Image: Iravatham Mahadevan
Image: Iravatham Mahadevan

Mahadevan's sign number 61 is a composite character. In the centre of the character area, the noun weight is combined with the verb to deliver. Then, those symbols are surrounded by four points of light. A point of light denotes that something is true. It follows that a point of light at each of the cardinal points is an ideograph for the adverb everywhere. Therefore, sign number 61 means that loads can be delivered anywhere.


Illustrative Text Reference:

Mohenjo-daro: Seal: M-280 a: Jagat Pati Joshi and Asko Parpola, 1987: Corpus of Indus Seals and Inscriptions: Volume 1: Page 68: Collections in India: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia.

Comment:

There is only one extant example of this Indus sign.

 

Seal M-280 carries an elephant motif.


Image Credit:

Indus Script Sign Number 61: Sign List of the Indus Script: Iravatham Mahadevan, 1977: The Indus Script: Texts, Concordance and Tables: The Director General Archaeological Survey of India.