Zend Avesta Part 01

SR No.: 007671
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: James Darmesteter
Publisher: Oxford
Publication Year: 1895
Total Pages: 2695
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 49 MB

Page 950

368
SHẤYAST LÂ-SHẦYAST.
of the Gâthas, taught as pertaining to the Gathas (gâsânik kâst).
50. The beginning of the Gathas is Ahyâ-yâså (Yas. XXVIII, 1), and their end is drigavê va hyô (Yas. LII, 9, end); and there are 278 stanzas, 1016 lines, 5567 words (vâka k), 9999 mârik, and 16,554 khûrdak? 51. For the lines and stanzas of the Gâthas were collected by us, and were:-one hundred stanzas of the Ahunavaiti Gâtha (Yas. XXVIIIXXXIV), of which each stanza is three lines; forty stanzas of the Yasna of seven chapters (Yas. XXXV
of Visp. I, 28, II, 30, Yas. LVI, ix, 6, LVIII, 13. Whether the remainder of Yas. LVII is to be considered as pertaining to the Gâthas is uncertain; it is recited in seven sections by the assistant priest, each section from a different position ; these seven positions being the stations of the seven assistant priests who are supposed to be present spiritually, and to be arranged three on each side, and one at the south end, of the ceremonial area, while the chief officiating priest occupies the north end (see Haug's Essays, P. 332).
1 The numbers of the stanzas and lines are correct, as may be seen from the details given in $ 51. Regarding the words there is the uncertainty as to what constitutes a compound word, but, taking each compound in Westergaard's edition of the texts as a single word, the total number of words in the 1016 lines is about 6147; and this could be reduced to 5567 only by omitting the Yasna of seven chapters, and somewhat relaxing the rule as to compound words. The meaning of the last two terms, mârîk and khûrdak, is doubtful, but they are certainly not syllables and letters, as the number of syllables exceeds 13,000. In other places (see Bund. I, 21) mârîk usually means 'a word,' but that meaning is expressed by the term vakak here. If the number 9999 be correct, mârîk must signify some particular class of syllable which would include about three-fourths of the whole number of syllables. It may be noted, however, that Zâd-sparam, in the particulars he gives about the Gâthas (see SZS. XI, 10, note 6), states the number of mârîk at 6666. The khurdak or small' things are probably the consonants.
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