Winfred P. Lehmann, Director :: PCL 5.112, 1 University Station S5490 :: Austin, TX 78712 :: 512-471-4566
Old Iranian Online
Lesson 4: Old Avestan
Scott L. Harvey, Winfred P. Lehmann, and Jonathan Slocum
Reading and Textual Analysis
This hymn, Yasna 30, provides an excellent statement of Zarathustra's dualism. While he maintained monotheism with Ahura Mazda as sole god, he also posited an opposition that existed from the beginning of the world between two principal spirits, Spenta Mainyu, 'the incremental spirit', and Angra Mainyu, 'the fiendish spirit' as stated in stanza 3. They, in turn, reflect a dualism beween Ashu 'Truth' and Angra 'Falsehood'. Human beings choose between these, as did the Daevas -- god-like beings who chose Falsehood. Their resulting status is in direct opposition to that in Indian religion, in which the devas make up the accepted pantheon. But the one who accepts Ahura Mazda is strengthened by Armaiti, 'Devotion'. The rewards or retribution for one's choice are stated graphically in stanzas eight through twelve.
1 - at tâ vaxshyâ ishentô yâ mazdâthâ hyat-cît vîdushê
- at
-- particle;<at> 'then, but, and, so, thus'-- and - tâ
-- demonstrative pronoun; accusative plural neuter<ha-> '(s)he, this'-- those things - vaxshyâ
-- verb; 1st person singular future indicative active<vak> 'say, speak, declare'-- I shall proclaim - ishentô
-- present participle active; vocative plural masculine<ish> 'strive, desire, arrive'-- o seekers - yâ
-- relative pronoun; accusative plural neuter<ya-> 'who, what, which'-- which - mazdâthâ
-- noun; accusative plural neuter<mazdâdha-> 'thing to be considered'-- to be borne in mind - hyat-cît
-- conjunction;<hyat> 'if, so, when' + indefinite participle;<cît> '...'-- even - vîdushê
-- present participle active; dative singular masculine<vid> 'see, know, obtain'-- for one knowing
staotâ-câ ahurâi yesnyâ-câ vanghêush mananghô
- staotâ-câ
-- noun; nominative plural masculine<staota-> 'hymn, song of praise' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and hymns - ahurâi
-- noun; dative singular masculine<ahura-> 'lord'-- Lord - yesnyâ-câ
-- noun; accusative plural masculine<yesnya-> 'sacrifice, worship' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and praises - vanghêush
-- adjective; genitive singular neuter<vohu-> 'good'-- good - mananghô
-- noun; genitive singular neuter<manah-> 'mind'-- of mind
humãzdrâ ashâ ye-câ yâ raocêbîs daresatâ urvâzâ
- humãzdrâ
-- adjective; vocative plural masculine<humãzdra-> 'careful, good to see'-- attentive ones - ashâ
-- noun; instrumental singular neuter<asha-> 'truth'-- for Truth - ye-câ
-- dative ending; plural masculine<-aya> '...' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and # All known manuscripts separate this dative case ending from the word asha to which it should be attached. It should not, therefore, be read as a separate word. - yâ
-- relative pronoun; accusative plural neuter<ya-> 'who, what, which'-- which - raocêbîs
-- noun; instrumental plural neuter<raocah-> 'light'-- by lights - daresatâ
-- noun; accusative plural neuter<daresata-> 'visible, beautiful to see'-- beautiful to see - urvâzâ
-- noun; accusative plural neuter<urvâza-> 'joy, bliss'-- joys
2 - sraotâ gêush-aish vahishtâ a-vaênatâ sûcâ mananghâ
- sraotâ
-- verb; 2nd person plural aorist imperative active<sru> 'hear, listen'-- Listen - gêush-aish
-- noun; instrumental plural masculine<gêusha-> 'ear'-- with ears - vahishtâ
-- adjective; accusative singular neuter<vohu-> 'good' + superlative suffix;<-ista-> indicates superlative-- to the best things - a-vaênatâ
-- preposition;<â> '(up) to, toward, etc.' + verb; 2nd person plural present imperative active<vaêna-> 'see, observe, look'-- observe - sûcâ
-- adjective; instrumental singular neuter<sûca-> 'light, pure, clear'-- radiant - mananghâ
-- noun; instrumental singular masculine<manah-> 'mind'-- with mind
âvarenå vîcithahyâ narêm narem xvahyâi tanuyê
- âvarenå
-- noun; accusative dual masculine<âvarena-> 'invitation, choice'-- two alternatives - vîcithahyâ
-- noun; genitive singular neuter<vîcidha-> 'decision, judgement'-- choosing - narêm
-- noun; accusative singular masculine<nar-> 'man'-- each - narem
-- noun; accusative singular masculine<nar-> 'man'-- man - xvahyâi
-- reflexive pronoun; dative singular feminine<xva-> 'self'-- ... - tanuyê
-- noun; dative singular masculine<tanu-> 'body'-- for himself
parâ mazê yånghô ahmâi nê sazdyâi baodantô paiti
- parâ
-- preposition;<parâ> 'before, beyond, away'-- before - mazê
-- adjective; genitive singular neuter<maz-> 'large, great'-- great - yånghô
-- noun; genitive singular neuter<yâh-> 'pilgrimage, retribution'-- retribution - ahmâi
-- demonstrative pronoun; dative singular masculine<ayêm-> 'this, that'-- to him - nê
-- enclitic pronoun; 2nd person accusative plural<vaêm-> 'we'-- us - sazdyâi
-- verb; infinitive<sangh> 'announce, proclaim'-- to announce - baodantô
-- present participle active; nominative plural masculine<bud> 'be attentive, aware'-- being careful - paiti
-- postposition;<paiti> 'near, toward, with respect to'-- ...
3 - at tâ mainyû paouruyê yâ yêmâ xvafnâ asrvâtem
- at
-- particle;<at> 'then, but, and, so, thus'-- and - tâ
-- pronoun; nominative dual masculine<ha-> '(s)he, this'-- there are two - mainyû
-- noun; nominative dual masculine<mainyu-> 'spirit'-- spirits - paouruyê
-- adjective; nominative dual masculine<paouruya-> 'first, original'-- primeval - yâ
-- relative pronoun; nominative dual masculine<ya-> 'who, what, which'-- who - yêmâ
-- noun; nominative dual masculine<yêma-> 'twin'-- twins - xvafnâ
-- noun; instrumental singular masculine<xvafna-> 'sleep, dream'-- through dream - asrvâtem
-- verb; 3rd person dual aorist indicative passive<sru> 'hear, listen'-- are revealed
manahi-câ vacahi-câ shyaothanôi hî vahyô akem-câ
- manahi-câ
-- noun; locative singular neuter<manah-> 'mind' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- in mind - vacahi-câ
-- noun; locative singular neuter<vacah-> 'speech, word' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and speech - shyaothanôi
-- noun; locative singular neuter<shyaothana-> 'act, deed'-- and deed - hî
-- emphatic particle;<hi> 'indeed'-- even - vahyô
-- adjective; accusative singular neuter<vahya-> 'better'-- better - akem-câ
-- adjective; accusative singular neuter<aka-> 'bad, evil, wicked' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and bad
ås-câ hudånghô eresh vîshyâtâ nôit duzhdånghô
- ås-câ
-- demonstrative pronoun; genitive dual masculine<a-> 'he, this'-- of these two - hudånghô
-- adjective; nominative plural neuter<hudah-> 'of good gifts, beneficent'-- the beneficent - eresh
-- adverb;<eresh-> 'right, correct, true'-- rightly - vîshyâtâ
-- prefix;<vi> 'wide, apart' + verb; 3rd person plural aorist indicative active<ci> 'discriminate, tell apart'-- choose - nôit
-- negative particle;<nôit> 'no, none'-- not - duzhdånghô
-- adjective; nominative plural neuter<duzhdâ-> 'of bad gifts, maleficent'-- the miserly
4 - at-câ hyat tâ hêm mainyû jasaêtem paourvîm dazdê
- at-câ
-- particle;<at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and what is more - hyat
-- conjunction;<hyat> 'as, since, because'-- when - tâ
-- pronoun; nominative dual masculine<ha-> '(s)he, this'-- these two - hêm
-- preposition;<hêm> 'together, with'-- together - mainyû
-- noun; nominative dual masculine<mainyu-> 'spirit'-- spirits - jasaêtem
-- verb; 3rd person dual imperfect indicative middle<gam> 'go'-- came - paourvîm
-- adverb;<paouruya-> 'first, original'-- at the beginning (of the world) - dazdê
-- verb; 3rd person dual imperfect indicative middle<dâ-> 'give, put'-- gave
gaêm-câ ajyâitîm-câ yathâ-câ anghat apêmem anghush
- gaêm-câ
-- noun; accusative singular masculine<gaya-> 'life' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- both life - ajyâitîm-câ
-- noun; accusative singular masculine<ajyaiti-> 'death' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and death - yathâ-câ
-- adverb;<yatha> 'just as, like' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and likewise - anghat
-- verb; 3rd person singular present subjunctive active<ah-> 'be, become'-- will arise - apêmem
-- adverb;<apêmem> 'last'-- at the end - anghush
-- noun; nominative singular masculine<anghu-> 'existence, life'-- a life
acishtô dregvatãm at ashâunê vahishtem manô
- acishtô
-- adjective; nominative singular masculine<aka-> 'bad, evil, wicked' + superlative suffix;<-ista-> indicates superlative-- most wicked - dregvatãm
-- adjective; genitive plural masculine<dregvant-> 'possessor of the Lie'-- for followers of the Lie - at
-- particle;<at> 'then, but, and, so, thus'-- and - ashâunê
-- noun; dative singular masculine<ashavan-> '(in accordance with) Truth'-- for the followers of Truth - vahishtem
-- adjective; accusative singular neuter<vohu-> 'good' + superlative suffix;<-ista-> indicates superlative-- best - manô
-- noun; accusative singular neuter<manah-> 'mind'-- thought
5 - ayå mainivå varatâ yê dregvå acishtâ verezyô
- ayå
-- demonstrative pronoun; genitive dual masculine<ayêm-> 'this, that'-- these - mainivå
-- noun; genitive dual masculine<mainyu-> 'spirit'-- of two spirits - varatâ
-- verb; 3rd person singular aorist indicative middle<var> 'choose'-- chose - yê
-- relative pronoun; nominative singular<ya-> 'who, what, which'-- the one who - dregvå
-- adjective; nominative dual masculine<dregvant-> 'possessor of the Lie'-- possessed of the Lie - acishtâ
-- adjective; accusative plural masculine<aka-> 'bad, evil, wicked' + superlative suffix;<-ista-> indicates superlative-- the most wicked things - verezyô
-- infinitive;<verez-> 'perform an action'-- to perform
ashem mainyush spênishtô yê xraozhdishtêng asênô vastê
- ashem
-- noun; accusative singular neuter<asha-> 'truth'-- Truth - mainyush
-- noun; nominative singular masculine<mainyu-> 'spirit'-- spirit - spênishtô
-- adjective; nominative singular masculine<spenta-> 'beneficent, holy, sacred' + superlative suffix;<-ista-> indicates superlative-- beneficent - yê
-- relative pronoun; nominative singular<ya-> 'who, what, which'-- which - xraozhdishtêng
-- adjective; accusative plural masculine<xrûzhdra-> 'hard, firm' + superlative suffix;<-ista-> indicates superlative-- hardest - asênô
-- noun; accusative plural masculine<asan-> 'stone, heaven'-- stones - vastê
-- verb; 3rd person singular present indicative middle<vas> 'be clothed, swathed'-- is clothed
yaê-câ xshnaoshen ahurem haithyâish shyaothanâish fraoret mazdãm
- yaê-câ
-- relative pronoun; nominative plural<ya-> 'who, what, which' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and who - xshnaoshen
-- verb; 3rd person plural s-aorist indicative active<xsnu> 'satisfy'-- satisfy - ahurem
-- noun; accusative singular masculine<ahura-> 'lord'-- the Lord - haithyâish
-- adjective; instrumental plural neuter<haithya-> 'true, real'-- true - shyaothanâish
-- noun; instrumental plural neuter<shyaothana-> 'act, deed'-- with actions - fraoret
-- adverb;<fraoret> 'readily'-- readily - mazdãm
-- noun; accusative singular masculine<mazda-> 'wise one'-- Wise One
6 - ayå nôit eresh vîshyâtâ daêvâ-cinâ hyat îsh â-debaomâ
- ayå
-- demonstrative pronoun; genitive dual masculine<ayêm-> 'this, that'-- (between) these two - nôit
-- negative particle;<nôit> 'no, none'-- not - eresh
-- adverb;<eresh-> 'right, correct, true'-- correctly - vîshyâtâ
-- verb; 3rd person plural aorist indicative active<vi> 'wide, apart' +<ci> 'discriminate, tell apart'-- did choose - daêvâ-cinâ
-- noun; nominative plural masculine<daêva-> 'divine being' + indefinite particle;<cinâ> '...'-- the Daevas... whatsoever - hyat
-- conjunction;<hyat> 'as, since, because'-- since - îsh
-- enclitic demonstrative pronoun; accusative plural<ayêm-> 'this, that'-- them - â-debaomâ
-- preposition;<â> '(up) to, toward, etc.' + noun; nominative singular masculine<debaoman-> 'beguilement, deception'-- Deception
peresmaneng upâ-jasat hyat verenâtâ acishtem manô
- peresmaneng
-- present participle middle; accusative plural masculine<peres-> 'ask'-- deliberating - upâ-jasat
-- verbal prefix;<upa> 'near, up on/to, etc.' + verb; 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active<gam> 'go'-- approached - hyat
-- conjunction;<hyat> 'as, since, because'-- ... - verenâtâ
-- verb; 3rd person plural present injunctive middle<veren-> 'choose'-- they chose - acishtem
-- adjective; accusative singular neuter<aka-> 'bad, evil, wicked' + superlative suffix;<-ista-> indicates superlative-- worst - manô
-- noun; accusative singular neuter<manah-> 'mind'-- thought
at aêshemem hêndvârentâ yâ bãnayen ahûm maretânô
- at
-- particle;<at> 'then, but, and, so, thus'-- thereby - aêshemem
-- noun; accusative singular masculine<aêshema-> 'anger, fury, wrath'-- wrath - hêndvârentâ
-- verb; 3rd person plural imperfect indicative middle<hem> '...' +<dvar> 'rush together'-- rushed headlong - yâ
-- relative pronoun; instrumental singular masculine<ya-> 'who, what, which'-- by which - bãnayen
-- verb; 3rd person plural present injunctive active<banaya-> 'poison, make ill'-- poison - ahûm
-- noun; accusative singular masculine<anghu-> 'existence, life'-- life - maretânô
-- noun; genitive singular masculine<mareta-> 'mortal'-- moral men
7 - ahmâi-câ xshathrâ jasat mananghâ vohû ashâ-câ
- ahmâi-câ
-- demonstrative pronoun; dative singular masculine<ayêm-> 'this, that' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- yet... unto him - xshathrâ
-- noun; instrumental singular neuter<xshathra-> 'power'-- with power - jasat
-- verb; 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active<gam> 'go'-- he goes - mananghâ
-- noun; instrumental singular neuter<manah-> 'mind'-- with mind - vohû
-- adjective; instrumental singular neuter<vohu-> 'good'-- good - ashâ-câ
-- adjective; instrumental singular neuter<asha-> 'truth' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and with Truth
at kehrpêm utayûitish dadât ârmaitish ãnmâ
- at
-- particle;<at> 'then, but, and, so, thus'-- and - kehrpêm
-- noun; accusative singular feminine<kehrp-> 'form, body, outward appearance'-- body - utayûitish
-- adjective; nominative singular feminine<utayûiti-> 'fresh, lasting, enduring'-- youthful - dadât
-- verb; 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active<dâ-> 'give, put'-- gives - ârmaitish
-- noun; nominative singular feminine<ârmaiti-> 'devotion, piety'-- Armaiti - ãnmâ
-- noun; accusative singular neuter<ãnman-> 'spirit, breath'-- breath
aêshãm tôi â anghat yathâ ayanghâ âdânâish paouruyô
- aêshãm
-- demonstrative pronoun; genitive plural<ayêm-> 'this, that'-- of these things - tôi
-- personal pronoun; dative singular<tvêm-> 'you'-- for you - â
-- preposition;<â> '(up) to, toward, etc.'-- ... - anghat
-- verb; 3rd person singular present subjunctive active<ah-> 'be, become'-- will arise - yathâ
-- adverb;<yatha> 'just as, like'-- just as - ayanghâ
-- noun; instrumental singular neuter<ayah-> 'metal, iron'-- by molten iron - âdânâish
-- noun; instrumental plural neuter<âdâna-> 'portion, forging together, retaliation'-- through retribution - paouruyô
-- adjective; nominative singular masculine<paouruya-> 'first, original'-- the previous
8 - at-câ yadâ aêshãm kaênâ jamaitî aênanghãm
- at-câ
-- particle;<at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and then - yadâ
-- relative adverb;<yadâ> 'when'-- when - aêshãm
-- demonstrative pronoun; genitive plural<ayêm-> 'this, that'-- of these - kaênâ
-- noun; nominative singular feminine<kaênâ-> 'atonement, punishment'-- punishment - jamaitî
-- verb; 3rd person singular aorist subjunctive active<gam> 'go'-- will arrive - aênanghãm
-- noun; genitive plural neuter<aênah-> 'sin'-- of sins
at mazdâ taibyô xshathrem vohû mananghâ vôi-vîdaitî
- at
-- particle;<at> 'then, but, and, so, thus'-- then - mazdâ
-- noun; vocative singular masculine<mazda-> 'wise one'-- O Wise One - taibyô
-- demonstrative pronoun; dative singular<tvêm-> 'you'-- for you - xshathrem
-- noun; accusative singular neuter<xshathra-> 'power'-- sovereign rule - vohû
-- adjective; instrumental singular neuter<vohu-> 'good'-- good - mananghâ
-- noun; instrumental singular neuter<manah-> 'mind'-- through mind - vôi-vîdaitî
-- verb; 3rd person singular aorist subjunctive active intensive<vid> 'see, know, obtain'-- will finally obtain
aêibyô sastê ahurâ yôi ashâi daden zastayô drujim
- aêibyô
-- demonstrative pronoun; dative plural<ayêm-> 'this, that'-- to those - sastê
-- infinitive;<sangh> 'announce, proclaim'-- to proclaim - ahurâ
-- noun; vocative singular masculine<ahura-> 'lord'-- Lord - yôi
-- relative pronoun; nominative plural masculine<ya-> 'who, what, which'-- who - ashâi
-- noun; dative singular neuter<asha-> 'truth'-- over to the Truth - daden
-- verb; 3rd person plural present subjunctive active<dâ-> 'give, put'-- will give - zastayô
-- noun; locative dual masculine<zasta-> 'hand'-- in both hands - drujim
-- noun; accusative singular masculine<druj-> 'deceit'-- Deceit
9 - at-câ tôi vaêm hyâmâ yôi îm ferashêm kerenaon ahûm
- at-câ
-- particle;<at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and therefore - tôi
-- pronoun; nominative plural masculine<ha-> '(s)he, this'-- the ones - vaêm
-- personal pronoun; nominative singular<azem-> 'I'-- we - hyâmâ
-- verb; 3rd person plural present optative middle<ah-> 'be, become'-- may be - yôi
-- relative pronoun; nominative plural masculine<ya-> 'who, what, which'-- who - îm
-- enclitic demonstrative pronoun; accusative singular masculine<ayêm-> 'this, that'-- this - ferashêm
-- adjective; accusative singular masculine<ferasha-> 'shining'-- vibrant - kerenaon
-- verb; 3rd person plural present subjunctive active<kar> 'do, make'-- would make - ahûm
-- noun; accusative singular neuter<ahu-> 'existence, life, breath'-- existence
mazdås-câ ahurånghô â-môyastrâ-baranâ ashâ-câ
- mazdås-câ
-- noun; vocative plural masculine<mazda-> 'wise one' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- Wise (Lord) and - ahurånghô
-- noun; vocative plural masculine<ahura-> 'lord'-- Lords - â-môyastrâ-baranâ
-- preposition;<â> '(up) to, toward, etc.' + enclitic pronoun; dative singular<azem-> 'I' + privative prefix;<a> 'no, none' + adjective;<stra-> 'spread-out' (?) + noun; instrumental singular masculine<barana-> 'carriage, support'-- by means of the unbroken support to me - ashâ-câ
-- noun; nominative singular masculine<asha-> 'truth' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and the Truth
hyat hathrâ manå bavat yathrâ cistish anghat maêthâ
- hyat
-- conjunction;<hyat> 'as, since, because'-- so that - hathrâ
-- preposition;<hathra> 'together, at the same place/time'-- unified - manå
-- noun; nominative plural neuter<manah-> 'mind'-- minds - bavat
-- verb; 3rd person singular aorist subjunctive active<bu> 'be, become'-- may be - yathrâ
-- adverb;<yathra> 'where, in order to'-- whenever - cistish
-- noun; nominative singular feminine<cisti-> 'knowledge, thought'-- judgement - anghat
-- verb; 3rd person singular present subjunctive active<ah-> 'be, become'-- would be - maêthâ
-- adjective; nominative singular feminine<maêdha-> 'changing, false'-- in doubt
10 - adâ zî avâ drûjô avô-bavaitî skendô spayathrahyâ
- adâ
-- adverb;<adâ> 'then, thereupon, thus'-- then - zî
-- emphatic particle;<zi> 'for, indeed'-- for - avâ
-- verbal prefix;<ava> 'away, down'-- ... - drûjô
-- noun; ablative singular feminine<druj-> 'deceit'-- of deceit - avô-bavaitî
-- verbal prefix;<ava> 'away, down' + verb; 3rd person singular aorist subjunctive active<bu> 'be, become'-- will descend - skendô
-- noun; nominative singular masculine<skenda-> 'destruction'-- destruction - spayathrahyâ
-- noun; genitive singular neuter<spayathra-> 'atonement, prosperity'-- prosperity
at asishtâ yaojantê â hushitôish vanghêush mananghô
- at
-- particle;<at> 'then, but, and, so, thus'-- and - asishtâ
-- adjective; nominative plural masculine<asishta-> 'fastest'-- the swiftest - yaojantê
-- verb; 3rd person plural aorist subjunctive middle<yuj> 'join, unite, yoke'-- will be yoked - â
-- preposition;<â> '(up) to, toward, etc.'-- to - hushitôish
-- noun; genitive singular feminine<hushiti-> 'good dwelling, comfort, safety'-- dwelling place - vanghêush
-- adjective; genitive singular neuter<vohu-> 'good'-- good - mananghô
-- noun; genitive singular neuter<manah-> 'mind'-- of mind
mazdå ashahyâ-câ yôi zazentî vanghâu sravahî
- mazdå
-- noun; genitive singular masculine<mazda-> 'wise one'-- of the Wise One - ashahyâ-câ
-- noun; genitive singular masculine<asha-> 'truth' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and of Truth - yôi
-- relative pronoun; nominative plural masculine<ya-> 'who, what, which'-- which - zazentî
-- verb; 3rd person plural present subjunctive active<zâ> 'conquer, win, come in first'-- will race ahead - vanghâu
-- adjective; locative singular neuter<vohu-> 'good'-- unto good - sravahî
-- noun; locative singular neuter<sravas-> 'fame'-- fame
11 - hyat tâ urvâtâ sashathâ yâ mazdå dadât mashyånghô
- hyat
-- conjunction;<hyat> 'if, so, when'-- when - tâ
-- demonstrative pronoun; accusative plural neuter<ha-> '(s)he, this'-- those - urvâtâ
-- noun; accusative plural neuter<urvâta-> 'rule, order, commandment'-- rules - sashathâ
-- verb; 2nd person plural present indicative active<sac> 'learn, understand'-- you all learn - yâ
-- relative pronoun; nominative plural neuter<ya-> 'who, what, which'-- which - mazdå
-- noun; nominative singular masculine<mazda-> 'wise one'-- the Wise One - dadât
-- verb; 3rd person singular aorist indicative active<dâ-> 'give, put'-- has given - mashyånghô
-- noun; vocative plural masculine<mashya-> 'human being'-- o mortals
xvîti-câ êneitî hyat-câ daregêm dregvô-debyô rashô
- xvîti-câ
-- noun; accusative dual feminine<xviti-> 'well-being, freedom of movement' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- freedom and - êneitî
-- noun; accusative dual feminine<êneiti-> 'ill-being, lack of freedom'-- constraint - hyat-câ
-- conjunction;<hyat> 'if, so, when' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- and when - daregêm
-- adjective; accusative singular neuter<darega-> 'long'-- long-lasting - dregvô-debyô
-- adjective; dative plural masculine<dregvant-> 'possessor of the Lie'-- for the Possessors of the Lie - rashô
-- noun; accusative singular neuter<rashah-> 'harm, damage'-- destruction
sava-câ ashavabyô at aipî tâish anghaitî ushtâ
- sava-câ
-- noun; accusative plural neuter<sava-> 'benefit, salvation' + conjunction;<ca> 'and'-- but blessings - ashavabyô
-- noun; dative plural masculine<ashavant-> 'follower of the Truth'-- for the Truthful - at
-- particle;<at> 'then, but, and, so, thus'-- then - aipî
-- preposition;<aipi> 'toward, approaching'-- ... - tâish
-- demonstrative pronoun; instrumental plural masculine<ha-> '(s)he, this'-- through these - anghaitî
-- verb; 3rd person singular present subjunctive active<ah-> 'be, become'-- will arise - ushtâ
-- past participle passive; accusative plural masculine<vas> 'desire, wish'-- the things you desire
Lesson Text
1 at tâ vaxshyâ ishentô yâ mazdâthâ hyat-cît vîdushê
staotâ-câ ahurâi yesnyâ-câ vanghêush mananghô
humãzdrâ ashâ ye-câ yâ raocêbîs daresatâ urvâzâ
2 sraotâ gêush-aish vahishtâ a-vaênatâ sûcâ mananghâ
âvarenå vîcithahyâ narêm narem xvahyâi tanuyê
parâ mazê yånghô ahmâi nê sazdyâi baodantô paiti
3 at tâ mainyû paouruyê yâ yêmâ xvafnâ asrvâtem
manahi-câ vacahi-câ shyaothanôi hî vahyô akem-câ
ås-câ hudånghô eresh vîshyâtâ nôit duzhdånghô
4 at-câ hyat tâ hêm mainyû jasaêtem paourvîm dazdê
gaêm-câ ajyâitîm-câ yathâ-câ anghat apêmem anghush
acishtô dregvatãm at ashâunê vahishtem manô
5 ayå mainivå varatâ yê dregvå acishtâ verezyô
ashem mainyush spênishtô yê xraozhdishtêng asênô vastê
yaê-câ xshnaoshen ahurem haithyâish shyaothanâish fraoret mazdãm
6 ayå nôit eresh vîshyâtâ daêvâ-cinâ hyat îsh â-debaomâ
peresmaneng upâ-jasat hyat verenâtâ acishtem manô
at aêshemem hêndvârentâ yâ bãnayen ahûm maretânô
7 ahmâi-câ xshathrâ jasat mananghâ vohû ashâ-câ
at kehrpêm utayûitish dadât ârmaitish ãnmâ
aêshãm tôi â anghat yathâ ayanghâ âdânâish paouruyô
8 at-câ yadâ aêshãm kaênâ jamaitî aênanghãm
at mazdâ taibyô xshathrem vohû mananghâ vôi-vîdaitî
aêibyô sastê ahurâ yôi ashâi daden zastayô drujim
9 at-câ tôi vaêm hyâmâ yôi îm ferashêm kerenaon ahûm
mazdås-câ ahurånghô â-môyastrâ-baranâ ashâ-câ
hyat hathrâ manå bavat yathrâ cistish anghat maêthâ
10 adâ zî avâ drûjô avô-bavaitî skendô spayathrahyâ
at asishtâ yaojantê â hushitôish vanghêush mananghô
mazdå ashahyâ-câ yôi zazentî vanghâu sravahî
11 hyat tâ urvâtâ sashathâ yâ mazdå dadât mashyånghô
xvîti-câ êneitî hyat-câ daregêm dregvô-debyô rashô
sava-câ ashavabyô at aipî tâish anghaitî ushtâ
Translation
| 1 | And I shall proclaim, O seekers [of Truth], those things | |
|---|---|---|
| which [are] to be borne in mind, even for one knowing [them already]: | ||
| [Those] praises and hymns of Good Mind [to be sung] for the Lord and, | ||
| attentive ones, for Truth, | ||
| Which by [their] lights [will bring] joys beautiful to see. | ||
| 2 | Listen with [your] ears to the best things [said] | |
| [And] observe with [your] mind, radiant, | ||
| The two alternatives of [your] choosing, each man for himself | ||
| Being careful to announce us to Him1 before the great retribution. | ||
| 3 | There are two primeval spirits, twins who are revealed | |
| [to us] through dream. | ||
| In mind, in speech, and even in deed they are better and bad: | ||
| The good choose between them correctly, not the evil. | ||
| 4 | And what's more, when these two spirits came together | |
| at the beginning of the world, | ||
| They bestowed [to it] both life and death. And likewise | ||
| At the end, a life most wicked will arise for followers of the Lie, | ||
| and the best thought [will arise] for the followers of Truth. | ||
| 5 | Of these two spirits, the one possessed of the Lie chose to execute | |
| the most wicked things, [but] the beneficent spirit, | ||
| Who is clothed in the hardest stones, [chose] Truth, | ||
| [Just as those men do now] who readily satisfy the Lord, the Wise One, | ||
| with true actions. | ||
| 6 | The Daevas did not choose correctly whatsoever between these two, | |
| since Deception approached them [as they were] deliberating [between | ||
| them]. | ||
| [And] since they chose the worst thought, | ||
| They thereby rushed headlong unto [that very] wrath by which they [now] poison | ||
| the life of mortal men. | ||
| 7 | Yet He1 goes unto him2 with power, Good Mind, and Truth, | |
| And youthful Armaiti gives [him] body [and] breath. | ||
| [And each] of these things will arise for you, [too], just as through retribution | ||
| by molten iron the former [followers of the Lie (?) | ||
| will be punished]. | ||
| 8 | And so, when the punishment of these sins will arrive | |
| Then dominion will finally obtain for You, O Wise One, | ||
| through Good Thinking. | ||
| [In order] to proclaim, O Lord, to those who will | ||
| give Deceit over to the Truth in both hands. | ||
| 9 | Therefore, may we be the ones who would make existence vibrant, | |
| O Wise [Lord] and Lords, by means of the unbroken support [you have given?] | ||
| to me2 and by means of Truth, | ||
| So that our minds will remain unified whenever our judgment may be in doubt. | ||
| 10 | For then the destruction of the prosperity of Deceit will descend | |
| And the swiftest [steeds] will be yoked to the dwelling place of Good Mind, | ||
| Which will race ahead unto the good fame of the Wise One and of Truth. | ||
| 11 | When you, O mortals, learn those rules which the Wise One has given, | |
| [When you learn that there is] freedom and constraint, and [likewise] | ||
| long-lasting destruction for the Possessors of the Lie, | ||
| But blessings for the Truthful, then through these things [you have learned] | ||
| the things that you desire will arise. |
Grammar
16. Noun Stems in Sibilants and Stops
16.1. n-stem Nouns
Avestan has n-stem nouns in an, man, and van, whose declensions vary only by the strength of the stem. Stems in an generally show ablaut, extending to ân in cases that take a strong stem. This is not, however, consistent: some words follow this pattern while others do not, perhaps on analogy with man- and van-stems for which ablaut is unattested.
The paradigms given here include the ablaut.
| Singular: | Masculine manthran- 'poet-priest' | Neuter nâman- 'name' | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | manthrâ | nãma | ||
| Acc. | *manthrâ, *manthrânem | nãma | ||
| Dat. | manthrânai | *nâmanai | ||
| Abl. | *manthrat | unattested | ||
| Gen. | manthrânô | *nâmnô | ||
| Loc.sg | *manthrâni | *nâmêni, *namen | ||
| Plural: | ||||
| Nom.pl | *manthranô, *manthrânô | nâmãn, nâmêni | ||
| Acc.pl | *manthrô | nâmãn, nâmêni | ||
| Instr.pl. | *manthrêbish | nâmêbish, nâmênish | ||
| Dat.pl. | manthrabyô | nâmabyô | ||
| Abl.pl | *manthrabyô | *nâmabyô | ||
| Gen.pl | *manthranãm | nâmanãm |
16.2. r/n-stem Nouns
Avestan includes a few stems that end in r or n, depending on the case in which they appear.
| Singular: | Masculine nar- 'man' | Neuter râzar- 'declaration' | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | nâ | râzar | ||
| Acc. | narem | *râzar | ||
| Dat. | narai | unattested | ||
| Gen. | nrsh | râzanh | ||
| Plural: | ||||
| Nom. | narô | *râzâr | ||
| Acc. | nrnsh | unattested | ||
| Gen. | *narãm | *râznãm |
17. Relative and Interrogative Pronouns
The relative and interrogative pronouns, ya- and ka-, respectively, decline similarly in Avestan. The interrogative also has a stem ci- that appears only in the nominative singular form cish. The relative paradigm is given here.
| ya-declension | Masculine | Feminine | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. sg. | yô | yâ | ||
| Acc. sg. | yim, yem | yãm, yâm | ||
| Instr. sg. | yâ | unattested | ||
| Dat. sg. | yahmai | unattested | ||
| Abl. sg. | yahmât | yenhât, yenhâda | ||
| Gen. sg. | yahya, yenhe | yenhaê | ||
| Loc. sg. | yahmi | yenhe | ||
| Nom. du. | yâ | |||
| Gen. du. | yayaê | |||
| Nom. pl. | yoi | yaê | ||
| Acc. pl. | yãn | yaê | ||
| Instr. pl. | yâish | unattested | ||
| Dat.Abl. pl. | yaêbyô | yâbyô | ||
| Gen. pl | yaêshãm | yaênhãm | ||
| Loc. pl. | yaêshu | yâhu, yâhva |
The neuter differs from the masculine in only the nominative and accusative cases:
| Nom.Acc. sg. | yat | |
|---|---|---|
| Nom. du. | yâ | |
| Nom.Acc. pl. | yâ |
18. The Perfect Tense
In addition to the present and aorist stems encountered in previous lessons, Avestan also has a perfect stem which is formed by the reduplication of the root. Generally, this reduplication is created by adding the vowel of the underlying root and any consonant immediately preceding that vowel to the front of the root. Exceptions to this rule are as follows:
- Diphthongs ending in i or u reduplicate in i or u, respectively.
- The initial consonant c changes to k in the root syllable, e.g. cit 'think', cikait-.
- Initial k reduplicates as c, e.g. kan 'desire, cakan.
- Consonant clusters omit all but the initial consonant, e.g. vraz 'be joyful', vavraz-.
- The root vid 'see, know' is not reduplicated.
The root takes full grade in the singular present indicative active and all forms of the subjunctive; zero grade, elsewhere.
In these lessons, the perfect has been translated with past sense, e.g. tatashâ 'has fashioned'.
Perfect Paradigm
Since no root forms more than one perfect conjugation, the convention of using a single root per paradigm is not followed here.
| Indicative | Active | Middle | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 sg. | dadaresha | susruye | ||
| 2 sg. | dadâtha | unattested | ||
| 3 sg. | cakana | dâta | ||
| 3 du. | unattested | mamanâite, dazde | ||
| 1 pl. | didvishma | unattested | ||
| 3 pl. | caxnar | unattested | ||
| Subjunctive | ||||
| 2 pl. | vavrazatha | unattested | ||
| Optative | ||||
| 3 sg. | vidyât | unattested |
19. The Perfect Active Participle
The perfect tense also has active and middle participles. The active form is built by adding the suffix vas, weak grade ush, to the reduplicated stem. Feminines add î and decline accordingly. Masculines decline thus:
| vid/vidvas 'having known' | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nom. sg. | vidvå | |
| Dat. sg. | vidushai | |
| Gen. sg. | vidushô |
The present middle participle is formed by adding the ending ana to the perfect stem, which declines according to the a/â-paradigms in Section 3.
Perfect participles are translated with the verb 'having', as in vidvå 'having known', nominative singular masculine.
20. Relative-Correlative Syntax
Native English speakers sometimes find the Indo-Iranian relative clause difficult because it is not usually embedded within the main clause, as it is in English, but rather precedes the main clause, which 'picks up' the relative pronoun with a corresponding demonstrative, or correlative, pronoun. The relative pronoun may be placed anywhere within its own clause, though it is often found at the beginning. The correlative must begin the main clause. The antecedent, or the word that the relative pronoun represents in the relative clause, also (somewhat counter-intuitively) appears in the relative clause, usually immediately after the relative pronoun.
The relative clause aêibyô sastê yôi ashai daden drujem, taken from stanza 8 above, provides an illustration:
| aêibyô | sastê | yôi | ashai | daden | drujem | |||||||
| to those | to proclaim | to whom | over to Truth | will give | Deceit |
This is translated into English as "to proclaim to those who will give Deceit over to the Truth."
Footnotes
| 1 | Ahura Mazda | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Zarathustra |