Soma amśu, products; śyēna, Anzu metaphors; Indus

Script hypertexts of metals foundries

Abstract. Soma is amśu, is a product deified. Ancu (Tocharian) signifies iron pyrite FeS2
purchased from a seller from Mūjavat. माक्षिक, the fly, betrays Soma. RV 1.119.9. Soma is
described -- at an ādibhautika (material) level of analyses -- as a Bronze Age product. Indus
Script hypertexts are deciphered as documentation of metal foundries. Mlecchita vikalpa, Indus
Script cipher is an alternative representation of reality.
This monograph is organized in two sections:

Section 1. Soma is amśu > ancu, 'iron' (Tocharian)

Section 2. Pyrite, iron sulfide biochemistry and origin of life

Some scientists have proposed the role of pyrites in the origin of life suggesting early life
formation on the surface of iron sulfide minerals (pyrites). No link is posited between these
hypotheses and the allegory of Soma in ancient texts, starting with the R̥gveda which in a
nutshell relates to Soma.

This monograph posits a hypothesis -- at an ādibhautika (material) level of analyses -- that these
sacred texts which have survived over 7 millennia have profoundly impacted Bhāratīya Itihāsa.

The other three analyses levels of ādidaivika (divine), ādhyātmika (cosmic-life-consciousness

receptacle), and turīya (brahman) levels, (circumscribed by dharma-dhamma principles of
righteousness), define the very raison d'etre of Bhāratam Janam identified by R̥ṣi Viśvāmitra in
RV 3.53.12.

Section 1. Soma is amśu > ancu, 'iron' (Tocharian)

Soma is a deified pyrite purchased from a seller from Mūjavat.

Soma is amśu.

Soma is an allegory of metalwork with amśu, 'an iron pyrite'. The cognate word is ancu, 'iron'
(Tocharian). amśu is linked to wealth in RV 8.5.26: यथोत कृत्व्ये धनेंशुम् गोष्वगस्त्यम् यथा वाजेषु
सोभरिम् (RV 8.5.26) Trans. And in like manner as (you protected) Ams'u when wealth was to be
bestowed, and Agastya when his cattle (were to be recovered), and Sobhari when food (was to be
supplied to him).

Viewed as a Pilgrim's Progress, R̥gveda is studded with many allegories and narratives which
can be interpreted at many levels of comprehension and
'meaning': ādibhautika(material), ādidaivika (divine),
ādhyātmika (cosmic-life-consciousness receptacle), and turīya (brahman).

This monogrpah is restricted to the ādibhautika (material) level.

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The persons engaged in Soma processing are named in ancient texts. Vīvanhvant, Āthwya, and
Thrita (Avesta) are identified -- as remembered ākhyāna narratives -- from the ancient days of
R̥gveda tradition as Vivasvant and Trita Āptya.

Common synonym of Soma is Indu, 'bright drop'. Hieroglyph: इन्दु the point on a die AV. vii ,
109 , 6 Rebus: इन्दु [p= 166,1] m. ( √ उन्द् Un2. i , 13 ; probably fr. इन्द् = √ उन्द् , " to drop "
[see [p= 165,3] , and cf. /इन्द्र] ; perhaps connected with क्षिन्दु , which last is unknown in the ऋग्-
वेद BRD. ), Ved. a drop (especially of सोम) , सोमRV. AV. VS.; a bright drop , a spark TS.; the
weight of a silver पल, L.; a coin (Monier-Williams) In Indus Script Corpora, 'drop' is
orthographed as the dot-in-a-circle hypertext to signify a synonym: dhāī f. ʻ wisp of fibres added
from time to time to a rope that is being twisted ʼ (Sindhi); dhāˊtu ʻ *strand of rope
ʼ (R̥gveda)(CDIAL 6773) rebus: dhāū, dhāv 'red stone minerals'; dhā̆ vaḍ m. ʻa caste of iron-
smeltersʼ, dhāvḍī ʻcomposed of or relating to ironʼ. Alternative: dāya 'Number one in the game
of dice' rebus: dhāū, dhāv, dhāˊtu 'red stone minerals'.

The drop comes from Soma pressed, pounded with adri, grāvan, 'stones' which lie on a
skin. Avestan tradition uses mortar and pestle to press Haoma.

The drop is strained through a sieve which is a skin, hair, wool, filter. The flow of the drop
becomes Pavamāna. R̥gveda prays to divinity Soma Pavamāna 'Purified Soma' in 120 hymns. An
entire Yasht of Avesta is devoted to Haoma.

पवमान [p= 610,3] mfn. being purified or strained , flowing clear (as सोम) RV.; m. wind or the
god of wind VS. TS. Ka1v. Ra1jat.; m. N. of a partic. अक्षि (associated with पावक and शुक्षि and
also regarded as a son of अक्षि by स्वाहाor of अन्ति् -धान and
by क्षशखण्डिनी) TS. Br. Pur.; m. N. of partic. स्तोत्रs sung by the साम-ग at the ज्योक्षतष्टोम sacrifice
(they are called successively at the 3 सवनs िक्षहष्पवमा*न , माध्यंक्षदन and तृतीय or आभभव)
TS. Br. S3rS. (cf. Religious Thought and Life in India, also called ' ब्राह्मन् ism and क्षहन्दू ism,' by
Sir M. Monier-Williams, p.368).

आ-क्षशि् [p= 158,3] are milk, fresh or curdled, and barley mixed with Soma to purify it.
(RV. AV. TS. Ka1tyS3r. &c) Waters are mixed with Soma. Soma is the sharp-horned bull. Soma
gives immortality to both divinities and human beings. Soma inspires speech. Soma is the bolt
for Indra. Soma rides in a chariot with Indra and is connected with the Maruts. The votary
declares: RV 8.48.3 Griffith translation:
a ápāma sómam amŕtā abhūmâganma jyótir ávidāma devân
c kíṃ nūnám asmân kṛṇavad árātiḥ kím u dhūrtír amṛta mártyasya
We have drunk Soma and become immortal; we have attained the light, the Gods
discovered.Now what may foemans' malice do to harm us? What, O Immortal, mortal
man's deception?

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This is clearly a metaphorical statement and DOES NOT identify Soma as a juice. For,
the Chandogya Upanishad is emphatic.

I suggest that references in R̥gveda related to Soma are metaphorical expressions of

'drink' in Chandas (Vedic Samskrtam), while the product processed results in a molten
state.

I submit that such references do NOT constitute a direct reference to a herbal fluid or
juice or any edible material.

Louis Renous noted: R̥gveda is Soma in nuce (Soma in a nut). Identification of Soma as
a product so vividly enunciated in Vedic texts is of fundamental importance so as not to
mis-interpret the sacred texts.

The Chandogya in 8 chapters is Vedantic philosophy.

esha somo rājā devānam annam tam devā bhakṣayanti: "That soma is king; this is the
devas' food. The devas eat it." [Chandogya.Upanishad (Ch.Up.)]

This is the clearest statement that references to or attributes of Soma in the Vedic
tradition, right from the R̥gveda, should be viewed as metaphors. Even when Agni or
ghee or Soma are viewed as products, the emphatic statement is that Soma is NOT for
human digestion or consumption but associated with divinities, digested by the divinities
(deva bhakshyanti) -- not by mortals or worshippers in the sacred yajna.

It will thus be an error to interpret Soma as an edible product. Such interpretations that
Soma is a hallucinogen or an inebriant are not sanctioned by tradition. If at all there is a
refrain metaphor, it relates to processing of Soma to generate or obtain wealth.

There may be some questions raised based on received wisdom that translations refer to
expressions of 'drinking' soma.

Here for example are two references from R̥gveda: RV 8.48.3 nd RV 8.91.1-7

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[08-048] HYMN XLVIII. Soma. 1. WISELY have I enjoyed the savoury viand,
religious-thoughted, best to find out treasure, The food to which all Deities and mortals,
calling it meath, gather themselves together. <337> 2 Tlou shalt be Aditi as thou hast
entered within, appeaser of celestial anger. Indu, enjoying Indra's friendship, bring us -
as a swift steed the car - forward to riches. 3 We have drunk Soma and become
immortal; we have attained the light, the Gods discovered. Now what may foeman's
malice do to harm us? What, O Immortal, mortal man's deception?

Griffith Translation RV 8.91.1-7

1. DOWN to the stream a maiden came, and found the Soma by the way. Bearing it to
her home she said, For Indra will I press thee out, for Sakra will I press thee out. 2 Thou
roaming yonder, little man, beholding every house in turn, Drink thou this Soma pressed
with teeth, accompanied with grain and curds, with cake of meal and song of praise. 3
Fain would we learn to know thee well, nor yet can we attain to thee. Still slowly and in
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gradual drops, O Indu, unto Indra flow. 4 Will he not help and work for us? Will he not
make us wealthier? Shall we not, hostile to our lord, unite ourselves to Indra now? 5 O
Indra, cause to sprout again three places, these which I declare,- My father's head, his
cultured field, and this the part below my waist. 6 Make all of these grow crops of hair,
you cultivated field of ours, My body, and my father's head. 7 Cleansing Apala, Indra!
thrice, thou gavest sunlike skin to her, Drawn, Satakratu! through the hole of car, of
wagon, and of yoke.

apAma may also mean 'obtained'. Here:

आप 1 [p= 142,2] m. obtaining mfn. ifc. to be obtained (cf. दु ि्°).n. (fr. 2. अप् Pa1n2. 4-2 ,
37), a quantity of water , मण्डिनाथ on S3is3. iii , 72. Thus, the translation of apAma 'we
drank' is of doubtful validity.

Apala episode is beautiful. What she found was a stone with traces of soma (electrum,
gold/silver compound as assem (Egyptian), noted by Joseph Needham).

In RV 8.48.3 'We have drunk...'? Amrutam is a metaphor. It means, we have obtained the
Soma, amrutam (wealth).

This is what Winslow's Tamil lexicon says: soma maNal 'sand containing silver ore'.

*ச ோமன் cōmaṉ (p. 212) s. The moon, ந்திரன். W. p. 945. SOMA. 2. The name
of an ancient liberal king, ஓர்வள் ளல் . 3. (c.) A cloth worn by men, sometimes by
women, wrapped round the waist, சவஷ்டி. 4. Cloth in general, சீலல. 5. One of the
eight demigods, அஷ்டவசுக்களிலலோரு வன். 6. Camphor, கர்ப்பூரம் . 7. Soap,
வக் கோரம் . 8. A kind of rank in Ceylon wear three cloths one over another; the
சவட்டி; ச ோமன். and துப்பட்டி. ச ோமகதி, s. Moon's daily motion.
ச ோமசுந்தரன், s. Siva, சிவன். 2. A name of one of the Pandyan kings, ஓர்
போண்டியன். ச ோமசூரியோக்கினி, s. The sun, moon and fire. See மு சு ் டர்.
ச ோமச கரன்--ச ோமநோதன், s. Siva, as worshipped at Somnauth, சிவன்.
ச ோமமணல் , s. Sand containing silver, லவள் ளிமணல் .

Soma and Haoma derive from Proto-Indo-Iranian root *sav- (Sanskrit sav-) "to press".

RV 1.154.2 and 1.155.1 notes that Viṣṇu is girikṣit 'mountain-dwelling'. giriṣṭha

'mountain-abiding'. The link of Soma to the mountains is from the
word: मौजवत [p= 836,2] mfn. coming from or produced on the mountain मूज-
वत् RV. Nir.; m. (said to be) a patr. of अि (author of RV. x ,
34). मूजवत् [p= 825,3] m. N. of a mountain VS.; name of a people (AV. S3Br.)(Monier-
Williams) Mūjavat-s are mentioned together with the
mahāvr̥ṣa-s, the gandhāri-s, and the bāhika-s, in the Atharvaveda (v.22,5.7.9.1). This is
consistent with a statement that Soma is found in the upper Indus and Kashmir region

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(Susruta Samhita: 537-538, SS.CS. 29.28-31). Avesta declares that Haoma grows in the
mountains. Clearly, Soma is a product from the mountains.

It is the rock from which the eagle brought Soma (RV 4.26, 27). श्येन [p= 1095,2] m. a
hawk , falcon , eagle , any bird of prey (esp. the eagle that brings down सोम to human
beings on the terrestrial domain) RV. &c; firewood laid in the shape of an
eagle S3ulbas. The eagle is like a lightning flash (thunderbolt) from the castle of iron.
Yes, Soma from the castle of iron, embedded in the filament-filled pyrite or a bed of
transparent quartz needles -- amśu.

The archer who shot at the falcon is कृशानु [p= 306,1] m. (fr. √कृश् for कृष् ?) , " bending
the bow " , N. applied to a good archer (connected with /अस्तृ , " an archer " , though
sometimes used alone ; कृशानु , according to some , is a divine being , in character
like रुद्र or identified with him ; armed with the lightning he defends the " heavenly
" सोम from the hawk , who tries to steal and bear it from heaven to earth) RV. VS. iv ,
27 AitBr. iii , 26; N. of अक्षि or fire VS. v , 32 S3a1n3khS3r. vi , 12 3; (hence) fire Sus3r.
Ragh. Kum. Bhartr2.; N. of क्षवष्णु VarBr2S. xliii , 54; of a गन्धवभ (Monier-
Williams) कृशानुुः kṛśānuḥ कृशानुुः [कृश् आनुक्; Uṇ.4.2] Fire; गुिोुः कृशानुप्रक्षत- माक्षिभेक्षष
R.2.49;7.24;1.74; Ku.1.51; Bh.2.17. -Comp. -यन्त्रम् (= अक्षियन्त्रम्) a cannon; अथ सपक्षद
कृशा- नुयन्त्रगोलुः ......Śiva. B.28.85. -रे तस् m.an epithet of Śiva. (Apte)

A कृशानु is a conch-cutter who makes conch bangles.

A bangle-maker from Bengal, cutting turbinella pyrum.

The heavy bronze ‘shell-cutter’s saw’ is shaped like a bow of an archer. The cutter
is śankha-kr̥śānu.

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 Soma seller is
paid a price, a cow for the amśu (Soma in its rock form).

Pyrite from the Sweet Home Mine, with golden striated cubes intergrown with minor
tetrahedrite, on a bed of transparent quartz needles
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Pyrite-Tetrahedrite-Quartz-
184642.jpg

Remarkable radiating form of a pyrite which justifies the semantics of अंशु as a synonym
of Soma .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrite#/media/File:Pyrite-200582.jpg

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अंशु [p= 1,1] m. a filament (especially of the सोम); thread; end of a thread , a minute particle; a
point , end; a ray , sunbeam; cloth cf. ச ோமன் cōmaṉ 'cloth' (Tamil) (The most striking
parallel comes from the archaeo-metallurgical description of a pyrite shown with transparent
quartz needles which are in concordance with the semantics of अंशु as thread, filament, minute
particle or ray.

RV 1.154.1. I WILL declare the mighty deeds of Visnu, of him who measured out the earthly
regions, Who propped the highest place of congregation, thrice setting down his footstep, widely
striding.
2 For this his mighty deed is Visnu lauded, like some wild beast, dread,
prowling, mountainroaming-; He within whose three wideextended- paces all living creatures
have their habitation.
3 Let the hymn lift itself as strength to Visnu, the Bull farstriding-, dwelling on the
mountains, Him who alone with triple step hath measured this common dwellingplace-, long, far
extended.

RV 1.155. 1. To the great Hero, him who sets his mind thereon, and Visnu, praise aloud in song
your draught of juice, Gods Never beguiled, who borne as it were by noble steed, have stood
upon the lofty ridges of the hills.
2 Your Somadrinker- keeps afar your furious rush, Indra and Visnu, when ye come with all
your might. That which hath been directed well at mortal man, bowarmed- Krsanus' arrow, ye
turn far aside.

RV 4.26, 4.27 Griffith translation

HYMN XXVI. Indra. 26

1. I WAS aforetime Manu, I was Surya: I am the sage Kaksivan, holy singer. Kutsa the son
of Arjuni I master. I am the sapient Usana behold me.
2 I have bestowed the earth upon the Arya, and rain upon the man who brings oblation. I guided
forth the loudlyroaring- waters, and the Gods moved according to my pleasure.
3 In the wild joy of Soma I demolished Sambaras' forts, ninetyandnine—, together; And, utterly,
the hundredth habitation, when helping Divodasa Atithigva.
4 Before all birds be ranked this Bird, O Maruts; supreme of falcons be this
fleetwinged- Falcon, Because, strong- pinioned, with no car to bear him, he brought to Manu the
Godloved oblation.
5 When the Bird brought it, hence in rapid motion sent on the wide path fleet as thought
he hurried. Swift he returned with sweetness of the Soma, and hence the Falcon hath acquired his
glory.
6 Bearing the stalk, the Falcon speeding onward, Bird bringing from afar the draught that
gladdens, Friend of the Gods, brought, grasping fast, the Soma which be bad taken from yon
loftiest heaven.
7 The Falcon took and brought the Soma, bearing thousand libations with him, yea, ten
thousand. The Bold One left Malignities behind him, wise, in wild joy of Soma, left the foolish.

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 HYMN XXVII. The Falcon. 27

1. I, As I lay within the womb, considered all generations of these Gods in order. A hundred iron
fortresses confined me but forth I flew with rapid speed a Falcon.
2 Not at his own free pleasure did he bear me: he conquered with his strength and manly
courage. Straightway the Bold One left the fiends behind him and passed the winds as he grew
yet more mighty.
3 When with loud cry from heaven down sped the Falcon, thence hasting like the wind he bore
the Bold One. Then, wildly raging in his mind, the archer Krsanu aimed and loosed the string to
strike him.
4 The Falcon bore him from heavens' lofty summit as the swift car of
Indras' Friend bore Bhujyu. Then downward hither fell a flying feather of the Bird hasting
forward in his journey.
5 And now let Maghavan accept the beaker, white, filled with milk, filled with the shining
liquid; The best of sweet meath which the priests have offered: that Indra to his joy may drink,
the Hero, that he may take and drink it to his rapture.

Riddles in R̥gveda Sukta 1.164 as relatable to Pravargya by Jan EM Houben. (The ritual
pragmatics of a Vedic hymn: The 'riddle hymn' and the Pravargya ritual by Jan EM Houben,
2000, Journal of the American Oriental Society, 120 (4), pp. 499-536.) Jan EM Houben indicates
the possibility that the riddle in R̥gveda Sukta 1.164 is explained as a metaphor of three birds,
one of which is Suparna (garumat); the second a bird eating a sweet fig in a tree. The third bird is
Patanga. The author of RV 10.177 is Rishi Patanga Prajapati and RV 10.177 is the same as RV
1.164.31. I suggest that the three birds in the Sukta RV 1.164 referred to by Houben are: śyēna,
patanga, mākṣikā:
• śyēna is suprana (garutmat), falcon
• mākṣikā is the pippalam sva_du atti: 'the flying bee which eats the sweet fig' (RV 1.164.20)
• patanga is the third bird, flying insect (RV 10.177) The three flying birds (insects) are rebus-
metonymy renderings as hieroglyphs signifying metalwork catalogues in archaeometallurgical
transactions of Bhāratam Janam, 'metalcaster folk'
patanga, mercury or quicksilver in transmuting metal (Soma, ams'u);

mākṣikā, pyrites (which are to be oxidised to attain purified pavamAna Soma, electrum as gold-
silver compound). Hieroglyph: माक्षिक [p= 805,2] mfn. (fr. मक्षिका) coming from or belonging to
a bee Ma1rkP.; n. (scil. मधु) honey Var. Sus3r.; Rebus: n. a kind of honey-like mineral substance
or pyrites MBh.

śyēna, anzu, ams'u (electrum ore filaments in the pyrites).

Harappa seal signifies फडा phaḍā 'metals manufactory' sēṇa 'eagle' rebus sena
'thunderbolt' https://tinyurl.com/yar94t7p

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Harappa seal h166A, h166B. Vats, 1940, Excavations in Harappa, Vol. II, Calcutta: Pl. XCI.
255

फडा (p. 313) phaḍā f (फटा S) The hood of Coluber Nága &c. Ta. patam cobra's
hood. Ma. paṭam id. Ka. peḍe id. Te. paḍaga id. Go. (S.) paṛge, (Mu.) baṛak, (Ma.) baṛki, (F-
H.) biṛki hood of serpent (Voc. 2154). / Turner, CDIAL, no. 9040, Skt. (s)phaṭa-, sphaṭā- a
serpent's expanded hood, Pkt. phaḍā- id. For IE etymology, see Burrow, The Problem of Shwa in
Sanskrit, p. 45.(DEDR 47) Rebus: phaḍa फड ‘manufactory, company, guild, public office’,
keeper of all accounts, registers.

dhanga 'mountain range' Rebus: dhangar 'blacksmith'

Ta. eruvai a kind of kite whose head is white and whose body is brown; eagle. Ma. eruva eagle,
kite.(DEDR 818). Rebus: eruvai ‘copper’ (Tamil).
eṟaka ‘wing’ (Telugu) Rebus: erako ‘molten cast’ (Tulu) loa ‘ficus’; rebus: loh ‘copper’.
Pajhar ‘eagle’; rebus: pasra ‘smithy’.
kanda.’fire-altar’.khamba ‘wing’ rebus: kammaTa ‘mint’. gaṇḍa ‘four’ Rebus: khaṇḍa ‘metal
implements. Together with cognate ancu ‘iron’ the message is: native metal implements mint.

श्येन [p= 1095,2] m. a hawk , falcon , eagle , any bird of prey (esp. the eagle that brings
down सोम to man) RV. &c; firewood laid in the shape of an eagle Śulbas. (Monier-
Williams) śyēná m. ʻ hawk, falcon, eagle ʼ RV. Pa. sēna -- , °aka -- m. ʻ hawk ʼ, Pk. sēṇa -- m.;
WPah.bhad. śeṇ ʻ kite ʼ; A. xen ʻ falcon, hawk ʼ, Or. seṇā, H. sen, sẽ m., M. śen m., śenī f. (<
MIA. *senna -- ); Si. sen ʻ falcon, eagle, kite ʼ.(CDIAL 12674) Rebus: sena 'thunderbolt'
(Sinhala):
aśáni f. ʻ thunderbolt ʼ RV., °nī -- f. ŚBr. [Cf. áśan -- m. ʻ sling -- stone ʼ RV.] Pa. asanī --
f. ʻ thunderbolt, lightning ʼ, asana -- n. ʻ stone ʼ; Pk. asaṇi -- m.f. ʻ thunderbolt ʼ;
Ash. ašĩˊ ʻ hail ʼ, Wg. ašē˜ˊ, Pr. īšĩ, Bashg. "azhir", Dm. ašin, Paš. ášen, Shum. äˊšin, Gaw. išín,

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Bshk. ašun, Savi išin, Phal. ãšun, L. (Jukes) ahin, awāṇ. &circmacrepsilon;n (both with n, not ṇ),
P. āhiṇ, f., āhaṇ, aihaṇ m.f., WPah. bhad. ãṇ, hiṇi f., N. asino, pl. °nā;
Si. sena, heṇa ʻ thunderbolt ʼ Geiger GS 34, but the expected form would be *ā̤n; --
Sh. aĩyĕˊr f. ʻ hail ʼ (X ?). -- For ʻ stone ʼ > ʻ hailstone ʼ cf. upala -- and A. xil s.v.śilāˊ -- .
(CDIAL 910) vajrāśani m. ʻ Indra's thunderbolt ʼ R. [vájra -- , aśáni --
]Aw. bajāsani m. ʻ thunderbolt ʼ prob. ← Sk.(CDIAL 11207)
Three flying birds are abiding metaphors in R̥gveda.

The glosses are: śyēna, patanga, mākṣikā. The three glosses are rebus-metonymy renderings of
sena 'thunderbolt'; patanga 'mercury'; mākṣikā 'pyrites' -- three references to metalwork catalogs
of Bhāratam Janam, 'lit. metalcaster folk'. A variant phonetic form of mākṣikā is makha 'fly, bee,
swarm of bees' (Sindhi). The rebus-metonymy for this gloss is: makha 'the sun'. Mahavira pot is
a symbol of Makha, the Sun (S'Br. 14.1.1.10).

In Vedic texts, Divinity Indra is lightning, his weapon is vajra, thunderbolt. The name
"thunderbolt" or "thunderstone" -- vajrāśani (Ramayana) --has also been traditionally applied to
the fossilised rostra of belemnoids. The origin of these bullet-shaped stones was not understood,
and thus a mythological explanation of stones created where a lightning struck has arisen.
(Vendetti, Jan (2006). "The Cephalopoda: Squids, octopuses, nautilus, and ammonites", UC
Berkeley) In Malay and Sumatra they are used to sharpen the kris, are considered very lucky
objects, and are credited with being touchstones for gold.

Reinterpreting Mayabheda Sukta of R̥gveda (RV 10.177) The metaphor of the 'thunderbolt' is
depicted as Anzu bird [cognate:asaṇi 'thunderbolt' (Prakritam)] carrying away the tablets of
destiny in Mesopotamian legends. A phonemic variant śyēna, 'falcon' gets deified, immortalized
as śyēnaciti 'falcon-shaped fire-altar' in Vedic tradition in Bharatam. This is mərəγō saēnō ‘the
bird Saēna’ in Avestan. (See article on Simorg in Encyclopaedia
Iranica. http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/simorg The cognate expression in Samskr̥tam
is śyēna mr̥ga).

http://tinyurl.com/hnlantg Soma in Rigveda, an allegory for metalwork, consistent with the

tradition of Indus Script Corpora metalwork catalogues

Three intriguing references to Soma in the R̥gveda:

1. Mortals do not taste Soma. RV 10.85.3, 4 which suggest that Brahmana and those who dwell
on earth do NOT partake of Soma. Similar refrain occurs in Atharva Veda. Hillebrandt and
Oldenburg suggest that Soma is a metahpor for the sun or moon.
2. माक्षिक, the fly, betrays Soma. RV 1.119.9 There is a pun on the word माक्षिक which also
signifies 'pyrites' (secondary ores). Rigveda citation:

11
To you, O Aswins, that fly betrayed the soma: RV 1.119.9 Line 1
3. Reference to Soma in the dual and plural RV 9.66.2,3,5 refer to Soma in dual, or plural (re-
inforcing the allegorical nature of the descriptions.

The references to Saēna’ in Avestan cognate śyēna mr̥ga (Samskr̥tam) find many representations
on Indus Script hypertexts, at times referring to the bird as Anzu (a memory-recall of amśu
'Soma' > ancu 'iron' (Tocharian).

Indus Script hypertexts and meanings in Meluhha speech, in reference to the following images:

pañja 'feline paw' rebus: pañja 'kiln, furnace'

kola 'tiger' rebus: kol 'working in iron' kolhe 'smelter'
pajhar 'eagle' rebus: pasra 'smithy'
eraka 'wing' rebus: eraka 'moltencast, copper' arka 'gold'
dhangar 'bull' Rebus: dhangar 'blacksmith'
arye 'lion' rebus: āra 'brass'

Carved horn cup showing Anzud, the lion-headed

eagle, attacking a bull/man
http://sumerianshakespeare.com/106901.html

12
Stone mace head, front and back: A votive offering to a temple; it is too large to have been used
as a weapon. Anzud is also known as Imdugud.
http://sumerianshakespeare.com/106901.html

British Museum. Stone mace head Kingdom of Lagash, about

BC Possibly from Tello (ancient Girsu), southern Iraq

Sumer.

13
Copper friezeImdugud (also Zu or Anzu), the lion-headed eagle; Sumerian metalwork (sheets of
copper), Temple of Ninhursag at Tell al-'Ubaid; ca. 2500
BCE http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Imdugud.jpg.
From the temple of Ninhursag, Tell al-'Ubaid, southern Iraq About 2600-2400 BCE A rare
metalwork survival
[quote] This relief was one of a group of objects found at the small site of Tell al-'Ubaid, close to
the remains of the city of Ur. It was discovered at the base of a mud-brick platform on which had
been built a temple dedicated to the goddess Ninhursag.
The frieze may have originally stood above the door of the temple, and if so, is the most striking
element of what survives of the temple façade. The frieze was badly damaged when it was found.
Only one stag's head was recovered intact and the head of the eagle had to be restored. This
restoration, based on images of similar date, shows the lion-headed eagle Imdugud, the symbol
of the god Ningirsu. The artist has allowed the lion head to break out of the confines of the
framework, suggesting Imdugud's great power.
The relief is formed from sheets of copper alloy beaten into shape and fastened, with pins and
twisted lengths of copper, to a wooden core coated with bitumen. The survival of such a large
piece of metalwork from this period is exceptional. Though copper, probably from the regions of
modern Oman and Iran, was the most widely-used metal at this time, most metal objects have
either disintegrated or the metal was melted down and re-used. [unquote]
H.W.F. Saggs, Babylonians (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)
D. Collon, Ancient Near Eastern art (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)
M. Roaf, Cultural atlas of Mesopotamia (New York, 1990)
H.R. Hall and C.L. Woolley, Ur Excavations, vol. I: Al-Uba(London, Oxford University Press,
1927) http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/c/copper_frieze.as
px

14
 Fragment of an Iranian Chlorite Vase
decorated with the lion headed eagle (Imdugud) found in the temple of Ishtar during the 1933 -
1934 fieldwork by Parrot. Dated 2500 - 2400 BC. Louvre Museum collection AO 17553.

15
 Zu as a lion-headed eagle, ca. 2550–2500 BCE, Louvre AO2783 Votive relief of Ur-Nanshe,
king of Lagash, representing the bird-god Anzu (or Im-dugud) as a lion-headed eagle. Alabaster,
Early Dynastic III (2550–2500 BC). Found in Telloh, ancient city of
Girsu. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Relief_Im-dugud_Louvre_AO2783.jpg Ta. eruvai a
kind of kite whose head is white and whose body is brown; eagle. Ma. eruva eagle, kite.(DEDR
818). Rebus: eruvai ‘copper’ (Tamil).

Elamite bird (eagle?) with spread wings on an axe head from Tepe Yahya (Lamberg-Karlovsky and

Potts 2001: 216). Harappa seal. Eagle in flight.

m1390Bt Text 2868 Pict-74: Bird in flight.

16
m0451A,B Text3235 h166A,B Harappa Seal; Vats 1940, II: Pl. XCI.255. http://www.metmuseum.org

eṟaka ‘wing’ (Telugu) Rebus: erako ‘molten cast’ (Tulu) loa ‘ficus’; rebus: loh ‘copper’. pajhar ‘eagle’;
rebus: pasra ‘smithy’. पाजिकः A falcon (Skt.)

ḍato = claws of crab (Santali) ḍato ‘claws or pincers (chelae) of crabs’; ḍaṭom, ḍiṭom to seize with the
claws or pincers, as crabs, scorpions; ḍaṭkop = to pinch, nip (only of crabs) (Santali) Rebus: dhātu =
mineral (Skt.) kamaṭha crab (Skt.) Rebus: kammaṭa = portable furnace (Te.) kampaṭṭam coiner, mint
(Ta.)
Peg ‘khuṇṭa’; rebus: kūṭa ‘workshop’ khũṭi = pin (M.) kuṭi=
smelter furnace (Santali) konḍu मूलिकालिघर्षणवस्तु m. a washerman's dressing iron (El. kunḍh);
a scraper or grater for grating radishes, or the like; usually ˚ -- , the second member being the article to
be grated, as in the following: -- kȧnḍi-mujü घलर्षता मूलिका f. grated radish, but mujĕ-konḍu, a radish-
grater (cf. mujü). (Kashmiri) *khuṭṭa1 ʻ peg, post ʼ. 2. *khuṇṭa -- 1. [Same as *khuṭṭa -- 2? -- See
also kṣōḍa -- .]1. Ku. khuṭī ʻ peg ʼ; N. khuṭnu ʻ to stitch ʼ (der. *khuṭ ʻ pin ʼ
as khilnu from khil s.v. khīˊla -- ); Mth. khuṭā ʻ peg, post ʼ; H. khūṭā m. ʻ peg, stump ʼ; Marw. khuṭī f. ʻ
peg ʼ; M. khuṭā m. ʻ post ʼ.2. Pk. khuṁṭa -- , khoṁṭaya -- m. ʻ peg, post ʼ; Dm. kuṇḍa ʻ peg for
fastening yoke to plough -- pole ʼ; L. khū̃ ḍī f. ʻ drum -- stick ʼ; P. khuṇḍ, ḍā m. ʻ peg, stump ʼ; WPah.
rudh. khuṇḍ ʻ tethering peg or post ʼ; A. khũṭā ʻ post ʼ, ṭi ʻ peg ʼ; B. khũṭā, ṭi ʻ wooden post, stake, pin,
wedge ʼ; Or. khuṇṭa, ṭāʻ pillar, post ʼ; Bi. (with -- ḍa -- ) khũṭrā, rī ʻ posts about one foot high rising
from body of cart ʼ; H. khū̃ ṭā m. ʻ stump, log ʼ, ṭī f. ʻ small peg ʼ (→ P.khū̃ ṭā m., ṭī f. ʻ stake, peg ʼ);
G. khū̃ ṭ f. ʻ landmark ʼ, khũṭɔ m., ṭī f. ʻ peg ʼ, ṭũ n. ʻ stump ʼ, ṭiyũ n. ʻ upright support in frame of wagon
ʼ, khū̃ ṭṛũn. ʻ half -- burnt piece of fuel ʼ; M. khũṭ m. ʻ stump of tree, pile in river, grume on teat ʼ
(semant. cf. kīla -- 1 s.v. *khila -- 2), khũṭā m. ʻ stake ʼ, ṭī f. ʻ wooden pin ʼ, khũṭaḷṇẽ ʻ to dibble
ʼ.Addenda: *khuṭṭa -- 1. 2. *khuṇṭa -- 1: WPah.kṭg. khv́ndɔ ʻ pole for fencing or piling grass round ʼ
(Him.I 35 nd poss. wrong for ṇḍ); J. khuṇḍā m. ʻ peg to fasten cattle to ʼ. (CDIAL 3893) Vikalpa: pacar
= a wedge driven ino a wooden pin, wedge etc. to tighten it (Santali.lex.) pasra = a smithy, place where
a black-smith works, to work as a blacksmith; kamar pasra = a smithy; pasrao lagao akata se ban:? Has
the blacksmith begun to work? pasraedae = the blacksmith is at his work (Santali.lex.)
khareḍo = a currycomb (G.) Rebus: kharādī ‘ turner’ (G.)

17
Enmetena silver vase

Tripod silver vase of Enmetena, dedicated to the war god Ningirsu. The
legs are made of copper. The vase features an image of Anzud, the lion-headed eagle, grasping
two lions with his talons.

The image of Anzud shows up better in this old photograph. Anzud (also known as Imdugud)
was the symbolic animal of Ningirsu. The image of Anzud with the two lions seems to be
symbolic of the city of Lagash.

18
Another view of the silver vase of Enmetena

19
 Enlarge.

The dedicatory inscriptions wrap around the neck of the vase:

Enlarge.

Translation of the inscriptions from the CDLI (P222539):

20
For Ningirsu, the hero of Enlil,
Enmetena, ruler of Lagash,
chosen by the heart of Nanshe,
chief ruler of Ningirsu,
son of Enannatum, ruler of Lagash,
for the king who loved him, Ningirsu,
(this) gurgur-vessel of refined silver,
from which Ningirsu will consume the monthly oil (offering),
he had fashioned for him.
For his life, before Ningirsu of the Eninnu (temple)
he had it set up.
At that time Dudu
was the temple administrator of Ningirsu. http://sumerianshakespeare.com/70701/74901.html

Terracotta plaque showing a bull-man holding a

post

Old Babylonian, about 2000-1600 BCE From Mesopotamia Length: 12.800 cm Width: 7.000
cm ME 103225 Room 56: Mesopotamia

21
This plaque depicts a creature with the head and torso of a human but the horns, lower body and
legs of a bull. Though similar figures are depicted earlier in Iran, they are first seen in
Mesopotamian art around 2500 BC, most commonly on cylinder seals, and are associated with
the sun-god Shamash. The bull-man was usually shown in profile, with a single visible horn
projecting forward. However, here he is depicted in a less common form; his whole body above
the waist, shown in frontal view, shows that he was intended to be double-horned. He may be
supporting a divine emblem and thus acting as a protective deity.
Baked clay plaques like this were mass-produced using moulds in southern Mesopotamia from
the second millennium BC. While many show informal scenes and reflect the private face of life,
this example clearly has magical or religious significance.
British Museum, A guide to the Babylonian and, 3rd ed. (London, British Museum, 1922)
J. Black and A. Green, Gods, demons and symbols of -1(London, The British Museum Press,
1992)

Neo-Sumerian Statuette of an Androcephalous Bull, C. 2350-

2000 BC Made of Chlorite with inlays (now mostly missing)

22
Limestone
H. 14 cm; W. 14 cm
Tell al-Ubaid (Iraq)
Early Dynastic III
B15606 (T.O. 288)

dāmra, damrā ʻ young bull (a.)(CDIAL 6184). K. ḍangur m. ʻbullockʼ (CDIAL 5526).
Rebus: Ḍhangar ‘blacksmith’ (H.) kol ‘tiger’; rebus: kol ‘smithy’. eṟaka ‘wing’ (Telugu) Rebus:
eraka ‘copper’. Thus, the ligatured glyph denotes: copper smithy -- pasra. cf. pajhar 'eagle'
(Santali)
Limestone plaque with relief-carved depiction of a human-faced bison, with its front hooves on a
plant sprouting from a rocky outcropping or mountain. A lion-headed (eagle-like) bird of prey on
the bison’s back--the mythical anzû--bites its haunch.
[quote] The bison’s body is in profile, its face forward. The stylization of the animal’s shoulder
as an undulating band and the inward-curving tufts of hair on the fetlocks are typical of the late
Early Dynastic period. The three overlapping semi-circles that form the rocky outcropping or
mountain are reminiscent of the cuneiform sign signifying both mountain and foreign land and
suggestive of a natural setting for the action depicted in the distant highlands. The lion-headed
bird of prey’s folded wings, neck and tail are rendered with a grid of incised lines.
The square plaque described here is from Woolley’s 1923-24 excavations in front of Tell al-
Ubaid’s late Early Dynastic temple platform (see INTRODUCTION: Tell al-Ubaid). Woolley
focused his efforts on the northwest side of the central stair ramp. The plaque was relatively high
in the mudbrick debris from the collapse of the platform’s superstructure and in close proximity
to an inlay panel depicting milking scenes and rows of cattle. In fact, B15606 was just under and
against a section of the frieze with shell figures of five bulls facing right and may have originally
been attached to it. With the plaque (but detached from it), were the remains of a copper border
similar to that of the inlay panels. The background of the plaque had been painted black to match
the dark color of the bituminous limestone background of the inlay panels.
The human-faced bison, Sumerian (gud) alim or Akkadian kusarikku, is associated with the sun-
god Utu/Shamash, perhaps in part because it inhabited the eastern mountains from which the sun
rose. An Akkadian cylinder seal from Susa in fact depicts the sun god rising above two addorsed
recumbent human-faced bisons in place of the stylized mountains that normally mark his abode.
And in a hymn the sun god is likened to a bison, “ Lord, bison, striding over the mountain, Utu,
bison, striding over the mountain.”
The mythical anzû, who nests in the high mountains, is a seemingly benevolent creature, at least
in early texts and imagery. For example, in the mythical narrative Lugalbanda and the Anzû -
bird, composed in the late 3rd millennium BCE, when the anzû-bird returned from hunting to
find his nest embellished like a god’s dwelling, with his chick adorned and fed, the anzû exulted
in his own role as intermediary to Enlil
I am the prince who decides the destiny of rolling rivers. I keep on the straight and narrow path
the righteous who follow Enlil's counsel. My father Enlil brought me here. He let me bar the
entrance to the mountains as if with a great door. If I fix a fate, who shall alter it? If I but say the
word, who shall change it? Whoever has done this to my nest, if you are a god, I will speak with
you, indeed I will befriend you. If you are a man, I will fix your fate. I shall not let you have any
opponents in the mountains. You shall be 'Hero-fortified-by-Anzû'.

23
Anzû was Enlil’s symbol, and depictions of the anzû with wings outstretched over antithetical
animals symbolic of other deities probably reflects Enlil’s all-encompassing power. The anzû -
relief from Tell al-Ubaid, then, would depict Enlil over the stags associated with Ninhursag.
Anzû’s close association with Ningirsu, Enlil’s son and warrior and Lagash’s tutelary deity, is
evident at Tello (Girsu), both in texts and imagery in Early Dynastic-Ur III periods. On
Eannatum’s Stele of the Vultures, for example, Ningirsu’s battle net is held closed by the anzû
and antithetical lions, Ningursu’s animals, while a macehead, currently in the British Museum
(BM 23287), dedicated to Ningirsu for the life of Enannatum shows the anzû grasping lions. In
Gudea’s Cylinders Ningirsu’s temple Eninnu had the epithet “white anzû,” perhaps a reference to
some significant architectural embellishment such as Urnamma affixed to the gates of Enlil’s
Ekur.
But the anzû was a complex creature and one portrayed as more troublesome in later literary
compositions. The Epic of Anzû, which exists in copies dating to the early 2nd millennium BCE,
tells the tale of a malevolent anzû who steals the “tablet of destinies” and is eventually slain by
Ninurta. Though Akkadian seals, showing a bird-man brought before Enki, may depict excerpts
from this story, suggesting that at least in certain traditions the anzû was thought of as a creature
with a dual—benevolent and malevolent--character already at the end of the 3rd millennium
BCE, their reading remains a matter of controversy.
Whatever the complexity of the mythology regarding the anzû, the imagery of B15606, on which
the anzû is shown in overtly aggressive behavior toward an animal of the mountains, associated
with the sun god, remains perplexing. Similar scenes occur on shell inlays from Tello and Ur, as
well as Tell Mardikh (Ebla) in western Syria. For example, one end panel of the Royal Standard
of Ur shows the anzû attacking recumbent human-faced bisons on each side of a mountain from
which a plant grows. Such scenes may reflect the menacing behavior of the anzû to men and
gods, but more likely depict the anzû’s normal behavior in its natural habitat. B15606’s
juxtaposition with scenes of herding and milking cattle, then, could be read as contrasting the
settled conditions of a “civilized” floodplain with life in the mountains, where, as Lugalanda and
the Anzû describes, bulls ran wild and the anzû hunted to feed its offspring. [unquote]
Richard L. Zettler
http://www.worldartmuseum.cn/content/918/4095_1.shtml

Base for a ritual offering, carved with animals Elamite period, mid-3rd millennium BCE
Tell of the Acropolis, Susa, Iran Bituminous rock H. 19 cm; Diam. 11 cm Jacques de Morgan
excavations, 1908 Lions and gazelles passant; eagles protecting their young Sb 2725
This base for a ritual offering is made of bitumen. This material was plentiful throughout the
Middle East, but only in Susa was it used in sculpture. The object is carved with big cats,
24
gazelles, and eagles. The theme of the eagle spreading its wings to protect its young was found
only in Iran and also features on painted ceramics of the same period.
Bitumen: a plentiful material used in an unusual manner
This object in the form of a truncated cone is a base for a ritual offering. It is carved from
bituminous rock, found throughout the region but used in sculpture only in Susa. It was used to
make vases similar to this object (Louvre, Sb2726), and later, in the early years of the 2nd
millennium BC, vases carved with bas-relief decorations and an animal's head in high relief
(Louvre, Sb2740). The shape of this object - a truncated cone - is similar to other pieces made of
chlorite and dating from the same period. The mortise at the top of the cone and the unfinished
lip suggest that the object originally had a second part that fitted on top of the cone. However,
the precise purpose of the object remains a mystery.
The animal carvings
The cone is carved with two registers separated by a narrow strip. The upper register is decorated
with two gazelles calmly grazing on vegetation, represented by stalks between each animal.
Alongside the two gazelles are two big cats, almost certainly lions, with their backs to each
other. Their stylized manes are shown as vertical strips, reminiscent of those of the woolen
Mesopotamian garments known as kaunakes. Their tails are raised horizontally over their backs,
similar to depictions of lions on cylinders from Uruk or Susa. Their heads are depicted in
geometrical form. All four animals are shown in profile. The artistic desire to create a scene and
a landscape imbued with life is also evident in two cylinders from Uruk and Khafaje.
The lower register shows two highly stylized eagles, upright, as if resting on their tail feathers.
Their wings and talons are spread to protect the chicks beneath them. These eagles differ
somewhat from the usual representation of eagles as the attribute of the Sumerian god Ningirsu,
where the birds are depicted with a lion's head, holding two lion cubs, which are shown face on.
Mythological creatures or carvings of local wildlife?
Eagles were a major theme in Susian and Mesopotamian art. This depiction of an eagle resting
on its tail feathers is also found in ceramics, glyptics, and perforated plaques dating from the 3rd
millennium BC. However, unlike Mesopotamian eagles, Susian eagles never resembled
composite animals. Likewise, Mesopotamian eagles had a mythological dimension, which was
absent from Susian portrayals of the bird. In Susa, eagles were simply considered ordinary birds
of prey.

Bibliography
Amiet Pierre, Élam, Auvers-sur-Oise, Archée, 1966, p. 166, fig. 119.
Les quatre grandes civilisations mondiales. La Mésopotamie entre le Tigre
et l'Euphrate, cat. exp., Setagaya, musée d'Art, 5 août-3 décembre 2000, Fukuoka, musée d'Art
asiatique, 16 décembre 2000-4 mars 2001, Tokyo, NHK, 2000, pp. 214-215.

http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/base-ritual-offering-carved-animals
Sumer of Anzu, the eagle is compared with śyena-amśu (soma) of Rigveda. Similarities are
striking indeed and should provide a pause to an understanding of the bronze-age recorded in the
many metaphors and hieroglyphs (such as the overflowing vase of Gudea, discussed
in http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/06/ancient-near-east-indus-writing-
lokhad.html Ancient near East Gudea statue hieroglyph (Indus writing): lokhãḍ, 'copper tools,
pots and pans' Rebus: lo 'overflow', kāṇḍa 'sacred water'.

25
The parallels of metaphors/imageries are so vivid that a relationships between the people who
narrated the exploits of heroes of Sumer and the exploits of Indra narrated in the Rigveda have to
be deep indeed and cannot be explained away as mere coincidences.
Anzu stole the tablet of destinies. Śyena of Rigveda brought the amśu (soma) from the heavens.
Anzu is derived from An "heaven" and Zu "to know", in Sumerian language.
See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2011/09/decipherment-of-soma-and-ancient-
indo.htmlSoma-haoma, *sauma ? somnakay ! samanom ! *haeusom-
French scholar, Prof. Pinault identifies amśu of Rigveda with anzu of Tocharian. In Tocharian it
means 'iron'. Tocharin language as an Indo-European language has revealed a word anzu in
Tocharian which meant 'iron'. It is likely that this is the word used for soma in Rigveda. The
imagery of an eagle stealing soma also occurs in ancient Indian texts. There is a hymn to śyena
in Atharvaveda (7.41).
A synonym of soma is amśu. śyena, the hawk has brought the soma from the heaven.
श्येन आसां अक्षदक्षतुः कक्ष्यो मदों क्षवज्वािस्य याजतस्य माक्षयनुः
सं अन्यं अन्यं अथभयन्थ्येतवे क्षवदु क्षवभष्आणं परिपानं RV 5.44.11
5.044.11 Swift is the excessive and girth-distending inebriation of Viśvavārā, Yajata and Māyin;
(by partaking) of these (juices) they urge one another to drink; they find the copious draught the
prompt giver of intoxication. [Swift is...inebriation: śyena āsām aditih kakṣyo madah: śyena =
śīghra, quick; aditi = atisamṛddhah; āsām = of these, Soma juices; mada = intoxication, is the
devata_ of the verse].
उत स्मास्य द्रवतस्तुिण्यतुः पणं न वेिनु वाक्षत प्रगक्षधभनुः श्येनस्येव ध्रजतो अङ्कसम्परि दक्षधक्राव्णुः सहोजाभ
तरित्रतुः RV 4.40.3
4.40.03 And after him who is quick-going, hastening, eager (to arrive at his gold, men) follow
(as other birds pursue) the flight of a swift (bird) striving together to keep up by the side of
Dadhikrāvaṇ the transporter (of others) as swift as a hawk. [Yajus. 9.15; after him who is: asya
dravatas turaṇyatah parṇam nādādhāram urah pradeśam vā of Dadhikrāvaṇ, together with
strength, or for the sake of strength together, enabling to cross; an:kasam pari = a horse's
trappings, the cloth, tail, vastracamarādikam, over all his body, which fly open as the horse
gallops, like the wings of a bird, the horse has the speed of a hawk].
Vāmadevagautama sings the following rca-s for śyena:
प्र सु श क्षवभ्यो मरुतो क्षविस्तु प्र श्येनुः श्येनेभ्य आशुपत्वा अिक्रया यात स्वधया सु पणो हयं भिन्मनवे दे वजुष्टं
(RV 4.26.4)
4.26.4 May this bird, Maruts, be pre-eminent over (other) hawks, since with a wheelless car the
swift-winged bore the Soma, accepted by the gods, to Manu. [With a wheelless car: acakrayā
vadhayā = cakrarahitena rathena, with a car without wheels; the text has havyam, this is a
metonymy for the Soma, which is said to have been brought from heaven by the gāyatrī, in the
form of a hawk; by the hawk, we are to understand the supreme spirit, parabrahma].
Alternative: Before you measure this falcon, O Maruts, supreme is this swift-winged Shyena,
strongly self-possessed with no one to bear him, That One brought to Manu the wholesome
offerings.Explanation: It is impossible to measure the comprehensive energy existing in That
One, who as swift-moving falcon envelops and pervades far distant places. In earlier days Manu,
who was effulgent with Bliss, the essence of That One, was provided with wholesome offerings.
Seer seems to suggest that even as Manu earlier, with whom he has established companionship,
he too now should be the beneficiary of the choice offerings.
भिद्यक्षद क्षवितो वेक्षवजानुः पथोरुणा मनोजवा असक्षजभ तूयं ययौ मधुना सोम्येनोत श्रवो क्षवक्षवदे श्येनो RV 4.26.5

26
4.26.5 When the bird, intimidating (its guardians), carried off from hence (the Soma) it was at
large; (flying) swift as thought along the vast path (of the firmament), it went rapidly with the
sweet Soma, and the hawks thence acquired the celebrity in this world.
Alternative: When the bird brought in rapid movements and sent the swift thoughts on
widespread Path, the same were returned with sweetness of Bliss, the Falcon in that process
attaining brilliance. Explanation: Bird is the energy that elevates the thought fastest moving in
universe, with swiftness of a falcon, unless it is with difficulty restrained. The thoughts imbibe
the bliss of That One, the falcon, in that process shining with resplendence.
ऋजीपी श्येनो ददमानो अम्शुम्पिावतुः शकुनो मन्द्रं मदं सोमं भिद्दादृहाणो दे वावाण्डन्दवो अमुश्मा
दु द्दिादआदाय RV 4.26.6
4.26.6 The straight-flying hawk, conveying the Soma from afar; the bird, attended by the gods,
brought, resolute of purpose, the adorable exhilarating Soma, having taken it from that lofty
heaven.
Alternative: Climbing above holding the thought and the bird bringing the draught that gladdens,
the Falcon spreads upward. Comrade of the luminous beings clutching Soma which the birds had
brought it rises to the loftiest heavens.
Explanation: Noble thoughts elevate the soul upward and ignoble ones relegate it downward. As
the thoughts become energetic with bliss brought by birds from the heavens, the falcon takes
elevates them thus enriched with the Bliss of Beatitude, the loftiest of heavens.
आदाय श्येनो अभाित्सोमं सहस्रं सवा अयुतं ि साकं अत्रा पुिण्डन्धिजहाद अिातीि मदे सोमस्य मूिा अमूिुः
RV 4.26.7
4.26.7 Having taken it, the hawk brought the Soma with him to a thousand and ten thousand
sacrifices, and this being provided, the performer of many (great) deeds, the unbewildered
(Indra) destroyed, in the exhilaration of the Soma, (his) bewildered foes.
Alternative: Providing Soma bearing thousand libations, yes, ten thousand libations Shyena the
falcon bringing it from above offers it down here on earth. Therein, the courageous ones leave all
the malignant ones behind, the wise with wild ecstasy, leaving the unwise far
behind.Explanation: That One, the falcon brings luminous libations from above and offers them
here down below to those who deserve. The enlightened bold ones leave the malignant ones far
behind, wise becomes wild with abundance and the timid sinking in scarcity. [Source for the
alternative renderings of 4.26.4 to
7: http://nageshsonde.com/Rigveda_A_Study_on_Forty_Hymns.pdf]
Vāmadevagautama continues the prayer to śyena in the next Sūkta:
गभे नु सन्नन्वेषां अवेदं अहं दे वानां जक्षनमाक्षन क्षवश्वा शतं मा पूि आयासीिािािन्नध श्येनो जवसा क्षनिदीयं RV
4.27.1
4.27.1 Being still in the germ, I have known all the births of these divinities in their order; a
hundred bodies of metal confined me, but as a hawk I came forth with speed. [i.e., until the sage
comprehended the differences between the body and soul, and learned that soul was unconfined,
he was subject to repeated births; but in this stage he acquired divine knowledge, and burst
through the bonds with the force and celerity of a hawk from its nest; Vāmadevaśyena rūpam
āsthāya garbhād yogena nihsṛtah = Vāmadeva, having assumed the form of a hawk, came forth
from the womb by the power of Yoga (Nītimañjari)].
न घा स मां अप जोषं जभािाभी ं आस त्विसा वीयेण ईमाभ पुिंक्षधिआजहादिातीरुत वाता अतिच्छू शुवानुः RV
4.27.2
4.27.2 That embryo did not beguile me into satisfaction, but by the keen energy (of divine
wisdom), I triumphed over it; the impeller of all, the sustainer of many, abandoned the foes (of

27
knowledge), and, expanding, passed beyond the winds (of worldly troubles). [The impeller of all:
the paramātmā, or supreme spirit; beyond the winds: the vital airs, or life, the cause of worldly
existence, which is pain].
अव यच्छ्येनो अस्वनीदध द्योक्षवभ यद् यक्षद वात ऊहुः पुिण्डन्धं सुजद्यदस्मा अव हा क्षिपज्ज्ां कुशानुिस्ता मनसा
भिण्यन् RV 4.27.3
4.27.3 When the hawk screamed (with exultation) on his descent from heaven, and (the
guardians of the Soma) perceived that the Soma was (carried away) by it then, the archer of
Kṛśānu, pursuing with the speed of thought, and stringing his bow, let fly an arrow against it.
[Note: śankha Kṛśānu is a conch-shell cutter.]
ऋक्षजप्य ईं इन्द्रावतो न भुज्युम श्येनो जभाि िृहतो अक्षध ष्णोुः अन्तुः पतत्पतत्र्यस्य पणं अध यामक्षन प्रक्षसतस्य
तद्े ुः RV 4.27.4
4.27.4 The straight-flying hawk carried off the Soma from above the vast heaven, as (the Aśvins
carried off) Bhujyu from the region of Indra, and a falling feather from the middle of the bird
dropped from him wounded in the conflict. [antah parṇam tan madhye sthitam; one nail of the
left foot and the shaft was broken by the collision, the fragments of the nail became the quills of
the fretful porcupine, those of the arrow, water-snakes, flying foxes, and worms].
अध श्वेतं कलशं गोक्षभिं आक्षपप्यानं मघवा शुक्रमन्धुः अध्वयुभक्षभुः प्रयातं मध्वो अग्रम इन्द्रो मदाय प्रण्डत्पिध्य शूिो
मदाय प्रक्षत धण्डत्पिध्य RV 4.27.5
4.027.05 Now may Maghavan accept the pure nutritious (sacrificial) food in a white pitcher,
mixed with milk and curds, offered by the priests; the upper part of the sweet (beverage) to drink
for his exhilaration; may the hero accept (it) to drink for (his) exhilaration.
आवर्त्ाभ शुन आन्त्राक्षण पेिे न दे वेषु क्षवक्षवदे मक्षडभतािं अपश्यं जायां अमहॆ यमानां अधा मे श्येनो मध्वाजभरि
RV 4.18.13
4.18.13 In extreme destitution I have cooked the entrails of a dog; I have not found a comforter
among the gods; I have beheld my wife disrsepected; then the falcon, (Indra), has brought to me
sweet water. [In extreme destitutuin: So Manu has, Vāmadeva, who well knew right and wrong,
was by no means rendered impure, though desirous when oppressed with hunger, of eating the
flesh of dogs for the preservation of his life; icchan attum, wishing to eat; the text has śuno
āntrāṇi pece, I cooked the entrails of a dog; the falcon: i.e., as swift as a hawk, śyena vat
śīghragāmīndrah]. [Sūkta 18: Ṛṣi vāmadeva, while yet in the womb, was reluctant to be born and
chose to come into the world through his mother's side; aware of his purpose, the mother prayed
to Aditi, who thereupon came, with her son Indra, to expostulate with the Ṛṣi; this is the subject
of the Sūkta].
The Sūkta's of Ṛṣi vāmadeva are brilliant evocations of the deeds of Indra, the thunder-bolt
wielder and repeatedly evoke the memories enshrined in the Sumerian relief sculptures.

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Marduk, sun god of Babylon, with his thunderbolts pursues Anzu after Anzu stole the Tablets of
Destiny. (cf. Marut in Rigveda associated with storms and winds comparable to Anzu or
Imdugud associated with storms). Battle between Marduk (Bel) and the Dragon. Drawn from a
bas-relief from the Palace of Ashur-nasir-pal, King of Assyria, 885-860 B.C., at Nimrûd.
[Nimrûd Gallery, Nos. 28 and 29.]

Marduk is a remembered memory of Indra. Anzu, the eagle is the remembered protector,śyena,
the hawk, who brought amśu (anzu) from the heavens to the people working with fire-altars in
yajña-s.

नवं नु स्तोमं अिये क्षदवुः श्येनाय जीजनं वस्वुः क क्षवद वनाक्षत नुः RV 7.15.4
7.15.4 May Agni, to whom as to a (swift) hawk in heaven, I address this new hymn, bestow upon
us ample wealth. Alternative: 1 have begotten this new hymn for Agni, falcon of the Sky: will he
not give us of his wealth? (Griffith trans.)(Note: "As mediator between the realms of men and of
the gods, the characteristics of flight are often Agni's. As divine eagle or falcon (śyena) he is
depicted in the Agnicayana (Yajur Veda), the ritual construction of a 10,800 brick fire-altar in
the form of a flying bird. The iron fort with a hundred walls in stanza 14 below perhaps recalls
the eagle's soma-theft in Rig Veda, IV, 26 and 27."

[quote]Zu, also known as Anzu and Imdugud, in Sumerian, (from An "heaven" and Zu "to
know", in the Sumerian language) is a lesser divinity of Akkadian mythology, and the son of the
bird goddess Siris. He was conceived by the pure waters of the Apsu and the wide Earth.[1] Both
Zu and Siris are seen as massive birds who can breathe fire and water, although Zu is alternately
seen as a lion-headed eagle (cf: The Griffin). Zu as a lion-headed eagle, ca. 2550–2500 BC,

29
Louvre Anzu was a servant of the chief sky god Enlil, guard of the throne in Enlil's sanctuary,
(possibly previously a symbol of Anu), from whom Anzu stole the Tablet of Destinies, so hoping
to determine the fate of all things. In one version of the legend, the gods sent Lugalbanda to
retrieve the tablets, who in turn, killed Anzu. In another, Ea and Belet-Ili conceived Ninurta for
the purpose of retrieving the tablets. In a third legend, found in The Hymn of Ashurbanipal,
Marduk is said to have killed Anzu.
[unquote] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zu_(mythology) See: http://www.sacred-
texts.com/ane/blc/blc08.htm

[quote] In Mesopotamian mythology, the Tablet of Destinies - Dup Shimati in Sumerian - (not,
as frequently misquoted in general works, the 'Tablets of Destinies') was envisaged as a clay
tablet inscribed with cuneiform writing, also impressed with cylinder seals, which, as a
permanent legal document, conferred upon the god Enlil his supreme authority as ruler of the
universe. In the Sumerian poem 'Ninurta and the Turtle' it is the god Enki, rather than Enlil, who
holds the tablet. Both this poem and the Akkadian Anzû poem share concern of the theft of the
tablet by the bird Imdugud (Sumerian) or Anzû (Akkadian). Supposedly, whoever possessed the
tablet ruled the universe.In the Babylonian Enuma Elish, Tiamat bestows this tablet on Qingu (in
some instances spelled "Kingu") and gives him command of her army. Marduk, the chosen
champion of the gods, then fights and destroys Tiamat and her army. Marduk reclaims the Tablet
of Destinies for himself, thereby strengthening his rule among the gods.The tablet can be
compared with the concept of the Me, divine decrees.
[unquote] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_of_Destiny
Sennacherib and the Tablet of Destinies
Author(s): A. R. George
Source: Iraq, Vol. 48 (1986), pp. 133-146
Published by: British Institute for the Study of Iraq
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4200258 .
http://www.scribd.com/doc/149113821/Senna-Cherib-Tablet-of-Destinies-A-R-George-1986
Senna Cherib &amp; Tablet of Destinies : A. R. George (1986)
Legend of Anzu which stole the tablets of destiny and allegory of soma

Senth century BCE cylinder seal found in

Israel depicting the battle of Ninurta and Anzu. Nili Wazana, in a brilliant exposition on Anzu
and Ziz asks and tentatively answers the question: "Were the Israelites acquainted with the Epic
of Anzu?" She cites this rendering of a seventh century BCE cylinder seal portraying the battle

30
of Ninurta and Anzu, discovered in
Israel.http://www.jtsa.edu/documents/pagedocs/janes/2009/wazana_janes31.pdf

Zu or Anzu (from An 'heaven' and Zu 'to know'

in Sumerian language), as a lion-headed eagle, ca. 2550–2500 BCE, Louvre. Votive relief of Ur-
Nanshe, king of Lagash, representing the bird-god Anzu (or Im-dugud) as a lion-headed eagle.
Alabaster, Early Dynastic III (2550–2500 BCE). Found in Telloh, ancient city of Girsu. H. 21.6
cm (8 ½ in.), W. 15.1 cm (5 ¾ in.), D. 3.5 cm (1 ¼ in.)

See:
Ancient Near east Anzu, falcon-shaped fire-altar Uttarakhand, turning aṁśú (Rigveda), ancu
(Tocharian) in smithy.
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/06/tablet-of-destinies.html

The seventh century BCE cylinder seal found in Israel, is paralleled in an Akkadian cylinder
seal.

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 “On the mountainside Anzu and Ninurta met
… Clouds of death rained down, an arrow flashed lightning. Whizzed the battle force roared
between them.“ Anzu Epic, tablet 2,in S. Dalley, Myths from Mesopotamia (Oxford - New York,
1989), p. 21. One narration reads: Marduk, sun god of Babylon, with his thunderbolts pursues
Anzu after Anzu stole the Tablets of Destiny. Note: The tablets of destiny may be a reference to
Indus writing corpora which were veritable stone-, mineral-, metal-ware catalogs.
As a researcher on ancient Hindu civilization a contribution was made by me in Journal of Indo-
Judaic Studies, Vol. 1, Number 11 (2010) -- The Bronze Age Writing System of Sarasvati
Hieroglyphics as Evidenced by Two “Rosetta Stones” By S. Kalyanaraman. The 'rosetta stones'
were two pure tin ingots discovered in a shipwreck in Haifa and with Indus writing. The Indus
writing on these tin ingots have been read rebus as denoting 'tin' (mineral) which was in demand
to be used to alloy with copper to create bronze, thus replacing the naturally-occurring but rare
arsenic-copper minerals and heralding a true bronze age.

According to Louis Renou, the immense Rigvedic collection is present in nuce in the themes
related toSoma. Rigveda mentions amśu as a synonym of soma. The possibility of a link with
Indus writing corpora which is essentially a catalog of stone-, mineral-, metalware, cannot be
ruled out.

George Pinault has found a cognate word in Tocharian, ancu which means 'iron'. I have argued
in my book, Indian alchemy, soma in the Veda, that Soma was an allegory, 'electrum' (gold-silver
compound). See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2011/10/itihasa-and-eagle-narratives.html for
Pinault's views on ancu, amśu concordance.

The link with the Tocharian word is intriguing because Soma was supposed to come from Mt.
Mujavant. A cognate of Mujavant is Mustagh Ata of the Himalayan ranges in Kyrgystan.

Is it possible that the ancu of Tocharian from this mountain was indeed Soma?

The referemces to Anzu in ancient Mesopotamian tradition parallels the legends of śyena 'falcon'
which is used in Vedic tradition of Soma yajña attested archaeologically in Uttarakhand with
a śyenaciti, 'falcon-shaped' fire-altar.
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2011/11/syena-orthography.html śyena, orthography, Sasanian
iconography. Continued use of Indus Script hieroglyphs.

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Comparing the allegory of soma and the legend of Anzu, the bird which stole the tablets of
destiny, I posit a hypothesis that the tablets of destiny are paralleled by the Indus writing corpora
which constitute a veritable catalog of stone-, mineral- and metal-ware in the bronze age
evolving from the chalcolithic phase of what constituted an 'industrial' revolution of ancient
times creating ingots of metal alloys and weapons and tools using metal alloys which
transformed the relation of communities with nature and resulted in the life-activities of
lapidaries transforming into miners, smiths and traders of metal
artefacts.

Syena-citi: A Monument of Uttarkashi The first layer of one kind of śyenaciti or falcon altar
described in the Śulbasūtras, made of 200 bricks of six shapes or sizes, all of them adding up to a
specified total area.
Distt.EXCAVATED SITE -PUROLA Geo-Coordinates-Lat. 30° 52’54” N Long. 77° 05’33” E
Notification No& Date;2742/-/16-09/1996The ancient site at Purola is located on the left bank of
river Kamal. The excavation yielded the remains of Painted Grey Ware (PGW) from the earliest
level alongwith other associated materials include terracotta figurines, beads, potter-stamp, the
dental and femur portions of domesticated horse (Equas Cabalus Linn). The most important
finding from the site is a brick alter identified as Syenachiti by the excavator. The structure is in
the shape of a flying eagle Garuda, head facing east with outstretched wings. In the center of the
structure is the chiti is a square chamber yielded remains of pottery assignable to circa first
century B.C. to second century AD. In addition copper coin of Kuninda and other material i.e.
ash, bone pieces etc and a thin gold leaf impressed with a human figure tentatively identified as
Agni have also been recovered from the central
chamber. http://asidehraduncircle.in/uttarkashi.html

KV Sarma mentions:

“Pravara Sena I, who is placed around at 275 AD to 335 AD by the authors Ramesh Chandra
Majumdar and Anant Sadashiv Altekar in this book, is said to have conducted all
Yajnams successfully including the most difficult Vajapeya Yajnam, after which he was given
the title “Samrat”, which can be loosely translated to Emperor in English.

33
Pravarasena I (275 - 335 AD) performed Athirathra Yajnam

While dates of Pravarasena I, Vakatakas and Gupta dynasty is a topic of huge controversy and
discussion, one cannot disprove the argument that Pravarasena conducted Athirathram and other
Yajnams.
See: https://vivekitam.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/athirathram-a-perspective-2/

Section 2. Pyrite, iron sulfidebiochemistry and origin of life

"The iron–sulfur world hypothesis is a set of proposals for the origin of life and the early
evolution of life advanced in a series of articles between 1988 and 1992 by Günter
Wächtershäuser, a Munich patent lawyer with a degree in chemistry, who had been encouraged
and supported by philosopher Karl R. Popper to publish his ideas. The hypothesis proposes that
early life may have formed on the surface of iron sulfide minerals, hence the name. Pioneer
organism. Wächtershäuser proposes that the earliest form of life, termed "pioneer organism",
originated in a volcanic hydrothermal flow at high pressure and high (100 °C) temperature. It had
a composite structure of a mineral base with catalytic transition metal centers
(predominantly iron and nickel, but also perhaps cobalt, manganese, tungsten and zinc). The
catalytic centers catalyzed autotrophic carbon fixation pathways generating small molecule (non-
polymer) organic compounds from inorganic gases (e.g. carbon monoxide, carbon
dioxide, hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen sulfide). These organic compounds were retained on or
in the mineral base as organic ligands of the transition metal centers with a flow retention time in
correspondence with their mineral bonding strength thereby defining an autocatalytic "surface
metabolism". The catalytic transition metal centers became autocatalytic by being accelerated by
their organic products turned ligands. The carbon fixation metabolism became autocatalytic by
forming a metabolic cycle in the form of a primitive sulfur-dependent version of the
reductive citric acid cycle. Accelerated catalysts expanded the metabolism and new metabolic
products further accelerated the catalysts. The idea is that once such a primitive autocatalytic
metabolism was established, its intrinsically synthetic chemistry began to produce ever more
complex organic compounds, ever more complex pathways and ever more complex catalytic
centers..Nutrient conversions. The water gas shift reaction (CO + H2O → CO2 + H2) occurs in
volcanic fluids with diverse catalysts or without catalysts.The combination of ferrous sulfide and
hydrogen sulfide as reducing agents in conjunction with pyrite formation – FeS + H2S → FeS2 +
2H+ + 2e− (or H2 instead of 2H+ + 2e−) – has been demonstrated under mild volcanic
conditions.This key result has been disputed."

1. Drobner, E.; H. Huber; G. Wächtershäuser; D. Rose; K. O. Stetter (1990). "Pyrite

formation linked with hydrogen evolution under anaerobic
conditions". Nature. 346(6286): 742–
744. Bibcode:1990Natur.346..742D. doi:10.1038/346742a0.

34
 2. Jump upCahill, C. L.; L. G. Benning; H. L. Barnes; J. B. Parise (June 2000). "In situ
time-resolved X-ray diffraction of iron sulfides during hydrothermal pyrite
growth". Chemical Geology. 167 (1–2): 53–63. doi:10.1016/S0009-2541(99)00199-0.
Retrieved 2009-05-02.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron%E2%80%93sulfur_world_hypothesis

Iron sulfide or Iron sulphide can refer to a range of chemical compounds composed
of iron and sulfur.

"Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue give it a superficial resemblance to gold,
hence the well-known nickname of fool's gold. The color has also led to the
nicknames brass, brazzle, and Brazil, primarily used to refer to pyrite found in coal. The
name pyrite is derived from the Greek πυρίτης (pyritēs), "of fire" or "in fire",[7] in turn from πύρ
(pyr), "fire".[8] In ancient Roman times, this name was applied to several types of stone that
would create sparks when struck against steel; Pliny the Elder described one of them as being
brassy, almost certainly a reference to what we now call pyrite... pyrite is sometimes found in
association with small quantities of gold. Gold and arsenic occur as a coupled substitution in the
pyrite structure. In the Carlin–type gold deposits, arsenian pyrite contains up to 0.37% gold by
weight."

Natural minerals
By increasing order of stability:

• Iron(II) sulfide, FeS, the less stable amorphous form;

• Greigite, a form of iron(II,III) sulfide (Fe3S4), analog to magnetite, Fe3O4;
• Pyrrhotite, Fe1−xS (where x = 0 to 0.2), or Fe7S8;
• Troilite, FeS, the endmember of pyrrhotite;
• Mackinawite, Fe1+xS (where x = 0 to 0.1);
• Marcasite, or iron(II) disulfide, FeS2 (orthorhombic);
• Pyrite, or iron(II) disulfide, FeS2 (cubic), the more stable endmember, known as fool's gold.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_sulfide
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrite_group

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