Day 4 - Chapters V-IX of the Karnamag

On Day 4, the reading of the text of the KAP will continue. Each difficult passage, expression, or word will be fully discussed. Attention will be paid to the stylistic aspects of the Middle Persian literary and religious compositions.

Questions and homework - The passages read in the previous lesson will be partially read and discussed, and small practice exercises will be done. During this part of the day, students will have an opportunity to discuss any questions they had while reading the text at home.

Reading (2 hours) - Chapters V-IX of the KAP will be read, accompanied with explanations about various grammatical and lexical points. During each passage's reading, detailed descriptions related to the texts' linguistic and grammatical aspects will be fully and minutely discussed. Students are encouraged to ask questions related to the text.

Discussion - The names of the planets and that of priestly fires will be discussed and explained. 

Key names, words, and expressions:

yazadān, i.e. ‘gods’ -  In New Persian, this word commonly denotes God, the sole creator of the universe. However, as we can see from Middle Persian, it is the plural of the word ‘yazad’, which denotes the spiritual beings or minor divinities in Zoroastrianism, whose function was to help the Creator in maintaining the order of the world and to fight the Evil-spirit.

Text (excerpt from Ch. V-VI of the KAP):

ardawān ka-š pad ān ēwēnag ašnūd abāz wašt ud ō gyāg ī nišast ī xwēš āmad. ud pas az ān spāh ud gund ī ārāstag abāg pus ī xwēš ō pārs, griftan ī ardaxšīr rāy frēstīd. ud ardaxšīr rāh ō bār ī drayā grift. ud ēdōn čiyōn hamē raft, čand mard az mardōmān ī pārs az ardawān mustgar būd hēnd u-šān xīr ud xwāstag ud tan ī xwēš pēš ī ardaxšīr dāšt ud ēkānagīh ud framān-burdārīh paydāgēnīd.

ud ka ō gyāg-ēw ī rāmišn-ardaxšīr xwānēnd rasīd mard-ēw ī wuzurgmenišn ī banāg nām būd az spahān, kē az dast ī ardawān wirēxt ēstād, ānōh bunag dāšt, xwad abāg *6 pus ud was spāh ud gund ō nazdīk ardaxšīr mad. ud ardaxšīr az banāg *hamē tarsīd kū: mā agar-am gīrēd ud ō ardawān abespārēd.

Homework article - Almut Hintze (2014). Monotheism the Zoroastrian Way. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 24, pp 225-249.

ašnūdan

شنیدن

to hear

abāz waštan

باز گشتن

to return

gyāg

جا

place, spot

spāh

سپاه

army

gund 

گند

army, a unit of

ārāstag 

آراسته

adorned, prepared

pus

پسر

son

griftan

گرفتن

to catch

drayā

دریا

sea, ocean

mustgar

-

complaining

xīr 

-

property

xwāstag

خواسته

possession

ēkānagīh

-

submission

framān-burdārīh

فرمانبرداری

obedience

paydāgēnīdan

 

to reveal

ka

 

when

xwāndan

 

to call

wirēxtan

 

to flee

ānōh 

 

there 

bunag

 

encampment