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BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
139
The word drājanhe in this passage has variously been interpreted. Bartholomae (Wörterbuch, col. 774) first interpreted it as an infinitive of drag- 'to hold' which meant to hold fast, to preserve (fest zu halten, zu bewahren). Later, following Geldner, he took it to be the dat. sing. of drājah 'stretch or length of time' with the meaning 'for all time, for ever' (für alle Zeit). Lommel (ZII. 3, p. 170) took it as 2nd pers. sing. middle of drag- 'to hold'. I would agree with Hoffman in interpreting as Bartholomae originally did, i.e. as infinitive of drag. The various translations proposed are:
"Und mit diesem umgürtet bist du auf den Höhen der Berge für alle Zeit Schirm und Stütze des heiligen Worts' (Wolft). ‘mit diesem bist du umgürtet auf den Höhen der Berge; du ergreifst (rüstest dich mit Koller(?) und Stab des Worts' (Lommel). um zu halten die Zäumungen und Griffe des heiligen Spruches' with the explanation 'Damit würde dieser Aussage das Bild von Wagenlenker und Pferd zugrunde liegen: Haoma, dem Ahura Mazda cincn Sternengürtel verliehen hat, lenkt den heiligen Spruch wie ein Pferd. 'Griff" dürfte dann gegenständlich etwa 'Griff der Zügel', d. h. der Teil der Zügel, den man ergreift, bedeuten' (Hoffmann).
It is, however, to be doubted whether one has to look for a metaphor of a charioteer and a horse in the above expression, to which Hoffmann has been led by abhi dhā'to yoke'. It has already been shown above to what meaning we are led by abhi dhāto join, to bring in close connection'. It is not probable either, that aiwidāiti and grava both refer to 'Zügel', once in general and a second time to a particular part of it. The latter would have been enough.
I would translate the passage as follows:
Since then girdled by it you are (seated) on the high summits of the mountains to preserve the close combinations (i.e. recitations without pauses between the words) and the separations (i.e. recitations with pauses between the words and their constituents) of the mantra.
Deccan College, Poona
M. A. MEHENDALE
• Paper read in the Iranian section of the 28th session of the All-India Oriental Conference held at Dharwar, Karnatak, in November 1976.
Madhu Vidyā/202
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