In February 2024, on the eve of MahaShivratri, a breakthrough in the decoding effort was achieved. Project Shivoham matched the traditional legend of Lubdahka and the Tiger with eighteen terracotta seals (Possehl, 2008) which depict a tiger looking at a man in a tree. The Shivoham principal author recognized the tale as one his mother told him as a child. The legend reveals the context of the scene. Trapped by a wild tiger, the hunter Lubdaka is forced to take refuge for a whole night in a sacred Bilva (Bael) tree. He prayed, fasted, and sprinkled tear-moistened holy leaves on a Shiva lingam below the tree. This happened to be performed on the yearly holy night of MahaShivratri when the marriage of the god Shiva and goddess Shakti, incarnated as Parvati, is observed with ritual annointing of a Shiva lingam, all-night prayer, meditation, and celebration. Greatly pleased by these devotional actions, the god Shiva blessed Lubdkaha with a safe return home and bliss in his glorious paradise.

The legend of Lubdhaka and the Tiger was the Rosetta Stone of the Indus Script. Insight from this legend sparked the great "Eureka moment" for Celeste Claire Horner, a retired librarian and independent researcher of comparative language and symbology. The long-sought interpretation key provided an independent account of the meaning of enigmatic Indus inscriptions. An American raised in the United States and Canada in a home oriented to world culture, with both the Bible and the Bhagavad gita on the bookshelf, Celeste was able to recognize allusions to Hindu philosophy and mythology in Indus Script artifacts. Examining the tiger seal, she employed a prior meta-language research discovery that the upright fish @ @ Indus sign #59 was a god symbol. It represents Vishnu Matsya, Oannes, Dagon, the ICHTHYS fish of Christianity, intersection of circles in geometry, the vesica piscis, and the Pisces constellation. Celeste deduced that the winged V Indus sign #342 (jar, winnowing basket, sacred vessel, lingam), the most frequent glyph, was a third eye forehead tika sign, a cobra mark, and SHIVA SYMBOL. Suddenly, a huge light illuminated the mystery of ancient Indus Valley civilization.

This discovery meant that the god Shiva was the central theme of the Indus Valley culture. Many seals featuring fantastic beasts, such as unicorns and elephant serpent chimeras, show that the trading, farming, and herding society particularly venerated Shiva Pashupati, Lord of Animals. The Indus Valley people were Pashupatinath Shaivites. Their proto-Sanskrit (using danda, letter va व ) ( Dravidian?, Caroline Islands) logo-ideographic writing system, the Harappan or Indus Valley Script, is composed of icons which represent legends of Hindu mythology featuring Shiva and other deities. Language-independent ideas are conveyed, which could easily be adapted to make rebus-principle writing for numerous languages. Placed on objects of the household and commerce, they sanctified prasad, carried spiritual blessing from pilgrimmage sites, taught wisdom, and immersed the beholder in continuous contemplation of legendary divine action.

First, it was observed that numerous Indus Script seals feature the god Shiva. Numerous artificats depict his form as Pashupatinath, lord of animals, surrounded by tigers, bulls, elephants, and forest beasts. As Adiyogi, the first yogi, Shiva is shown seated in lotus posture. This research uncovered that tiger seals commemorate MahaShivratri, the high holy night of Shiva. Since the god Shiva was the focus, it was hypothesized that the Indus script was oriented to religious and spiritual subjects. To decode the language, it was necessary to study the culture. The Puranas and Hindu lore were examined and key motifs identified. These motifs were matched to the 417 Indus glyphs classified by Mahadevan 1977. The glyphs, organized by Hindu legend, creates a systematic matrix of association and interpret Indus inscriptions at the thematic level, transforming the disparate collection into a coherent, classified body of thought. Reading direction is a challenge because some seals are reverse image. Direction may start on left, right, or zig-zag in bostrophodon format, as the ox plows, setting up a subtle metaphor of spiritual earth harvesting agriculture. This study adopts the conventions of Egyptian hieroglyphs, reading into the faces of gods and living aniamsl, and into the backs of skeletons or dead animals. The seals with beasts are given the most authority as reference to the directionality of assymetrical charaters. The animals have symbolism related to the yanas (vehicles) of various deities. A bull is Nandi, the mount of Shiva. The hybrid elephant-bull-lion-horse Yaali is the mount of Budh (planet Mercury), an emblem of wisdom. A unicorn may encode Indian alchemy and Amrita, which ancient Harappans might have believed were embued with blessings for health. Glyph #342, the most common in the Indus corpus, a jar with horizontal bars, was identified as a tilak, the forehead mark of Shiva devotees. Connecting to other Shiva signs such as the #162 trishul (trident) helped to progress the decryption. Grammatical devices, conjunctions, plurals, and danda punctuation were identified. Short utterances such as, OM nama Shivaya, Mahadeva, and Adiyogi were detected. The expectation is that longer formulas are symbolic mantras for contemplation, and can spell or symbolize the names of gods, sages, and places of pilgrimmage bearing spiritual blessing as prasad. Statistical compliance with predictions and associations is evaluated.

INTERPRETATION - Symbols reference the Jyotirlinga legend. How Brahma lost his 5th head. Brahma argued with Vishnu over which was the greatest. Suddenly an immense pillar of light appeared. They agreed whoever found the end of the mysterious apparition would worship the other. Brahma turned into a swan a flew upward, Vishnu assumed his boar avatar and dug downward. They searched for aeons with no luck. Meeting again, Vishnu truthfully confessed he failed, but Brahma lied and said he found the top. Shiva emerged in a rage from the pillar and cut off Brahma's egotistical 5th head.

Read towards the face of the bull unicorn, right to left. 1. All-seeing, evil-destroying eye of Shiva emerges from the infinite Jyotirlinga pillar. Symbol for searching high and low. 2. Dead bird of Brahma, beheaded for lying about finding the top of the infinite pillar of light. 3. Tirtha temple, a jyotirlinga site. 4. Symbol for boar tusk, the Vishnu Varaha avatar. Symbol for flesh cut off with knife. 5. Symbol for negation, coming out, cut off.

ALCHEMY step: PURIFICATION. Unicorns and cow-lick (water, salts, minerals, mushroom formula complex) standards represent alchemy -- the production of soma for enlightenment and immortality. This step represents purification - cut off the surplus head causing lying and ego. A spiritual token for health blessing and wisdom with a strong dose of moral instruction. Learn from Brahma. Tell the truth, don't lie!

Temple girl Primordial sound expanding from damaru. Left foot raised, moksha, Tandava dance of creation and destruction. Chakra = ring of fire, 1 foot balance

SYMBOLS OF SHIVA
Wheel of fire	Foot Tandava dance	Drum damaru (#214)	Moon crescent	SHIVA tilak forehead mark	Trishul trident (#162)
Many occurrences Trishul and Shiva signs together

Shiva meditates seated on a tiger skin. His icons are represented in the Indus Script. His hour-glass shaped damaru drum is #214, and his trishul trident appears in characters #162-#165 and #365-#372. The tiger, on which he sits is an animal featured on numerous seals. Shiva carries a horn (glyph #37) symbol of his bull mount Nandi, of his throat which consumed poison, and a drinking horn of blessing and plenty. [2] Samudra Manthan: Churning of the Ocean of Milk, and the treasures which emerged. Patala. Sanskrit foot pada. *

Shiva V tilak symbol is same as cobra, symbol of enlightenment. Sacrum bone, rising, twisted (Heh symbol) kundalini serpents. Caduceus with Wings, Mercury with wings on temples balances heavy weight, strong shoulder water bearer symbol. Shiva Shakti :: Shu Tefnut, Void Potentiality. Horizontal lines are planes of experience / reality which are penetrated by eye, soul, consciousness of Shiva. =V= VF. Two wings on temples, enlightenment. Two headed dragon - origin and end, alpha and omega. Oroborus. Eternity. ≡V≡
*

Churning of the Ocean of Milk. Shiva swallows poison Jyotirlinga: How Brahma lost his fifth head Fig goddess seal Symbols of the gods, Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma Lubdhaka and the tiger Curse of the Kumaras Firey death of Sati Matsya, fish avatar of Vishnu saves Manu from Flood Vamana, dwarf avatar of Vishnu defeats demon king Bali Ardhanarishwara: Half female form of Shiva Hyagriva: Horse-head gods of Wisdom Shiva Pashupati, lord of animals Vrishrabha Bull avatar of Shiva battles Vishnu Shiva Nataraja, lord of dance, damaru " Superweapon vajra made from bones of Dadichi Seven Sages * Battle for Tara. Shiva vs. moon god Chandra. K-65 * Shiva meditates underwater, protected by Ganga river while Shanidev, lord of Saturn, karma, justice merges *X Vajra: the ultimate weapon made from spinal bones of sage Dadichi Animal symbolism: Unicorn - elixir, healing. Elephant - abundance. Tiger - Shiva, valor. Bulls - harvest. Crocodile - warning. Alchemy. Amrita and unicorn or Yali vehicle of Budh Mercury. Colors nigredo, rubido, albido, citrinas in Yugas Linga. pestle, death of Krishna. 18 queens. Hunter variant. Alchemy crushing for compounding. Churning. Vimanas. Flew from Lanka, aerial route Sacred kusha grass, sacredness and power, weapon and icon of Shiva * * Sacred plants - wish-fulfill, life, wisdom. Cosmic axis, ashvatha, Bodhi tree Nirguna, Bindu, Trimurti. Degumbara clad with cardinal directions. Mahavidya. Self revealing. I am this. Unity Nordic, Egyptian, Mesopotamian connections Written in the stars - constellation charts of Hindu legends. Nakshastra Vishnu. Mansions fish with roof, 4 square castle. Analemma 8 rosary Kuan yin 0G8 69. Trishanku. Rohini. Lubdhaka hunter Siris * * Calendar * *

Battle for Tara. (Kalibangan seal K-65) Tarakamaya war. Shiva and moon god Chandra aim cosmic astra weapons at each other. Battle over the forbidden romance of Tara and the Moon (Chandra), which produced (Budh) Mercury. * Three strokes ||| may suggest tr sound and name Tara (2026-2 CCH) Art: Lucky Thanka Tara and golden moon halo nimbus Avalokiteshvara. LuckyThangpa Tara born of Tears of Avalokiteshvara, buddha of compassion. Compare tears of Shiva, rudraksha and multi head structure, Shiva 5; 5 level.

M-300. Yali, the chimera vehicle mount (vamana) of Budh (planet Mercury in Hindu astrology).
Chakra - sun, gold; wheel, mixing. Division. Steps. Hand craft. Mortal pestle. Shiva Mercury and Lead.
Alchemical mercury universal solvent. Elephant - abundance, remover of obstacles. Bull - strength, fertility. Lion - valor, honor, strength, royalty. Serpent / Naga - wisdom, temptations, magic, mystery. Horse - goddess, beauty, swiftness, elegance. Tiger - strength, challenge, danger, passion.

Process of alchemy: Chakra = sun = gold. 1\1 division. Mortar and pestle vessel. Hand of craft. Shiva sign of annihilation, removal of the dross, transformation, flight. \ = ma multiplcation. This seal depicts the process of spiritual and physical alchemy, achieving the gold of illumination, wealth, and health. LiFe. Origin. Growth. =V=. Immortality formula. Light in head, illumination, elimination in behind, recycling remainder.

Hypothesis: The Indus Script consists of icons of well-known and ancient Hindu legends from Proto-Puranic oral traditions. This civilization worshipped Shiva as Adiyogi and Pashupati, lord of animals, often using home altars, small shrines, or tirthas - natural river or forest settings, rather than elaborate temples is this ancient period of history. The writing system is devotional and ideographic, inviting the viewer to contemplate symbols of divine actions. The seals might have been though to convey spiritual blessings, prasad from yajnas and pilgrimmage sites.

Correlations between symbols can be predicted and explained by Puranic myths. The writing system is ideographic. Signs represent ideas which are language-independent. They could have served as mneomonic devices for oral story telling. However, the Indus Script is fully compatible with alphabetic or phonetic writing using a rebus method. Some seals have been translated in this way to read, Shiva Pashupati, and OM, nama Shiva Mahadeva. Many characgters are bi-directional, but a few have a front face which helps determine reading direction. The Egyptian convention of reading into the face of a deity or living being such as a unicorn (but towards the back of a dead bird or skeleton / corpse!) can help determine the leading edge of the glyph. Bostrophodon, zig-zag reading direction has been detected on one seal, which creates a large metaphor of Churning the Ocean of milk being congruent to a farmer plowing a field to fertilize and harvest fruits. Thus, it is hypothesized that Indus Script can be read at multiple levels, both thematic and logographic, and the language incorporates clever instruments which need to be contemplated and decoded. This is an intelligent literary form. (Celeste Horner has been researching pictographic literature in Proto-Sinaitic and finding it is not primitive -- it is artfully composed and clever)