Avesta Reader : First series, easier texts, notes & vocabulary

AVESTA READER FIRST SERIES EASIER TEXTS, NOTES, AND VOCABULARY BY

A. V.

WILLIAMS JACKSON

OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE,

NEW YORK

STUTTGART \V.

K O H L H A M M E R 1893

CITY

This

little

book

is

inscribed in

remembrance

of the late

Kommerzienrat "W.

Kohlhammer

as a token of regard.

280323

PREFACE. This

book

little

beyond furnishing

lays in

no claim

to

As

those beginning to study the Avesta.

an

for

merely

introduction,

of a series

first

and being

The

it

is

designed

for

intended as

the

number of pages

selections here given are

easily be mastered

may

the

of reading books,

of texts has been limited.

such as

any special merit

convenient form some material

by

a class in one college

moreover,

always finds a certain degree of pleasure and satisfaction in a book that can be read through in a comparatively short time, and he feels

term;

he

is

the beginner,

making a

certain

amount of progress when another With that in view, a second

book has

to be taken up.

volume

being prepared,

and

is

this

will

contain

longer texts

be so arranged as to imply a step in advance. The present selections in prose and verse, are fairly will

as far as excerpts

representative,

can be,

of Yasna, Vis-

parad, Yasht, and Vendidad. The chapters Ys. 26 and 57 are given complete. The passage from Vd. 19 has the advantage of presenting a specimen of texts in which

grammatical decay

The notes cise,

but

will also

it

is

to be observed.

in general

is

prove

hoped

have been made brief and con-

that

beside

useful in giving

being explanatory they

the student an occasional

Preface.

vi

regarding books of reference, and will thus interest of the subject. brief list of useful

hint

him

A

in the literature

books has already been given Attention

p. xl-xlii.

translation

now

is

in

Avesta

Grammar

by Darmesteter, Le Zend-Avesta

Part

(3 volumes,

me

1892-3), the last two volumes of which reached

Paris

book was already

after the greater part of the present

press;

I

was pleased, however,

i,

new Avesta

also called to the

in

to note several co-incidences

of certain Yasht and Vendidad passages. The vocabulary has been made a little more full

in interpretation

perhaps than sire to give

able, for

necessary; but this was done from a de-

is

the

beginner a

fair

start.

It

and to designate the verb forms in full. ferent plan will be followed in the Second

With regard

seemed

add frequent grammatical

example, to

to the

etymologies

in

A

advis-

references, slightly dif-

Series.

the

vocabulary,

comparison has been confined to Sanskrit, Old Persian, It is presupposed, of course, Pahlavi, and New Persian. that the student has

comparisons with

made some progress

in Sanskrit.

Old Persian, Pahlavi and

New

The

Persian

added, not at all with the idea that they will be mastered by a beginner, but in order to show the pupil are

the side

importance of the Iranian as well as the Sanskrit of interpretation, and to familiarize him with the

studies

next

akin to his subject.

Old Persian

is

easily

mastered after Avestan, and the earnest student will soon discover that the well-equipped scholar can not of course long dispense with Pahlavi and

New

Persian.

The

'tradi-

and 'comparative' method must go hand in hand. In preparing the book I have had before me VV. Geiger's Handbuch der Awe staspr ache, the manual with which 1

tional'

first

began

my

Avesta

studies.

Of

course C. de Harlez'

Preface.

yj{

Manuel de rAvesta, and Bartholomae's Altiranische Dialekte have been often consulted. Justi's Handbuch der was necessarily used at every step and Lanman's admirable Sanskrit Reader furnished many a ZendspracJie

;

hint or apt English rendering for kindred Avesta-Sanskrit

The material for comparison with Old Persian was drawn from Spiegel's Altpersische Keilinschriften ; and that for comparison with Pahlavi words, mainly

words.

and Index of Arda of New Persian, reference was made

from West's the case

Glossary

Viraf.

In

to Vullers-'

Lexicon Persico-Latinum and to Palmer's Persian- English Dictionary. Paul Horn's new Grundriss der Neupersischen

Etymologic (Strassburg 1893) came

was reading the

final

but happily as I revision of the proof-sheets of the late

vocabulary; from this source, therefore, a number of good additions were made. To each of the above authors I desire

to

made

cordial

acknowledgment.

To my

friend

Professor Karl F. Geldner rny sincerest thanks as always are due.

With give

which

this

word, and with the hope that scholars

their helpful I

criticism,

corrections

and suggestions,

and personally acknowledge, started on its course.

shall gladly

Avesta Reader

is

this little

A. V. Williams Jackson September 1893.

will

Columbia College

NEW YORK

CITY.

CONTENTS. PREFACE. TEXTS TRANSCRIPTION OF AVRSTAN ALPHABET ABBREVIATIONS NOTKS ON THE TEXTS

V

VII

-33 34

36

3748

VOCABULARY

49112

SELECTION OF TEXTS. Yasna (1)

Vs. ix. 1-8.

Duty towards the cow, the horse, and Ilaoma

(2)

Vs. 26.1-11.

Sacrifice

13)

YS

Praise of the

-

57-2-34.

and praise

to the Fravashis

.

3

S

Angel Sraosha

~3

58

.

-17

Visparad (4)

Vsp. 15.1-3.

Exhortation to righteousness and worship

iS

....

Yashts (5)

Vt. 5.1-9, 132.

Praise of the

(6)

Vt. 14.1-17.

Six incarnations of the Genius of Victory

1923 2327

The

blessings of agriculture Origin of the Towers of Silence

28-

30

31

The

J2

33

Goddess of Waters

Vendidad (7)

Yd. 3.23-29.

(8) Yd. 6.44-51. (9)

\'d.

19.5-10.

temptation of Zoroaster

30

TEXTS.

YASNA. i.

Yasna n. The cow,

Haoma, if misused, utter The homage due to Haoma.

horse,

imprecations.

V asna

i

1 1

.

-t {Kor-^)-au

Yasna

n

and

26.

II.

Yasna Sacrifice

26.

and Praise to the Fravashis.

Yasna

26.

"

3

Yasna

K*TO

-R-^^rO

v

8

io3

Do)

26.

-X"!-"^

M / ro

Xi *^- M

!)-

-"

1

J

^^-"^g-"))

7

7

Hbcvi

8

^!!)-" 1103

9

/ tO3 j -"-^-"/-"ru ^^-"^g-"))-" 1J

-^X"!- 3>5JJ

-^x^i^-^^g-^ -ilJ

!?VQ)

JJ

9

"(W!

I0

J

fO3 -"-^-"/-"f*o

^

Yasna 26 and

57.

III.

Yasna

57.

Srosh Yasht. Praise of the Angel Sraosha.

103 --"-;-"

-"

3

Yasna

57.

e

v

7

in

Yasna

TO

57.

103

-"D

9

IV

103 -^-"

.^wj

10

.^-a.

10

(oar

f( -1^ "t-"- -U

.-"->j-*A

ii

ii

v

103 ^-"^-"

12

13

-tf

-^f-

^y-"

^f^gw

13

vi

"

Yasna

1 1

57.

-w

15

vii

Yasua

57.

18

9

4t*

^-"ar

-ti-^y^

-t^j^

19

vm

Yasna

57.

13

.

-U

2O

21

23

IX

ai

x

23

Vasna

14

24

.^jj.^u-

57.

-if.

-M))

.-M/^

m

-*W(

24

25

Yasna

15

57.

27

xi

27

28

28

1

30

6

rfHTty

Yasna

57.

-fr*-wr 4^^^

31

K3ar-"-^-a/'

32

J^MJOJ^) ^jo-o)

33

^^{p ^V"ir

.-(_)

)J|-w-^

^^a^'y

4i^ J>aw

^O^JIM

iv^-"

30 xii

^ro

31

.j^wQj^|53

-l^^}

32

33 XI11

Yasna

57.

34

-

103

34

VISPARAD. IV.

Visparad Exhortation

.to

15

(

1-3).

Righteousness and Worship.

YASHTS. v.

Yasht

1-9; 132). 5 ( ArduT Sur Yasht.

Praise of Ardvi Sura Anahita, the Celestial Stream

and Goddess of Waters.

20

Yasht

5.

ov<j jV-"j Qr

-"-?

3

-"ro

4

--ovar

Yasht

5.

21

Yasht

22

5-

joiDtoro

132

~"-W-"

-"K>-u .ojj^jj^

-u^>aj 132

Yasht

5

and

14.

VI.

Yasht

14

Bahram

(

1-17). Yasht.

Six of the Incarnations of Verethraghna, Genius of Victory.

23

24

Yasht

14.

6

ii

Yasht

103 '-"-f^

14-

pro in

-M

8

g

-A -"

10

|

iv

10

26

Yasht

14.

12

^825 '^

13

14

?a;

vtojj-^-^/^ro

v AeJOrt^V'/ 15

>i-fa

(^

K?-^^)ar-"-(7-"^->(Mi3

--"ih"^*"

>>a;

^

i/p

I3

14

^^en))^-"/ .A^ar-"

15

v

Yasht

27

14.

-'

1133

16

17

vi

16

17

VENDIDAD. VII.

Vendidad 3 The 23

24

v4HM(g-

-"

Blessings of Agriculture.

.^7)cv>o J -")>*>D-"

"'ro

23-29).

(

f^o

..^-M^j-u^

P**

-v

.$V>>oji^ 23

i

24

.oj/j

25

Vendidad

29

3.

-JL

.0-J--

27

ioar- u )H

i

ro

-(7V

-*'

Vendidad

30

3

and

6.

VIII.

Vendidad

6

4451).

(

Disposal of the dead bodies. Origin of the Towers of Silence.

^}-"

44

45

46

rXy-

-JCVJ

p-"-;

.-uj^^xuj-u^^^

J

/toro

-*-"))^

!}-"

-o-ujx.

-KJK5|O-"

XJ

-X"!-

45

(OOf

OO-X'C'

?-">o-u

44

Vendidad

6.

31

V M)C*1V""VS -^K>^V

47

48

/ --"O-*^

-"K

47

^^W-"

48

-"'Of)

-"

-(7)C'|

OJ AJ ))> D-" -^X^I^uO-"^

J>

-

v-w--Lu

50

(

'K j i

49

-"))3

49

M 3

50

V*-J*QM

J>

51

51

Vendidad

32

19.

IX.

Vendidad 19

(

5-10).

The Temptation of Zoroaster by 5

-.--(^.wi^-fc

-(;&-"

^/enj^V"

-**i-"9

g

v

j

o)->j

jaj !

t

the Evil Spirit.

~"^

)jU)>

'

5

Vendidad

-"

10

33

19.

-

I0

TRANSCRIPTION OF AVESTAN ALPHABET. (Compared with

Ilandhuch der Zendsprache.)^

Justi,

A. Vowels.

.......-* a

Short

>

i

a

d

-***

Long

u

>

u

i

y

I

&

$

o e

n

j



if''

*V.

\***

d

e

(ej

o

~^

(e)

d

ii

u

f

*

\

(e)

CD

(do)

)c