Madhuvidya

SR No.: 006525
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 2001
Total Pages: 762
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Literature, & Philosophy
File Size: 17 MB

Page 214

TWO NOTES ON YAŠTS
shining with (thine) own eternal life?"6 This translation, which essentially follows that of LOMMEL, suffers from certain drawbacks. In the first instance, avanvato, which is gen. sg., is interpreted as acc. sg. (xvanvantam). Secondly, TARAPOREWALA observes that wahe gayehe, both gen. sg., should have been in the instrumental case. Thirdly, one has to observe that in spite of all these changes 'shining with eternal life' does not give good meaning. One would have rather said shining with eternal lustre'.
It is therefore suggested that we should supply sraēštam dadarasa at the end of Zarathustra's question, and divide the passage into two parallel clauses-(1) yim azəm vispahe anheus astvato sraeštəm dādarəsa, and (2) yim azəm xVahe gayehe xvanvato aməšahe (sraeštam dādarəsa). The whole passage may then be translated as follows: "Who art thou, o man, whom I see the best in the whole corporal creation, (whom I see the best) in your own shining and immortal species ?"
The translation given above gives good meaning. It brings out the contrast between astvant aqhu = corporal world and x'anvant gaya = lustrous world. It assumes that after Zarathustra started his question to Haoma with the words 'Ko narə ahi' taking him to be a human being, he realized that the lustrous person standing before him may not after all be a human being but a superhuman one belonging to the world of immortals. He therefore proceeds to characterize Haoma also as the best among the immortals.
In the interpretation given above, gaya has been taken to mean creation, species, world'. This meaning is not given in the dictionary. Corresponding to Sanskrit jīva, gaya has been taken to mean only life'. But if ayhu, corresponding to Sanskrit asu, which originally means 'life' has been interpreted to mean 'material, creation, world' (when combined with astvant), there does not seem to be any strong reason why the same extension of meaning should be denied to gaya, which when combined with zvanvant, may refer to the lustrous world of superhuman beings.
(2) On Mithra Yašt 5.20
This passage enumerates the discomfitures experienced by those who break the contract, i.e. those who are miero-druj. The horses of such persons refuse to be mounted by them, and even if mounted they
6. Selections from Avesta and Old Persian, Part I, p. 3. 7. Op. cit. p. 17 under xvanvato.
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