XX. Hâ<I>d</I>ôkht Nask

Pahlavi Texts, Part IV (SBE37), E.W. West, tr. [1892], at sacred-texts.com

XX. HÂDÔKHT NASK ¹.

It is doubtful how much of this Nask is still extant. Traditionally, the two fragments published by Westergaard as Yt. XXI, XXII (excepting XXII, 37-42), and by Haug as Hn. I, II, III, are said to belong to this Nask; but no allusion to Hn. II, III can be found in the account given in Dk. VIII, Chap. XLV, and Hn. I can be traced in that account only by assuming that the Ahunavair is therein mentioned (in § 1) instead of its accompanying Ashem-vohû, as it appears to be in Hn. I, 4. In Yt. XI we also appear to have a form of the Srôsh Yast derived from the Hâdôkht Nask, or used in the liturgy when that Nask was recited, and this Yast likewise refers (in § 3) to the Ahunavair in similar terms to those used in Hn. I, 4.

Dk. VIII, Chap. XLV, 1, refers to the passage which contained the statement about the Ahunavair already mentioned and also thus quoted in Sls.

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[paragraph continues] XII, 19:—'It says in the Hâdôkht that of the sayings which are spoken out the Ahunavair is that which is most triumphant.'

Dk. VIII, Chap. XLV, 4, refers to the passage which probably contained the statements thus quoted in the Âfrîn-i Gahanbâr, 14-19 (Sp.), concerning the righteous gifts to be given away, for the sake of the soul, at each of the six season-festivals:—'There is an Avesta witness manifest in the Hâdôkht from the passage (in the case of the Maidhyô-zaremaya festival): "Hazangrem maêshinãm daênunãm paitiputhranãm narãm ashaonãm ashaya vanghuya urunê para-daithyâd, aêvahê hâtãm kinmânahê yad ashahê vahistahê."' During the other five festivals the gifts, instead of ewes, are to be cows, mares, camels, and all kinds of herds and seeds, respectively, as appears from the corresponding passages. All six passages, mingled with further Avesta text, occur in several MSS. of the Âfrîngân-i Gahanbâr (see the earlier part of each section of Af. Gab. 7-12, ed. Geldner).

Dk. VIII, Chap. XLV, 9, probably refers to the passage which contained the statement thus quoted in Sd. XL, 4:—'In the commentary of the Hâdôkht it says:—"Mâ âzârayôis, Zarathustra! mâ Pourushaspem, mâ Dughdhovãm ¹, mâ aêthrapaitis:—It is not desirable that thou, O Zaratûst! shouldst distress thy father, or mother, or priest."'

Dk. VIII, Chap. XLV, 10, may possibly refer to

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the passage which contained a statement that is often partially quoted in Pahlavi colophons, and the Avesta text of which constitutes Yas. LXXII, (Gld.); the first part of the statement, with a translation of its Pahlavi version, is here quoted from Mitrô-âpân's colophon to a volume of miscellaneous Pahlavi texts, usually called the Vistâsp-shâhnâmak from the subject of its first text, and written A.D. 1322, in which the writer mentions the source from which he quotes; and the second part is taken from the same writer's colophon to the Yasna MS. K5, written thirteen months later, which is the only known authority for this part of the text:—'In one passage of the Hâdôkht it is declared that Aûharmazd spoke to Zaratûst thus:—"Aêvô pantau yô ashahê vispê anyaêshãm apantãm:—one only is the way of righteousness, all those are no ways:—angrahê mainyeus nasistãm ¹ daênãm daêvayasnanãm parâgîtîm mashyânãm ² frâkereitîm:—which the evil spirit of the heretical demon-worshippers, the wizard, has forced on to mankind."'

Dk. VIII, Chap. XLV, 13, must refer to the passage which contained the statement thus mentioned in Sls. XIII, 10:—'The fifteen stanzas of Yâ-shyaothanâ ³ are for this reason, because it is given for the destruction of those fifteen fiends who are declared in the medical part of the Hâdôkht.'

No allusion to the following seven passages, quoted from this Nask, has been noticed in Dk. VIII, Chap. XLV:—

In Sls. XII, 30, it is stated that 'in the Hâdôkht

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it says that a woman who shall be reverent is to be considered as much as she who is suitable.'

In Sls. XIII, 6, it is said that 'the twenty-two stanzas of Tâ-ve-urvâtâ ¹ are the twenty-two judgments of which it speaks in the Hâdôkht thus: "Anaomô mananghê daya vîspâi kva, kva parô?—Lodging in the judge, that while he has twenty-two judgments he may be more just."'

In Sd. XXII, 3, 4, it is stated that 'in the commentary of the Hâdôkht it says, that every one who performs intercession, and extracts anything from a person on their account, and conveys it to them is as much without dishonesty towards them, as he who may have given to them out of his own property. And in the spiritual existence they take account of that profit for him, and just as they make out the account of the good work of that person who may have given it, even so much is his good work.'

In Vig. p. 12, it is said, with reference to Aharman, 'that he is a creature of Aûharmazd is manifest from the Avesta of the Hâdôkht: "Dâta, Ahura spenta! Mazdau."'

In Vig. pp. 23-25, it is said that, 'if any one passes away from the bodily existence, as much of his wealth comes to his son, wife, and daughter as is declared by the Avesta of the Hâdôkht ²:—"Âad yêzi avi hê anguhê astvainti, Spitama Zarathustra!—So if in that bodily existence, O Spîtâmân Zaratûst!—narãm vâ nâirinãm vâ para-irithyâd,—of males or

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females one expires,—kvad aêtaêshãm yaunghuyanãm avaretanãm maêthananãmka vastranãm paiti-raêkyâd,—however much of their wealth and things, houses and clothing he abandons (that is, he leaves such in this world)—avatha hê hvatô puthrem anghad, aêvôbaghem haka avaretanãm nisrinuyâd; âad yêzi hvãm nâirika bavaiti, aêvô-baghem paiti-nidadhâiti; yêzi dughdhrãm henti, naêmem baghem fragasâd:—in such a case, should there be a son of his, himself, one delivers up to him one share of the property; if the wife herself (that is, his privileged wife) exists, one gives up to her one share in it; if there are daughters, a half-share comes on to each of them. Âad yêzika hê narô irista hva hizva ukhdhem vâkem nazdaska narô danghrem paiti-dyaêti, vîspanãm vakãm ukhdhanãmka avi yãm astvaitîm gaêthãm harethrem frabarâd;—So also, if that dead man gives over a verbal statement by his own tongue to the nearest wise man (that is, speaks his own will), all his words and statements, when in control of his bodily existence, one carries out (that is, one shall confer authority on his words);—yêzi nôid harethrem baraiti anâperetha haka shyaothana:—if one shall not confer the authority, he becomes an unpardonable sinner (owing to doing this deed; that is, the person who, when there is a will, does not carry it out).—Avad yad hê narô irista aputhrâi anghad, upa hê puthrem fradadhâd, Spitama Zarathustra! yahmad haka puthrô haom urvânem Kinvad peretûm vîdhâryad:—So when that dead man is without a son (that is, there is no son of his), one gives forth the share over to the son, O Spîtâmân Zaratûst! by whom, as a son (that is, an adopted son), they pass on the man's own soul from that

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[paragraph continues] Kinvad bridge (that is, it departs by the passage of the bridge)."'

In Vi;. p. 83, it is said that 'hair from an ox or a horse is suitable, as it is declared by the Hâdôkht: "Geus vâ aspahê vâ varesa."'

In Vig. pp. 144, 145, it is said, with reference to announcing the name of the deceased during the celebration of the Srôsh Yast after a death, that 'it is declared by the Avesta of the Hâdôkht: "Yêzi narô mazdayasnô haka gaêthâbyô parairithyêiti, âad hê nãma hadha pitô frageurvayâd; yêzi nâirika para-irithyêiti, âad yad hê nãma hadha pathanô uzgeurvayâd, Spitama Zarathustra! aêtem vâkem nî antare mazdayasnanãm frasastayâd:—If a man who is a Mazda-worshipper passes away from the worldly existence, in such a case one holds out his name with that of his father; and if it be a woman who passes away, in such a case one upholds whatever is her name with that of her husband, O Spîtâmân Zaratûst! one shall further bless this statement (that is, its being reverenced is important) among the Mazda-worshippers, (do thou proclaim and further bless this statement)."'

Footnotes

482:1 The short account of this Nask, in Dk. VIII, contains 295 Pahlavi words which, according to the proportions adopted in the case of Nask XIII, would represent about 8,400 Avesta and 17,400 Pahlavi words of original text.

483:1 The orthography of these three Avesta names has been amended in accordance with the Persian version accompanying them, but all the four MSS. consulted have the first two in the genitive, and one MS. uses a masculine genitive form also for the third name.

484:1 Only the first and last letters of this word are clearly legible.

484:2 The first syllable is illegible.

484:3 Yas. XXXIV.

485:1 Yas. XXXI.

485:2 It is perhaps necessary to repeat that no attempt is made to correct the Avesta orthography, except in the case of a few obvious misprints.