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Articles or Abstracts > SP
The 25 Sep. 2009 at 11:34Kirdēr
Following soon after Tōsar, Kirdēr (third century A.D.) had no special contribution to fix on the sacred texts necessary in the performance of the religious ceremonies, but he promoted the daēnā māzdayasni in the Aryan and non-Aryan lands: « At that time (when Varhrān son of Ohrmazd ascended the throne), too, from land to land, from place to place, many services to the Yazata were increased, and many Victorious Fire(-temples) were set up, many magian men were rendered happy and prosperous, and many Fires and Magians received official letters of recognition. » Under Varhrān son of Šābuhr «from land to land, from place to place, throughout the entire kingdom, the services to Ahura Mazdā and the Yazata became excellent; the daēnā māzdayasni and the magian men were greatly honoured in the land; and to the Yazata, the water, the fire, and the cattle came great satisfaction in the land. »
Pers. dyny mzdysn /dēn mazdesn/ < Av. daēnā māzdayasni refers to the Aryan religion, and also to certain celebrated texts which constitute the basis of the first period of the Aryan religion, viz., the Avesta. Kirdēr speaks of dēn ušmār- ‘to study (or, memorize) the daēnā’, cf. II 17 vas rad-pesāg grift, ud vas dēn ušmurd gōnag gōnag, ud anīz kirdagān ī yazadān vas abzūd ud abardar būd ‘Many ratu-festivals were celebrated, and the daēnā much studied in various ways, and many other services to the Yazata were increased and became excellent as well.’ II 11 dēn mazdesn … vazurg pedixšar būd ‘the daēnā māzdayasni was greatly honoured.’ II 16 u-m dēn mazdesn ud momard ī xūb andar šahr agrāy ud pedixšarāvand kird ‘I made lofty and honoured the daēnā māzdayasni and the good magian men in the kingdom.’ II 16 kē andar moγestān ped dēn mazdesn pahrist ‘who lived in the priestly estate by the daēnā māzdayasni …’ I 15-16, II 23 yašt ud kirdagān ud dēn mazdesn cē nūn ped zīndagān kirīyed ‘The Yasna liturgy and (other) ritual acts and the daēnā māzdayasni as it is performed here in life.’
Pers. dyny /dēn/ < Av. daēnā. Kirdēr cites a lost passage of the translation of the Avesta, Hādōxt nask, thus: II 22 [ōn] cōn [ped] nask nimāyed kū mardōm [ka vidard … kē] ardāy hān xvēš [dēn ped zan ud sag pedīrag āyed. ud kē ardāy ōy hān xvēš dēn ō vahišt nayed ud kē drvand ōy-iz hān xvēš dēn ō dušox nayed. ‘As it is shown in the naska, that: « When people pass on, then … he who is truthful (OPers. artāvan-), his own daēnā will come toward him (in the form of) a woman (together with) a dog. He who is truthful, his own daēnā will lead him to the best <existence> (= paradise, Av. vahišta- aŋhu-), and he who is lieful (Av. drvaņt-), his own daēnā will lead him to the bad existence (Av. daožaŋvha-). »
Pers. yšty /yašt/ generally signifies ‘worship (with ceremony and offerings)’, but also refers to ‘the text of liturgy’ (Staota Yesnya, and or the Yasna of the seventy-two chapters). The Avesta word yasna- ‘worship, sacrifice’ is rendered by Pers. yazišn.
Pers. krtkny /kirdagān/ ‘religious service, texts of the services for the deities’; kirdagān ī yazadān ‘service of the Yazata’.