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YASNA XXXIV.
5. What is then Your Kingdom, O Mazda ? What are Your riches ? that I may become? Your own in my actions, with the Righteous Order, and (Thy) Good Mind, to care for Your poor (in their suffering :). Apart from all would we declare You, yea, apart from Daêvas“, and Khrafstra-polluted mortals !
consider the following from the Pahlavi: Thus, O Adharmazd! this which is Thy Fire, which is so powerful, is a satisfaction to him whose is Aharâyîh [-when my chieftain (the glossist seeming to have a text with a first pronoun; otherwise the first translator who never saw ? us(e)mahî) becomes one by whom duty and charity are fulfilled], for it is quick and powerful (the Fire), and remains continually in friendship with him, and makes joy manifest to him. And therefore, O Allharmazd! on him who is the tormentor it takes revenge as if with a mighty wish.
Kat is often a mere interrogative particle, so modern interrogatives are also often merely formal.
? Bartholomae admirably follows K4 here with its hakhmi; it gives a more common explanation of vâo, which I am obliged to take in a possessive sense beside ne. The manuscript used by the Pahlavi writer had, however, ahmî, as many others now extant.
* Note the recurrence of this care for the poor, showing what the frequent mention of righteousness, the good mind, &c. meant.
Observe that daêvais must mean the Demon-gods and not their worshippers here; pare vão indicates this, and also mashyâis= men, who are separately mentioned. The Pahlavi translator is finely critical here, giving us our first hint as to the meaning : Pêsh Lekám min harvisp-gūno levînð gøft hômanêd (aígh tâbânkardar hômanêd, &c.). So with antare-mrûyê (-vê), he was the pioneer also. I render with impartiality: Which (of what kind) is your sovereignty? (that is, what thing can I do, whereby your sovereignty may be increased through my instrumentality ?] And which is your wealth? (that is, what thing shall I do whereby riches may be kept in your possession by my means?] How thus in the actions of Adharmazd shall I become yours? [That is, I (?) shall do that thing through which, by my means, your sovereignty is extended; and also wealth is kept in your possession by me.] For whenever I (?) shall do righteous deeds, that is, when I (?) shall do duty and good works), Vohuman gives nourishment to our poor. Before all of every kind, even before them ye are
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