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224
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[AUGUST, 1882
H. C. Rawlinson, which he has since kindly placed at my disposal. These are the central impressions of the obverse and reverse, and the uppermost impression of the edge of the stone, on the accompanying photo-lithograph; the remaining impressions being those received from Dr. Mordtmann. Mr. Thomas's impressions are particularly clear, and have been specially useful in deciding the reading of the last two words on the obverse, as well as some of those in the outermost circle on the reverse of the stone. And according to a note on one of these impressions, the stone itself is a green flint.
The figures on the obverse comprise a naked, hairy, cloven-footed demon, facing to the front and standing, with an upright, serpent-encircled spear, point downwards, in each hand; the buttend of each spear is surmounted by a cock; a star being above one cock and a crescent above the other. The occurrence of the cock is remarkable, inasmuch as it is said, in the Avesta, to be an opponent of demons. Around the demon are ten animals, mostly creatures of the evil spirit; thus, on the demon's right are a scorpion, fox, and ape; on his left, a scorpion, #wolf suckling twin children, a frog, and a goose ; and beneath his feet are a duck, jackal, and hare (or rabbit).
The figure on the reverse appears to be the full-faced bust of a man with turreted headdress, fillets, and side-curls; and having three stars to his right, and a star and crescent to his left.
The edge of the stone has a couple of holes drilled into it, as indicated by the circular spots on the impressions ; or it may be a single hole drilled through from side to side of the edge, as the two spots are exactly half the circumference apart. This hole is evidently intended
for mounting or stringing the stone upon a wire, and was probably drilled before the inscription was engraved, as none of the letters appear to be really mutilated by the drilling.
The inscription commences on the obverse, continues on the edge of the stone, and terminates on the reverse at the end of the outermost line. The beginning of each line of the inscription being indicated by the short lines external to the impressions on the photo-lithograph, which exhibite the letters and figures as they appear on the stone, and not reversed, but is by no means so clear as the original impressions.
The following transcription and translation of this inscription will probably be found to give a pretty close approximation to the actual meaning, though some of the words are still more or less ambiguous.
Transcription. [One line on the obverse. 1] Důshtbakht barman val Khasmbakht-i Asufto barman pêtkham shedrûnt,' aikam ardo khîst hasto;
Three lines on the edge. 2] kevan bidûno va kanîjako, bara låla khêzak châk, lakhvâr val nafshman kapo min-ich-at shedrunam. Zak
[3] aikat ait lå sejgûn, chigün vakhdunam amatam loit; va zak shibê rido va shiba kanijakoận shedrant
[4] asazan asas didano, bundako ranjiko kalban sag, va kevan val kunpôd. Sag Khasmbakht petkham là nigân vakhount*:
[Five lines on the reverse. 5] Kolâ ard dûrêst vad sakhûn-khvahîh khvår. Denman lag
[6] pavan khabih aê yehevunt, dush anshutả ! Afat vâng li
[7] va nêm-i apirân va pirân va kola khusarúg-tigil barman, min kevan rasiko vad bano, la
[8] vijâded, bara varêd. Va kevan pavan
* In the transcription italic d is used when d is written like t, italial and when I and are like nor the Avesta o: and italio 3 when z is like ch. The short vowels which have no distinguishing mark are not expressed, but merely understood, in the Pahlavi text, and are here supplied in accordance with the cognate language. whether Chaldee, modern Persian, or the Avesta. And for the sake of convenient reference, the lines of the inscription are numbered.
• This form, traceable to Chald. shedar, is a more satisfactory reading for the verb 'to send' than the whedin of the MSS. which has to be explained as a contraction of veshdon (traceable to Chald, sheda, to throw'). The Glossaries give two forms, shed in and shed an; the first is evidently the shodrin of our text with one stroke (forming the r) omitted, while the second is a joining of the dr at the top so as to form ted, a malformation easily
perpetrated, as may be better seen from the other occurrences of the word in 11. 2, 3. It may be further noted that the word is spelt shedrin (just as in this inscription) in MSS. of the Dinkard written in Persia.
The correct reading of the word which is traditionally read bakhin owing to malformation.
• We might read lakhuir vadunt, delivered back,' if we were at liberty to asume that the engraver had misformed the letters or in the former word, and if we did not know that the latter word ought to be written vabidant or vadidant.
. This word is engraved above the line, as if it had been omitted by the engraver at first, and added afterwards.
This word is usually written with an additional medial stroke, so as to make the w long.
