The Unicorn,the Ficus Religiosa and the Egyptian Bata

We have discussed the close relation the Harappan Bharats have with the

Egyptians in Bharata the language of the Harappans(pp 85-95).

The vedic Aarya is not the horse riding and Ephedra sacrificing steppe

Aaryan. Bhaarata is Aarya and Melukaah(Hebrew-king). His asva is the bull

and his soma is rice . He is most likely an Afro-Asian .Numerous Egyptian

words have their counterparts in Bharata .

Phara-oh is Bhara-ta ( prabhu-bhadra- bull,king) .

Their chief god the Ra – Harmachis bird is Bharata Ra-vi(bird)

karmasaakshi(the sun).Their Isis is Bharata Usha(aja,iisa);

Osiris(Serapis,usra,Rudra-bhadra) or Apis(hapis-aspa,

Vrishaa kapi.Hanuman,Sugriiva etc are kapi purusha or kaavi purusha-saffron

clad ministers of Rama –the king-migrating to Lanka-Ganga region from

Harappa. ) is Savitri ; Wepwawet(wolf god,prabhaata-dawn,prakaasa-light) or

Sed(dog god,teja-light,sada-rice) is Soma(bhadra-

rice,vrika-wolf,Varaaha-Vishnu,vriihi- rice,svaana-dog); Khnum(ram-headed

god) is Daksha(ram headed).The Egyptian priests used to partially shave of

their hair to make a bhadra(circle = patta) and note the bhadra on the

forehead of the Harappan priest king(DK1909).The Brahmins shave their hair

to make the puurvasikha or the pascimasaakha like the tail of the Fig leaf

(patra-leaf;bhadra-head,bull,light,a staff;bharata-fire,light) to indicate light.

The Egyptian priests used to wear white(bhadra) robes(like the robes of the

Christian priests) to denote the white Sun and the pavitra(saavitra) worn

by the Bharadvijas(Bharats).They used to have ritual bathing in the river

Nile.Note the Great Bath of Harappa used for the saavitra bathing and the

Deepaali bathing in the month of Asvina(narakacaturdasi).The location of

Egyptian and Assyrian mummies at Lothal(cf.the unicorn and the lamassu)

further establishes the link between the cultures.Along with trade there
was exhange of knowledge in all fields including religion and riuals. The

Christian traditions also have the same roots through Mitraism

(cf.Dr.S.Radhakrishnan:Eastern religion and western thought :5.3 Roman

empire and the cult of Mitraism) .

The Egyptians have a very popular story of two brothers called

Anpu(Asva,soma) and Bata(bhadra-bull,bhraatri-brother,praata-dawn)

(Ancient Egypt Myth and History-Chapter 4 .The peasant who became

king.Geddes& Grosset) like the Asvins(asva-bull;soma bhadra is split into soma

and bhadra) of the Bharats.Anpu is also ambu(jiiva-

water,life),amsu(ray),ambily(the moon-Malayalam) etc. Light is considered as

water and life. Mihira ,the sun,is said to wet the earth.

Anpu(cf.Soma,Aruna) is the elder brother and had a wife whom Bata looked

upto her as his mother(Night is wife of the moon.At dusk she becomes the

wife of the sun. At dawn she is his mother.Sarasvati-prabhaata-dawn is

considered as Brahma’s daughter and wife.Kanya-the virgin is both sandhya-

dusk and kalya-dawn).Bata fed the bulls and tilled the

fields. Oneday Anpu’s wife tried to seduce Bata who was carrying a burden of

two measures of barley and three of wheat.

(Bata=bhadra=panca=five;bhadra=va-two,tra-tri-three).

Pancama (five) is vandana(worship cf.kolam),bandhana(restraint

cf. Drupada bandhana,bull taming),vancana(deceit cf.Potipahar’s wife and

Joseph,Judas and Jesus in the Bible), santaana(child),samdhaana(union),

sandhya(dusk) and sayana(sex). Bata refused to have sex with his brother’s

wife upon which she lied to Anpu that his brother tried to molest her. Anpu

got furious and tried to kill Bata in ambush(vancana). But Bata was told by his

bulls(Bata=bhadra=bhaasa- light,bhaasha-speech) about the danger and he ran

away to the other shore of the river of crocodiles(naraka-Hades,night; nakra-

crocodile;Makara-Capricorn; note the fish eating alligator in the Harappan

seals denoting Makaraasva). From there he narrated

the whole truth to his brother witnessed by Ra and cut a piece of his flesh

and flung into the river .It was eaten by a fish(asva-bhadra-bull,light;bhaata-

Bata- dawn,light.The aruna varna-red colour of dawn in Pisces is from this

blood.Bhadra is the lord for this angle.).Anpu was moved and beckoned his

brother to comeback. But Bata did not oblige and went to live in the valley

of the flowering Acacias(cf.aakaasa-the sky) upon which Anpu returned home

and killed his unfaithful wife.Bata kept his soul(aatma-soul,suma-flower,soma-

bull,tanu- body) in the highestblossom(suma-soma-the noon sky) of an Acacia

tree ( aakaasa-the sky,prakaasa- light,Vriksha- tree,vrisha- bull,purusha-man)

as was told to his brother before they parted.

Later he married the beautiful daughter of Ra and divulged the secret of his

Soul to her. In course of time the fame of her beauty reached the King of

Egypt to whose warriors Bata’s wife revealed the secret of the soul of her
husband . They killed him by felling(sunset) the Acacia tree(purusha =vriksha)

and took away his wife . The king married her and thus she became the queen

of Egypt. In the meantime by an omen Anpu realized that his brother was

killed. He went to the valley and made his brother live again by germinatingthe

seed containing Bata’s soul in a paatra (jar,bhadra-Bata,praata-dawn)

containing water(bhadra- Bata). In the morning(praata-dawn,paatra-

jar,bhadra- water,light,a girl,bull) maarthanda(dead egg of the sun) gets life

by the amsus(Anpu).Bata now took the form of a sacred bull(bhadra) and

Anpu sat on his back(cf.kakudstha-Indra; note the horned archer and the

horned deities in the Harappan seals; the Asvins etc.Kirana-ray-

is arrow and horn.Ina-the sun- is yama-two. In matsa-Pisces-he rise from

praata-dawn which is shown as bhadra-bull. ) and they reached Pharaoh’s

palace where again Bata revealed his identity to his ex-wife. She was
frightened and she got the bull killed by the king’s men. But one drop of blood

fell on the right side and one drop fell on the left side of the gate of the

king’s palace and overnight two Persea trees grew there(purusha-vrisha-

vriksha-rakta –raksha cf.lamassu of the Assyrians.Dvaara-door-is bhadra.Also

note M-318 where a bhadra-Bata- is portrayed as the door keeper.It is the

duty of Bhadra-Rudra- bull to make everything bhadra- safe and full

cf.Gandharva guarding soma bhadra fields) and the people began to worship

the sacred trees like the sacred bull(vrisha-vriksha). Oneday the queen

happened to stand under one of the Bata trees,when the tree revealed his

identity to her and scolded her for her infidelity and causing his death. Upon

this the queen ordered the trees to be cut down for building two royal

seats(bhadraasana=soma also) out of them. She was overseeing the carpentry

work when a chip of the wood entered her mouth which made her give birth

to a boy(vriksha-purusha- praja-putra-son). Thus Bata became the son of his

wife. Upon the death of the king(bhadra) Bata became the king (bhadra) and

he punished the queen for her wickedness. At the end of thirty years of his

reign, the Sed(bhadra- soma) festival was celebrated and his elder brother

became the king of Egypt. Trimsat(thirty) is trina(grass),druma(tree),drona

( a vessel,soma), mrita(dead) –sada (rice), Sed(bull’s tail festival). Thus it is a

tale of the bull’s tail as seen in the Harappan script .Compare the placing

of the soul of Bata in the Acacia(the heavens) tree and his becoming the

Persea(Bhadra) trees to the deities in the Fig trees in the Harappan seals, the

bulls tied to the Fig trees(vataasvattha vivaaha) and the Unicorns linked to

the trunk of the Fig tree( John Marshal’s Mohanjo-daro pl.CX11 No 387 a Fig

tree itself is shown with two unicorn heads projecting out from its stem in a

Gaayatri pose. ) . Bata(bhadra) standing as two trees on either side of the

gate of the Pharaoh(bhadra) may be compared with the two Asvas (unicorns)

linked to the trunk of the Asvattha. And there is a religious ceremony

called Vataasvattha- vivaaha(marriage) by engrafting the Ficus Indica with

the Ficus Religiosa. Asva(bull,king) is Asvattha(Fig-bull or king of trees) by

association of the words. Asvattha is ushas(dawn). Hence the marriage is

between the sun and dawn. Kalyaana (marriage) is kalya(dawn.cf.the kalyaana

of Caana-kalya- where Jesus performed his first miracle.It is another form of

tying the bull to the Pippala .Also note K-65 where kalyaana is shown by salya-

spear,na- fight).

The Asvattha (Ficus Religiosa) and the Vata vriksha(Ficus Indica) are the

chief members of the Ficus family.The Asvattha is also called

Pippala,Kshiiravriksha,Calapatraa,Bodhidruma,Kesavaalaya etc.The Vata

vriksha is also called Nyagrodha,Bahupaada etc. The tying of the asva( bulls)

and the linking of the bhadraasva(unicorns) to the Asvattha in the seals

justify the meaning of the name of the tree as Asvattha = asva(bull)-

ttha(stha-stand) → under which bulls stand.In later usage this was

converted as- under which horses stand - as the term asva began to be
applied for horses instead of the bulls. But asvattha is also asvastha( from

the cala-trembling,patra- leaves),asva(bull)-tata(father),sahas(power),sahaja

(born together) etc.It is the asva(bull,king) among the trees. Asva is

agna(the sun,fire,man), aksha(eye,wheel,yoke),aakaasa(svarga-the sky,turaga-

horse),avasa(the sun,king,food,salvation),aja(a ram,Aries),usha(dawn),

pasu(cattle),vasu(rays), vacas(bhaasha-language) etc. Saptaasva(seven bulls) is

sabda (vacas) that is asva.Asvattha being asva(agna)-stha(seated), the

yajna(sacrificial)- agna(fire) is generated from it by churning the arani made

from its wood.Its tender leaves are fiery red giving the appearance of a

blazing fire.Its bark gives the white kshiira(milk) indicating the presence of

siira(suurya- the sun) in its trunk. Tree(dru) is srii(fire,the sun). Druma is

Drona( a vessel, Bharadvaaja) . Drona is soma(bull,rice).Soma is srava or

bhadra(rice,king,bull). Vata(vrita,bhadra) is asva(avasa-king). Hence these

trees are called Arayaal(araca-king,aal-Ficus=Asvattha) and Peraal(bhadra-

vata,aal-Ficus) in Malayalam . Plaksha(a Banyan) is vriksha(a tree) and prakaasa

(light). Prakaasa is prabhaata(dawn); viira(vaara-tail)-bhadra(bull) which is the

Sed;vrika(wolf)-iisa(god cf.Wepwawet).

Another import of the bhadra-asvattha images comes from druma-

tree,Drona(Bharadvaaja),soma(moksha-the sky) etc.Vana(a tree) is nabha(the

sky). Thus the asva( bull) tethered to the asvattha or the god in the asvattha

tree is the sun tied to dawn,light and the sky.

A patra is a leaf.Patra is bhadra(circle ,bull,king,auspiciousness,soma,a

girl,light,water ),paatra(ukha-jar ),Bhaarata(fire),purusha(man , , )

etc. A Fig leaf (Asvattha-king’s abode) has a long tail like the horn of the

Unicorn and can denote the king’s(asva-avasa-king) well as in Mohenjo-daro.

It can also denote the king and the priest.

Thus a Unicorn bhadra , is

another form of the Fig leaf patra , da-pa -ra denoting the

Harappan Priestking, the Bharadvaaja clan(with their tuft),

Bhaarata varsha(Aaryaavarta-India),

a purusha(man,bhadra-Rudra) and his linga(phallus) etc.

The Tamils during the celebration of the Makarappongal( Winter

Solstice,Christmas) perform Soma bhadra vandana ( worship of rice) by

cooking rice with sugar and call it cakkara(sugar)- Pongal(rise). But

cakkara(madhu-sugar;maatu- cattle;soma-bull,rice) is

Sakra(Indra),cakra(bhadra-circle,bull,soma) and

srava(rice). Then they celebrate the maattu (bull)-pongal(rise) by decorating

the bulls and performing bull- baiting games also as seen during the Harappan

period(M-312). In the Sed the king(bhadra) had to tame the Apis bull

(kapi vrisha;kapi-ape,vrisha-bull. But kapi vrisha is kaavi srava-brown rice.

Kaavi is kashaaya- brownish red, decoction of boiled herbs. Gaayatri being

Kaavi srava brought soma from heaven to earth taking the form of the Syena

falcon. Syena is dhaanya-grain.). Interestingly the Tamils use the flowering

puulai(ceruula- Malayalam) plants to decorate their houses during this time.

Its appearance is similar to the ripe ears of rice which is the

Somabhadra.And puulai is called bhadrika,bhadraa,go-raksha-gamja etc. in

Sanskrit all of which indicate soma bhadra (cattle and rice)

and Ca-ndra(the moon; sa-Indra;sa-netra)-the

Moon(soma) god -indicated by the Fish(bhadra,asva ) symbol in the

Harappan seals. Keeping the bhadraa(puulai) at the dvaara(gate) of the

vaasra(house) gives the appearance of vaara(tail) of the vaasra(bull,house)

and reminds one of Bata ,the Sed and the Harappan seals we have already

discussed. Patra (leaf ) being srava(ear,rice,soma ) ,drava(fish ) and

dru (tree,drava=bhadra=bull) the Fish signs are associated with the Fig leaf

and tree motifs in the Harappan seals as the parokshapriya (secret) style
scripts were derived by rebus association of similar words. Note this

example. Paada is feet , a quarter and deva(god). Pa is water,egg,leaf etc. and

da is a mountain . Hence paa-da = (fish), , etc. is paada(pa,da) .

Paada + paada = = ardha(half,arkka-the sun) ,dvipaat(man cf.matsa-

fish,marta-man) . The fish is also drava(fish) which is srava(ear,rice,soma).

Compare = with the figure of rice(soma bhadra=viira bhadra-the

sacrificial asva- bull ) . Vaara(viira-hero,miina-matsa-fish) is water, a

roof(soma-the sky),a gate(hence Bata was sacrificed at the gate of the king’s

palace) and the hair of the tail of the asva-bull(cf. the bunch of bhadraa-

puulai). Note this figure of rice (soma) available in Google rice grain

structure (from www.Mehrangroup.com/rice/ricegrain)

 bull- fish → soma- bull →

Note how Bata becomes soma bhadra(rice- bull) and Sed (bull’s tail) is

sada( soma-rice) sacrifice.The hull with the small hairs is the ox-hide of the

soma bull.The bran(cf.brown,praana-life,sraana-soma-rice bran gruel) is the

blood and life. Soma is sona(fire,blood,red) and life was considered to be in

the blood(The life of a creature is in the blood.Leviticus.17.11). Hence the

flesh of the soma raaja( rice-bull-king) was eaten as

purodaasa(puroda=bhadra=bull,king, srava-rice;aasa=vaaja=food;Bharadvaaja)

and his blood(bran) was drunk as sraana(soma,praana;rakta-blood,raksha-

salvation) which was said to give eternal life(drinking life gives eternal life

naturally.cf. We have drunk soma and become eternal. RV.8.48.3.). This secret

of the Sed(Soma) is incorporated in the Holy Eucharist( The bread of God is

he who comes down from heaven.I am the bread of life.Everyone who looks to

the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life.John.6.Bhojana-food is

putra-son. Sariiraraksha-food is sariira-body and rakta- sona-blood.Soma-

sona is brought from the heavens to the earth by Syena.), the

Sraavana(sraana,Onam) festival of the Keralites,the Pongal

festival of the Tamils etc.

Vijayabhaarati.

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