three count, trishul trident
    403 Glyph 403 Intersecting rings 403 Unity symbol: intersecting rings. Deep space object, Cat Eye Nebula, in Draco at center of the great circle of polar precession
  • UNITY philosophy symbol. Appears with || side-by-side unity, pair. Flower of life, vesica piscis.
    		• ADVAITA / unity philosophy

    Vibe-code table seed by Gemini 2026-5-13. Percentages listed after legends are heuristic approximate confidence factors for the association between the glyph and a myth. Implemented as automated diagnosis program. Frequency data based on Mahadevan 1977 and the indusscript.in database. Resources: Harappa.com