In looking more closely at the lettering based on the comments here, I'd say
it almost certainly seems to be showing ātmatattvam.
The word is found in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.5 and according to this site, also
in the Upanishads:
http://sanskrit.segal.net.br/en/mw?id=23512#23512which translates it as "the
true nature of the soul or of the supreme spirit S3vetUp."
Gavin Flood -- is he on this list? -- talks about it in The Concept of Mind in
Hindu Tantrism which can be found as a pdf via Google.
So it seems to be a consistent representation of a tantric yantra and mantra
associated with ātmatattvam.
The appeal of such a tattoo to a young seeker of Indian wisdom is clear.
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
_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
[email protected]
https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology
_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
[email protected]
https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology
_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
[email protected]
https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology
