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92
BUNDAHIS.
which is the auspicious 1 day Khûr of the month Tir?, to the season of Mêdiyârêm, which is the
A dispute as to the meaning of this word formed no small part of the Kabîsah controversy, carried on between the leaders of the two rival sects of Parsis in Bombay about fifty years ago. Dastur Edalji Dârâbji, the high-priest of the predominant sect (who adhered to the traditional calendar of the Indian Parsis), insisted that it meant 'solar,' or belonging to the calendar rectified for solar time by the intercalation of a month every 1 20 years ;' Mulla Fîrûz, the high-priest of the new sect (who had adopted the calendar of the Persian Parsis, which is one month in advance of the other), asserted that the word had no connection with intercalation, but meant commencing,' or 'pertaining to New-year's day,' as translated into Sanskrit, by Nêryðsang, in Mkh. XLIX, 27. Anquetil translates it either as 'inclusive' or complete ;' Windischmann simply skips it over; and Justi translates it everywhere as 'inclusive.' Dastur Edalji reads the word vehîgakî or vehigak; Nêryôsang has vahexa; Mulla Fîrûz reads nâîkakîk in the Bundahis, but vehigakik in the Dinkard, where the word also occurs : Justi has nâîkakîk. The meaning 'inclusive' suits the context in nearly all cases in the Bundahis, but not elsewhere; if it had that meaning the most probable reading would be vikhêgakîk or nikhêgakîk, arising, leaping over, including. It is nearly always used in connection with dates or periods of time, and must be some epithet of a very general character, not only applicable to intercalary periods, but also to New-year's day and dates in general; something like the Arabic epithet mubarak, 'fortunate,' so commonly used in Persian dates. Dastur Edalji compares it with Pers. bîhrak or bihtarak, 'intercalary month,' which is probably a corruption of it; and this suggests veh, good,' as one component of the epithet. The word may be read veh-yasakîk, 'for reverencing the good,' but as veh, good,' is an adjective, this would be an irregular form; a more probable reading is veh-îkakîk, 'for anything good,' which, when applied to a day, or any period of time, would imply that it is suitable for anything good, that is, it is
auspicious.' Sometimes the word is written vehîkak, vêhîkakík, or vê hiko; and epithets of similar forms in Pahlavi are applied by the writers of colophons to themselves, but these should be read vakhêsak or nisîvak, 'lowly, abject.'
? The eleventh day of the fourth month, when the festival commences.
* The Av. maidhyâirya of Yas. I, 30, II, 39, III, 44, Visp. I,
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