Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai touched upon the folk wisdom related to constellations in his poetry
- From the Indus Valley Civilization through Shah Latif’s time, and down to the present, the Sindhi language has carried forward this astronomical folk knowledge
Aziz Kingrani
For thousands of years, various traditions about stars and constellations have been linked to Sindh’s folk wisdom. Among these celestial features are “Katti” (Pleiades or seven stars), “Teru” (Three stars) , “Khat” (Cot) , “Vichhoon” (Scorpio), “Kheer Dhăra” (the Milky Way), the Pole Star, Suhail Tăro (Canopus), Suhăo Tăro (Morning Star), Vihao Tăro (Evening Star), and Ludhō or Ludhă Tăra (Twin Stars). Shah Latif, in his poetry, has referenced the stars and constellations such as Kati, Teṛu, and Ludhă Tăra in accordance with folk knowledge—not only metaphorically to convey beauty and brilliance but also to convey indigenous astronomical understanding.
In folk wisdom, especially regarding stars, various opinions and traditions exist. Before scientific knowledge about celestial bodies became widespread, the bright star seen before dawn was known as the Suhao Tăro (Morning Star), and the star appearing after sunset was called Vihão Tăro (Evening Star).
Folk tradition holds that the appearance of Katti signals the fading of night. Ludhă Tăra, also known as twin stars, refers to Castor and Pollux in English. These are among the brightest stars in the sky. Other notable stars include Canopus (Suhail Tăro), the Pole Star, the Morning Star (Venus), and the Evening Star (also Venus). Venus appears in the east before sunrise and in the west after sunset, hence it’s referred to as both Morning and Evening Star. The name Vihăo is associated with the daytime movement of Venus.
Shah Latif used the twin stars (Ludhă Tăra) as metaphors in his poetry. In the twin-star pair, Pollux is the brighter one, but these stars do not appear in the morning sky. In some folk accounts, Ludhă Tăra follows Katti and can be seen in the northern sky. According to folk wisdom, Shah Latif compared the brightness of these two stars with the beauty of a beloved. Though Ludhă Tãra appears at night and not at dawn, it’s possible that in some regions of Sindh, folk traditions believed it rose in the morning, and Latif may have used the word Subuh (dawn) in that context. More likely, he used Subuh (dawn) metaphorically to describe brilliance or radiance, as the twin stars are remarkably bright and colorful.
In his Sur Kanbhăt, Shah Latif writes:
“Tăra teli rooe, Ludhă lălan ubhreen
Jahro toon subooh, tahro săfi sajaren”.
Latif also refers to the constellations Katti and Teṛu, using them in a temporal sense in accordance with folk astronomy:
“Katyun karu moriya, teru ubha taee,
Răno răt na aăeyo, vel tari vaee,
Khoe să khăňi rătiri, jă preen ree paee,
Monkhy daon daee, waji dholiyo dhat qarăriyo”.
In the early 18th century, Shah Latif brought to poetic expression the indigenous astronomical knowledge and traditions that had existed in Sindh since the era of the Indus Valley Civilization. Symbols resembling constellations and stars appear on seals from that era, written in the Indus script seals.
In Proto-Dravidian and Dravidian languages, the word mìn refers both to “fish” and to “bright, sparkling, white, golden, or silvery” things. In Sindhi, mín or meen carries similar meanings: fish, brightness, shine, gold, silver. The compound “son meen” (golden silver or fish) and the term meenakari (enamel art on gold/silver) are still used in Sindhi. Scholar Asko Parpola and others have interpreted mîn as representing a bright star. Lines or strokes beside the fish sign in Indus script likely indicate numbers.
Parpola links the seven stars (possibly the Pleiades) seven sages and connects Teeṛu with month of fish-like zodiac avatars in Tamil culture. However, these interpretations are not rooted in the religion or language of the Indus Valley era.
In my own work, I’ve interpreted Teeṛu in current Sindhi folk tradition as a constellation visible in June and July. The seven-star interpretation in Sindhi tradition refers to Katti, which also corresponds to the second month of the Sindhi calendar—important for the sowing season, when crops like onions, millet, sesame, cluster beans, and others are planted.
The interpretation of the twin stars Ludhă Taăa also follows folk tradition. Symbols on Indus seals reflect that these star groupings were known and held significance in the Dravidian languages of the time. However, what these stars were called in those languages remains unknown, unless the Indus script is fully deciphered.
From the Indus Valley Civilization through Shah Latif’s time, and down to the present, the Sindhi language has carried forward this astronomical folk knowledge. Still, the current names of constellations in Sindhi are not inherited from Dravidian languages. Even among modern Dravidian languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gondi, Brahui, etc., the ancient names during IVC for these constellations are no longer in use.
In conclusion, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai touched upon the folk wisdom related to constellations in his poetry. His use of these metaphors demonstrates his deep connection to the common people and reflects his stance alongside them.
Read – Deciphering the Fish Sign: A New Perspective
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Aziz Kingrani, hailing from village Haji Manik Kingrani, Johi, Dadu District, Sindh, Pakistan, is poet, short story writer, playwright and a researcher. He has been contributing in the fields of history and literature. He has served as a professor as well. His 17 books are published in English and Sindhi language.
