The recent claim by cryptographer Yajnadevam (Bharath Rao) regarding the successful decipherment of the Indus Valley script is a groundbreaking development in linguistics, archaeology, and historical narratives. His methodology—using cryptographic techniques based on Claude Shannon’s information theory—offers a fresh approach to a puzzle that has eluded scholars for decades.
This decipherment, if validated, could fundamentally alter our understanding of the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), its linguistic heritage, and its connection to later Indian history.
Methodological Breakthrough in Decipherment
Why Previous Attempts Failed
- Traditional approaches relied on assigning meanings to symbols in short inscriptions, but the inconsistency of symbol meanings in longer texts led to multiple conflicting interpretations.
- The lack of a bilingual inscription (like the Rosetta Stone for Egyptian hieroglyphs) made conventional linguistic comparisons difficult.
Cryptographic Approach to Decipherment
- Rao applied Shannon’s principle that once enough coded messages are read, the correct solution will emerge uniquely.
- By analyzing symbol frequency and positional patterns, he reconstructed the linguistic structure of the script.
Establishing Sanskrit as the Indus Script’s Language
- Eliminating Agglutinative Languages:
- Indus inscriptions contained tripled symbols, which do not occur in agglutinative languages like Dravidian or Sumerian but do appear in Vedic Sanskrit.
- Indus script had complex compound words, similar to Sanskrit but unlike agglutinative languages.
- Flexible word order in the script matched Sanskrit’s grammatical structure, unlike the rigid prefixes and suffixes in agglutinative languages.
- Validation through Brahmi:
- The physical similarity of Indus script symbols to Brahmi script and the existence of mixed inscriptions (Indus + Brahmi) suggest that Brahmi evolved from the Indus script, indicating an unbroken linguistic tradition.
Historical Implications of Decipherment
Impact on the Aryan Invasion Theory
- The widely accepted Aryan migration theory states that Sanskrit entered India around 1,500 BCE via steppe migrants.
- However, if the Indus script is Sanskrit-based and dates back to 4,000 BCE, this suggests Sanskrit was already present in the subcontinent thousands of years earlier.
- This would disprove the idea that Sanskrit was imposed by invaders and instead point to indigenous linguistic and cultural continuity.
Rethinking the North-South Divide
- A major argument supporting a historical north-south divide is that northern Indians descend from Aryans, while southerners descend from the original Dravidian inhabitants of the IVC.
- If the Indus script is Sanskrit-based, this undermines the claim that the IVC was Dravidian-speaking.
- Instead, it suggests cultural and linguistic unity between ancient and modern Indian civilization, rather than an imposed northern culture.
Confirming the Maritime & Economic Power of the IVC
- Indus inscriptions mentioning the ocean as ‘home’ correlate with archaeological evidence of extensive Indus trade networks, especially with Mesopotamia.
- References to deities, rituals, and daily life indicate a sophisticated spiritual and social structure, potentially linked to later Hindu traditions.
Challenges & Skepticism in the Academic Community
While Rao’s findings are highly significant, they will inevitably face rigorous academic scrutiny. Some key challenges include:
- Lack of independent verification: No other cryptographers or epigraphists have confirmed Rao’s decipherment.
- Absence of universally accepted translations: The Indus script is still largely undeciphered, and Rao’s work must be tested against multiple inscriptions to gain acceptance.
- Contradictions with existing linguistic models: Mainstream scholars argue that linguistic continuity over thousands of years is rare, requiring further evidence.
Despite these challenges, if Rao’s decipherment holds up under peer review, it could revolutionize Indian history, linguistic studies, and cultural identity.
A Paradigm Shift in Understanding the Indus Valley Civilization
The potential decipherment of the Indus script in Sanskrit challenges long-standing historical narratives about India’s linguistic and cultural evolution. If validated, it could:
- Refute the Aryan migration theory by proving Sanskrit’s existence in India since at least 4,000 BCE.
- Establish a direct link between the Indus Valley Civilization and later Indian traditions.
- Redefine India’s historical identity as an unbroken civilization rather than one shaped by external conquests.
While more validation is needed, this breakthrough offers an exciting avenue for rewriting ancient history with new, data-driven insights.
Source: TOI
