How to kill a cow in Avestan
177
There is a difference, however, between Ved. ast¯avi and Zarathustra’s mrao¯ı. For
the former, it can easily be shown that it forms part of the aorist system in the same
way as av¯aci does: It always appears in the final (or last but one: 8,52,9a) stanza of
a hymn, stating that the praise of the deity the hymn is dedicated to has been accom-
plished. For Av. mrao¯ı, such a function cannot be assumed — which is no surprise,
given that it is not augmented, thus lacking the characteristic element of the Vedic
aorist indicative forms compared. But even if it has to be considered as an injunctive
form from the morphological point of view, we are entitled to ask whether it can be
assigned to the aorist rather than the present paradigm. The answer is certainly no:
There is good reason to believe that mrao¯ı did not pertain to the aorist but to the
present system. The evidence can be taken from the context it appears in in Y. 32:
Starting from Y. 32,9, Zarathustra complains about the evil deeds (a¯ena
o
h-
≈ Ved.
énas- “outrage, crime”) his opponents commit. Nearly all of the incriminated actions
are named by verbal forms that must be classified as present injunctives: between Y.
32,9 and 13, we find m¯or e ˙nda ˜t / m¯or e ˙nd e n, aog e d¯a, dad¯a ˜t, v¯ıuu¯apa ˜t, v¯oižda ˜t, r¯ar e -
šii ˛
an, r˚¯a
o
haii e n, h¯ıšasa ˜t (desiderative), j¯ıg e r e za ˜t. The same holds true especially for
the immediate context mrao¯ı appears in: In Y. 32,14, we read [n¯ı.]dada ˜t in the main
clause, v¯ıs¯e ˙nt¯a and mrao¯ı in two adjunct subordinate clauses introduced by hiia ˜t /
hiia ˜tc¯a, and saocaiia ˜t in the final relative clause
49
. It is well conceivable that in all
these cases, the present injunctives were used to express actions that were regularly
and usually, if not repeatedly, undertaken by the persons accused (karapans, kavis
etc.)
50
. In the present context, this is underlined by the use of fraidiuu¯a “day by
day”. Starting from this assumption, we arrive at the following interpretation of the
stanza containing mrao¯ı:
“As a gr¯ehma-, even the kavis (continue to) concentrate their (mental) powers in
the fettering of this one (\bahii¯a m ˛
a\ r¯an¯o, ”thy prophet“: 32,13c), and in (achiev-
ing) glamour
51
, day by day, whenever they get near the deceitful one to assist
(him), and whenever the cow is ordered to be killed, to assist (him) who inflames
the one who is hard to burn”.
We can contrast this with the use of v¯ac¯ı in Y. 43,13e which appears in perfect
agreement with the aorist injunctive d¯ar e št of the preceding verse, both forming the
predicate of a relative clause:
ar e \¯a. v¯oizdii¯ai.
k¯amahii¯a. t¯em. m¯oi. d¯at¯a.
dar e gahii¯a. y¯auš.
y¯em. v˚¯a. na¯ec¯ıš. d¯ar e št. it¯e.
vairii˚¯a. st¯oiš.
y¯a. \bahm¯ı. xˇ˙sa\r¯oi. v¯ac¯ı.
49
Cp. the listings in K
ELLENS
/ P
IRART
1988-1991: II, 74.
50
K
ELLENS
/ P
IRART
(1988-1991: II, 78) even speak of a “mode itératif du réel du présent”.
51
I agree with I
NSLER
1975, 208 in taking ¯a.h¯oi\¯oi. and var e c¯a.h¯ıc¯a. as parallel locatives, the
latter distorted from *var e cahi-c¯a.
178
Jost Gippert
“.. to take notice of the aims of (my) wish — grant this to me —
52
, (viz.) for a long
lifetime, (a wish) which nobody keeps you from acceding to
53
, (and my wish) for
the preferable existence which is said (to be) in your reign.”
As against mrao¯ı in 32,14, v¯ac¯ı and d¯ar e št do not describe usual or repeated actions
but denote general statements
54
, thus perfectly matching with what K. H
OFFMANN
worked out as the main function of the aorist injunctive in non-prohibitive sentences
in Vedic (“stating of the result of a past action which has a lasting effect”: 1967,
218). In German, the difference between mrao¯ı and v¯ac¯ı can easily be accounted for
by translating them with either one of the two different passives, using the “Vorgangs-
passiv” for mrao¯ı (“wenn die Kuh als zu töten[de] benannt wird”) and the “Zustands-
passiv” for v¯ac¯ı (“die als in eurem Herrschaft[sbereich befindlich] benannt ist”).
The two passive forms quoted from Young Avestan, e r e n¯auui and jaini, can as well
be shown not to have left the present system. Both are used in contexts that are
characterized by other forms pertaining to the present stem, viz. hun¯uta in Y. 9,3 sqq.
and bara ˜t in Y. 19,92 sq. In contrast with mrao¯ı, however, we have a different
function of the injunctives here in that the passages in question refer to (mythic)
events in the past; cp. Y. 9,3 (Zarathustra asks Haoma):
kas e . \b ˛
am. paoirii¯o. haoma. maˇ˙sii¯o.
astuuai\ii¯ai. hun¯uta. ga¯e\ii¯ai.
k¯a. ahm¯ai. aˇ˙siš. e r e n¯auui.
“Who pressed you (Ha¯oma) as the first mortal
(being) for the corporeal world? What allotment
was allotted to him?”
Given that a thorough study of the Avestan past tense categories is still wanting, we
cannot decide with certainty whether this is a function of the present injunctive proper
or whether we have to analyse the forms in question as augmentless imperfects
55
.
Nevertheless they prove that there was a tendency in Avestan to extend the use of the
passive ending -i to the present system, perhaps brought about by contexts that
required passive forms of the present injunctive (/ imperfect) such as the ones dis-
cussed here. And there is no reason to believe that this tendency could not have
emerged in Old Avestan times, mrao¯ı being the first example attested.
52
Parenthetical t e m (..) d¯a- is an inherited Indo-Iranian formula uttered when speaking about a
wish; cp. RV 7,97,4cd k´¯amo r¯ayá ˙h suv´¯ıryasya tá ˙m d¯at pár ˙san no áti sa´scáto ári ˙s ˙t¯an ”the wish
(concerning) wealth of good men — this he will grant (us); he will lead us past (all) pursuers without
being damaged“ where the parenthetical character of tá ˙m d¯at is underlined by k´¯ama ˙h being a pendent
nominative.
53
As against I
NSLER
1975, 238, d¯ar e š ˜t cannot represent a 3rd sg. root aor. of d ˙rš ‘dare’ because
of its vocalism (but d¯or e š ˜t in 49,2c can). If it is an s-aorist from
√dar ”to hold“ (thus K
ELLENS
/-
P
IRART
1988-1991: II, 254), we should expect an ”ablative infinitive“ depending from it, to give it
the sense of ”keep sbd. from doing sth.“; K
ELLENS
/ P
IRART
(l.c.) prefer to translate ”contraindre acc.
à dat./inf.“. Note that it¯e seems no longer to be regarded as an infinitive by J. K
ELLENS
: As against
K
ELLENS
/ P
IRART
(o.c., 222 and 254), it is not mentioned in his more recent article (1994 [1995], 52
and 59).
54
Cf., for v¯ac¯ı, H
UMBACH
1991: II, 76.
55
Cf. H
UMBACH
1991: II, 75, according to whom “what in Old Avestan is an inj.pres. has
become a preterite in Young Avestan”.
How to kill a cow in Avestan
179
There is one final observation that supports the view of mrao¯ı as expressed here.
Interpreting this as a passive form from
√mr¯u “to speak, to order”, we have to assume
that a speech act was intrinsically involved in the cruel act of cow-killing Zarathustra
complains about. And indeed, this speech act is referred to another time in the im-
mediate context. In Y. 32,12b, Zarathustra speaks a first time about the cow-killers
who are reproached for their evil deed by Ahura Mazd¯a: a¯eibii¯o. mazd˚¯a. ak¯a. mrao ˜t.
y¯oi. g¯euš. m¯or e ˙nd e n. uruu¯axš.uxt¯ı. jii¯ot¯um. “The Mazd¯a declares (these) as evil
(reputations, srauu˚¯a) to those who spoil the cow’s life by speaking uruu¯axš”. On the
basis of a comparison with Ved. námaükti- “speaking with veneration”, H
UMBACH
(1991: II, 86) was certainly right in identifying the second member of the compound
uruu¯axš.uxt¯ı with the -ti-stem abstract of
√vac, the root supplying √mr¯u; cp. the
instr.pl. námaüktibhi ˙h in RV 8,4,6d, with ávoc¯ama náma ˙h “(with these words,) we
have pronounced veneration” in 1,114,11a and náma ˙h ... brav¯ama “we shall pro-
nounce veneration” in 2,28,8ab. Although the actual meaning and status of uruu¯axš
remains unclear, it becomes conceivable that for Zarathustra, the killing of cows as
committed by his enemies was essentially accompanied by ritualized utterances.
Bibliography
B
ARR
, Kaj (ed.) 1944. Selections from Codices K7 and K25 .. Published in facsimile
by the University Library of Copenhagen with an introduction by K.B.
Copenhagen: Munksgaard.
B
ARR
, Kaj and I
BSCHER
, Hugo (eds.) 1941. The Avesta Codices K3a, K3b and K1.
Published in facsimile by the University Library of Copenhagen with an intro-
duction by K.B. and a contribution on the restoration of the ms K1 by H.I.
Copenhagen: Munksgaard.
B
ARTHOLOMAE
, Christian 1904. Altiranisches Wörterbuch. Strassburg: Trübner.
. 1905. Die Gatha’s des Awesta. Zarathustras Verspredigten, übersetzt von Chr.B.
Straßburg: Trübner.
B
ECHERT
, Johannes 1964. boufon MSS 17.5-17.
B
URNOUF
, Eugène (ed.) 1829-1843. Vendidad Sadé, l’un des livres de Zoroastre.
Lithogrphié d’après le manuscrit Zend de la Bibliothèque Royale .. Paris.
C
HRISTENSEN
, Arthur (ed.) 1931. The Pahlavi Codices K20 & K20b containing
Ard¯agh V¯ır¯az-N¯amagh, Bundahishn etc. Published in facsimile by The Univer-
sity Library of Copenhagen with an Introduction by A.Chr. Copenhagen:
Munksgaard.
D
HABHAR
, Ervad Bamanji Nasarvanji (ed.) 1949. Pahlavi Yasna and Visperad.
Bombay: Shahnameh Press.
D
HABHAR
, B.N. 1963. Translation of Zand-i Kh¯urtak Avist¯ak. Bombay.
G
ELDNER
, Karl F. (ed.) 1889-1896. Avesta. The Sacred Books of the Parsis. Stuttgart:
Kohlhammer.
. 1923-1957. Der Rigveda. Übersetzt und erläutert. I-IV. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck
& Ruprecht / Leipzig: J.C. Hinrich / O. Harrassowitz / Cambridge, Mass.: Har-
vard Univ. Press. / London: G. Cumberledge / Oxford Univ. Press.
180
Jost Gippert
G
IPPERT
, Jost 1978. Zur Syntax der infinitivischen Bildungen in den indogermanischen
Sprachen (Doktordissertation Berlin 1977). Frankfurt am Main: Lang.
. 1985. Verbum dicendi + Infinitiv im Indoiranischen. MSS 44.29-57.
H
AUG
, Martin and W
EST
, Edward William 1872. The Book of Arda Viraf. Bombay /
London (Repr. Amsterdam 1971: Oriental Press).
H
INTZE
, Almut 1994. Der Zamy¯ad-Yašt. Edition, Übersetzung, Kommentar. Wies-
baden: Reichert.
H
OFFMANN
, Karl 1967. Der Injunktiv im Veda. Heidelberg: Winter.
. 1984. Zur Handschriftenüberlieferung der Gathas. MSS 43.123-131 / repr. in
Aufsätze zur Indoiranistik 3.803-811. Wiesbaden: Reichert.
H
OFFMANN
, Karl and F
ORSSMAN
, Bernhard 1996. Avestische Laut- und Flexionslehre.
Innsbruck: Institut für Sprachwissenschaft.
H
UMBACH
, Helmut 1957. Ahura Mazd¯a und die Da¯evas. WZKS 1.81-94.
. 1959. Die Gathas des Zarathustra. Bd. 1: Einleitung. Text. Übersetzung. Para-
phrase. Bd. 2: Kommentar. Heidelberg: Winter.
. 1991. The G¯ath¯as of Zarathushtra and the Other Old Avestan Texts by H.H. in
collaboration with Josef E
LFENBEIN
and Prods O. S
KJÆRVØ
. Pt. I: Introduction
- Text and Translation. Pt. II: Commentary. Heidelberg: Winter.
I
NSLER
, Stanley 1975. The G¯ath¯as of Zarathustra. Leiden: Brill.
J
AMASP
, Hoshang and G
ANDEVIA
, Mervanji Manekji (eds.) 1907. Vendidâd. Avesta
text with Pahlavi translation and commentary ... Vol. I - The Texts. Bombay:
Government Central Book Depôt.
J
AMASPASA
, Kaikhusroo M. (ed.) 1991. The Avesta Codex F1 (Niy¯ayišns and Yašts).
Facsimile edition with an introduction by K.M. J. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
J
AMASP
A
SA
, Kaikhusroo M. and N
AWABI
, Mahyar (eds.) 1976-1978. 1976a: Manu-
script TD23. Khorde Avesta & an Incomplete Pahlavi text of the M¯en¯oy i Xrat.
Shiraz: Asia Institute of Pahlavi University. (The Pahlavi Codices and Iranian
Researches. 4.) — 1976b. Manuscript J1. Khorde Avesta With its Pahlavi
Translation. ( Codices .. 6.) — 1976c. Manuscript R115. Afrins, Nirangs, Pat¯ets,
etc. Pt. 2. ( Codices .. 15.) — 1976d. Manuscript j2. Few Yazishn, Niyayishns,
Afarins ... ( Codices.. 16.) — 1976e. Manuscript D90. Yasn¯a With its Pahlavi
Translation. Pt. 1. ( Codices.. 19.) — 1976f. MS. R 411. Few Prayers, N¯ırangs,
B¯ajs & Yašts. ( Codices.. 23.) — 1976g. Manuscript MU 27. Khurtak Avistak
with its Pahlavi Translation ... ( Codices .. 24.) — 1976h. Manuscript MU 35.
The Avesta and Pahlavi texts of the minor and major Siroza and Visperad, etc.
(Codices .. 38.) — 1976i. Manuscript TD 28. Avestan & Pahlavi Texts ...
(Codices .. 11.). — 1978. Manuscript TD4a. The Pahlavi Riv¯ayat, D¯atist¯an-i
Din¯ık ... (Codices .. 52.)
J
ASANOFF
, Jay 1992. Reconstructing morphology: the role of o-grade in Hittite and
Tocharian verb inflection. Reconstructing Languages and Cultures, ed. Edgar
C. Polomé and Werner Winter, 129-155. Berlin / New York: de Gruyter.
K
ELLENS
, Jean 1974. Les noms-racines de l’Avesta. Wiesbaden: Reichert.
. 1984. Le verbe avestique. Wiesbaden: Reichert.
. 1994 [1995]: Retour à l’infinitif avestique. MSS 55.45-59.
How to kill a cow in Avestan
181
K
ELLENS
, Jean and P
IRART
, Eric 1988-1991: Les textes vieil avestiques. Vol. 1 (1988):
Introduction, texte et traduction. Vol. 2 (1990): Répertoires grammaticaux et
lexique. Vol. 3 (1991): Commentaire. Wiesbaden: Reichert.
K
LINGENSCHMITT
, Gert 1968a. Farhang-i ¯o¯ım. Edition und Kommentar. Inaugural-
Dissertation Erlangen-Nürnberg (unpublished typescript).
. 1968b. Farhang-i ¯o¯ım. Edition und Kommentar. (Teildruck der Inaugural-Disser-
tation Erlangen-Nürnberg).
K
REYENBROEK
, G. 1985. Sraoša in the Zoroastrian Tradition. Leiden: Brill.
K
ÜMMEL
, Martin. 1996. Stativ und Passivaorist im Indoiranischen (Historische
Sprachforschung, Ergänzungsheft 39). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
M
ACUCH
, Maria 1993. Rechtskasuistik und Gerichtspraxis zu Beginn des siebenten
Jahrhunderts in Iran. Die Rechtssammlung des Farro
˘
hmard i Wahr¯am¯an.
Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
M
AYRHOFER
, Manfred 1986-. Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen. I.-II.
Heidelberg: Winter.
N
ARTEN
, Johanna 1964. Die sigmatischen Aoriste im Veda. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
. 1968. Das altindische Verb in der Sprachwissenschaft. Sprache 14.113-134.
. 1986. Der Yasna Hapta
o
h¯aiti. Wiesbaden: Reichert.
S
ANJANA
, Darab Dastur Peshotan (ed.) 1895a. The Dînâ î Maînû î Khrat, or The
Religious Decisions of the Spirit of Wisdom. Bombay: Duftur Ashkara / Educa-
tion Society
. 1895b. The Zand î Javît Shêda Dâd or The Pahlavi Version of the Avesta Vendi-
dâd. Bombay: Education Society.
S
CHINDLER
, Jochem 1982. Zum Nom.Sing. der nt-Partizipien im Jungavestischen.
Investigationes philologicae et comparativae. Gedenkschrift für heinz Kronas-
ser, ed. E. N
EU
. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
V
ASMER
, Max 1955. Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. I.-III. Heidelberg: Win-
ter.
W
ATKINS
, Calvert 1987. How to kill a dragon in Indo-European. Studies in Memory
of Warren Cowgill, ed. C. W
ATKINS
, 270-299. Berlin-New York: de Gruyter.
W
ESTERGAARD
, N.L. 1852-54. Zendavesta or The Religious Books of The
Zoroastrians. Vol. I: The Zend Texts. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
W
OLFF
, Fritz 1910. Avesta. Die heiligen Bücher der Parsen, übersetzt auf der
Grundlage von Chr. Bartholomae’s altiranischem Wörterbuch. Straßburg:
Trübner.
Jost Gippert
Digital unterschrieben von Jost Gippert
DN: cn=Jost Gippert, o=Universität Frankfurt, ou=Vergleichende
Sprachwissenschaft, email=gippert@em.uni-frankfurt.de, c=DE
Datum: 2011.12.28 18:07:44 +01'00'
Dostları ilə paylaş: |