Makaranda Madhukar Anand Mahendale Festshrift

Author(s): M A Dhaky, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

Page 240

Notes on Avestic Asha 'Truth'
229
Gāvās as is the number of the Young Avestic Yazatas, that of the Young Avestic Aməša Spontas is limited. Their canonical number is one-plus-six (= Ahura Mazdā plus six), and it is just Yt 13, 83 (=19, 16) in which we find the number one-plus-seven (= Ahura Mazdā plus seven): yõi hapta hamo. mananjo yõi hapta hamo. vacanho yõi hapta hamo šiiao Unānho....yaēśam asti hamo.ptāca frašāstaca yodaspa ahuro mazdā 'the seven (Aməša Spontas) who are of the same manner of thinking...speaking.....acting.....whose father and master is the same, Ahura Mazdā, the creator.'
The picture reflected in the mystic poetry of the Gāvās does not necessarily agree with what Zarathushtra taught in prose all the major part of the Gādā text was unintelligible to his adherents. The only Gāvic passage that could have some chance of being close to the prophet's actual teachings regarding the Ahuras (> Ameša Spontas) is Y 47, 1. In this stanza, the series maniiū - manah -, vacah-, šiiao vana - 'spirit, thought, word, action' (cf. Y 30, 3 maniiū....manahicā vacahicā šiiao Vanoi 'both spirits, both thoughts, both words, both actions') is artistically intercrossed with the series ahura- mazdā, spenta- maniiū-, aša-, vohu- manah-, xša vra-, ārmaiti-, hauruuatāt-, amor tatāt-'Ahura Mazdā, holy spirit, truth, good thought, power/rule, rightmindedness, integrity/nectar (=liquid offering), immortality/ambrosia (=solid offering)', thus describing Ahura Mazdā as being accompanied by seven divine entities (one-plus-seven):
Y 47, 1. Sponta mainiiu vahištācā mananhã .. with holy spirit and best thought hacā ašat siiao vanācā vacanhācā
with action and word in accordance with truth ahmãi dan hauruuatā ameretātā
they shall offer Him nectar and ambrosia mazdā xša Urā ārmaiti ahuro
The Lord is Wise through power and right-mindedness.
There is an evident similarity between this Old Avestic Y 47, 1 which suggests the number one-plus-seven, and the Young Avestic Yt 13, 83 which
expressly mentions this number. On the basis of this similarity one could · hypothesize that Y 47, 1 reflects the real teaching of Zarathushtra but it is