What is the background of ātmatattvam?
Btw, the yantra is a common one. Among other uses, it appears to be the one
associated with Lakshmi. Others who are more informed may recognize other
meanings associated with it.
The basic form, that of the intersection an upward-pointing triangle (male
principle) and downward-pointing triangle (female principle), is so general
that it could also be associated with several other tantrik traditions.
Best,
Dean
On Wednesday, April 13, 2022, 07:05:44 PM GMT+5:30, Valerie J Roebuck via
INDOLOGY <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Colleagues
Thank you very much for all your helpful replies, which I have forwarded to
Jackie Hirst.
Most suggestions have centred round the idea that the characters were an
attempt to write the mahāvākya tat tvam asi, but there is also the possibility
that it is ātmatattvam, which seems closer to the lettering we have, though
perhaps less likely to be known by a non-specialist. If it is the former, it
seems a very good message for the young man to have left to his family.
Again, many thanks.
Valerie J RoebuckManchester, UK
Sent from my iPad
On 12 Apr 2022, at 21:19, Valerie Roebuck via INDOLOGY
<[email protected]> wrote:
Dear indology list
Could you please advise Dr Jackie Hirst about the tattoo design shown in the
attached picture?
She says: ‘It is a sketch, now in the possession of a father, that was found in
the effects of his son, a young man who died tragically recently, and the
family are keen to know what it means. He was interested in the Upaniṣads and
the Bhagavad Gītā amongst other things and frequently sketched lotuses. Would
anyone be able to shed more light on this as a particular (basic indication of
a) yantra and/or on the particular (mainly nāgarī) characters which do not seem
to make sense as a word/words - could they be (an attempt to indicate) specific
individual seed mantras? or? If anyone has any further ideas, and how to
convey them sensitively to the family, please reply to the list and/or to
Jackie direct ([email protected] - Honorary Research Fellow
South Asian Studies). With many thanks.'
Below is a Dropbox link to the design in question. It’s shared with the
permission of the family.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ic44yzw6mfp1jo1/Brett%20Holscher%20tattoo%20picture.jpg?dl=0
Valerie J RoebuckManchester, UK
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