Dan D. Y. Shapira Open University of Israel, Raíanannah ³ ³ ³ ³ HARUT WA-MARUT, AGAIN The purpose of this paper is to elucidate some aspects concerning the migration of literary, exegetical and mythological motifs in Sasanian Me- sopotamia and the neighboring regions, and I will consider here the pos- sible Zoroastrian-Manichaean and Manichaean-Qur<anic interactions. The Dçnkard (Acta Fidei) is an immense collection of traditional Zoroast- rian lore written in Middle Persian, or Pahlavi. This work was composed in the last Sasanian century (the 7th century), although the extant redaction was completed later, under the last Omayyads and the first Abbasids. The first two of the original nine books of the Dçnkard have not survived; Book IX of the Dçnkard (Dk 9) is a summary of the three different methods, or veins, of commentaries (Nasks), now lost, on the sacred Avestan texts. Chapter 32 of Book IX of the Dçnkard (Dk 9.32)1 is considered to be a commentary on the Xvadamçd (Xvaçtumaitî Hâitî) section (fragard) of the Warðtmânsar Nask. This fragard is a commentary on Avestan Yasna (henceforth: Y) 32; the ver- sions of the summarized commentaries of the S[t]ûdgar and Bag Nasks on the same Yasna are given in Dk 9.9 and Dk 9.54, respectively. In other words, the same text was analyzed in three different modes, or from three different aproaches. The beginning of this commentary in the version of the Warðt- mânsar Nask, being a very free paraphrase of the Pahlavi Yasna (this is, the Pahlavi rendering of the Avestan Yasna; henceforth: PY) 32, indicates that the Zandists fiercely defended the idea that the forces of evil which punish the transgressors are not the agents of the Zoroastrian Supreme Being, Ôhr- mazd. Dk 9.32.1–3 is as follows: 1. nohom fragard Xvadamçd abar madan î 3 dçw [î] frçftag ud lâbak-kârîh î Ôhrmazd ku pad hân lâbag awçðân menâd ud mizdçnâd ud ô zôr îðân pad murnjçnîdan î dâmân rasâd. 2. awçðân dçwân az zufrây ô burz lâbag çwâzîhâ axvârd xayûg, *çwag ku xvçðîh î adrôziðn, ud çwag-iz ku wâlanîh î adrôziðn, çwag kû çrmânîh î adrôziðn hâd im guft pad çn ku: «hân mçnôg hçm, ka xvçð çrmân ud wâlan çwag abâg did mihr nç drôzçnd, amâh nç çn-iz ku nç abzâr î tô hçmâ u-mân 1 D. M. MADAN, The Complete Text of the Pahlavi Denkard / Published by «The Society for the Promotion of Researches into the Zoroastrian Religion» under the supervision of D. M. Madan. I–II (Bombay, 1911) [henceforth: DkM] 835ff.; transla- tion: E. W. WEST, Contents of the Nasks // Pahlavi Texts. Part IV: Sacred Books of the East / Ed. F. M. Müller. XXXVII (Oxford, 1892) 252ff. Downloaded from Brill.com10/01/2021 06:54:01PM via free access D. D. Y. Shapira 419 dçn ud dâd hân [î] tô ud kâmag î tô kunçm, ud kç tô dôst ayâr, ud kç tô duðman wizand-dâr bawçm, [ud] kç tô xvâhçm gâh î andar hân î pahlom axvân, mizd î mizd-arzânîgân». 3. pasaxv î Ôhrmazd ô awçðân ku: «bç duðaxvâg dwârçd ô bun î hân *argan- dtum2 çdôn ðmâh harwisp az dçw hçd u-tân az Akôman-iz [hast] tôhmag ku-tân tôhmag az ânôh ku Akôman ud Waran-iz î abesîhînîdâr ud Âz-iz î hu-ôbâr3 ud Indr-iz î kûðîdâr dçn-mçnôg î ahlamogîh ud frâz frçbçd mar- dom [î] gçtîg pad huzîwçniðn ud a-marg-rawiðnîh ud meniðn awçðân fra- dom bç bandçd». 1. The ninth fragard, Xvadamçd (*Xvaçtumaitî), is about the coming of three deceitful demons, and their lamenting to Ôhrmazd that He,4 through this lament, should consider and reward them and join (Himself) to their power to destroy the creatures. 2. These demons disgorged *saliva by clamorous supplication (= spoke) from the abyss upwards, one: that he is the family that is undeceitful; another one: that he is the community that is undeceitful; and of the third one: that he is the clan that is undeceitful, saying that, namely: «We are that spirit when the members of a family, a community, a clan do not break promises one with the other; are we not really Thy tools? Our reli- gion and law are Thine, and we do Thy will; we assist those who are Thy friends, and we injure those who are Thy enemies; we are those who ask Thee of a place in the best existence, the reward that is a reward of the worthy». 3. The reply of Ôhrmazd to them was thus: «You rush out to Hell, to this most horrible source, as you are all from demon(s) and your seed is really from Akôman (Evil Thought), i. e., your seed is from there, where Akô- man (Evil Thought) and Waran (Lust) the destroyer and also Âz (Greed) the Swallower, and Indr the Slayer, too, (are), the spirit(s) of the religion of heresy. You deceive the worldly people5 as to good life and propaga- tion of immortality and you first bind their minds». 2 Spelled Aklwnd; Aklyy, aãrç, stands for Avestan aãriia-; Middle and New Persian argand. It seems, however, that the passage is derived from Pahlavi Vendi- dad 19.47, where one finds ô bun î axvân î tom kç çrang Duðaxv, with çrang stand- ing for Avestan #r#gatô. On this basis, it would be proper to emend our Denkard passage and to translate it: «to Hell... to the source of the wicked [of] darkness (*çrang *î *tom)». 3 R. C. ZAEHNER, Zurvan. A Zoroastrian Dilemma (Oxford, 1955) 171: âz-iz î anhanbâr, «insatiate». 4 The aim of this capitalizing is to make clear, where Ôhrmazd is meant in the consequence. 5 This expression — mardom î gçtîg — may have two opposite senses: 1., «the ordinary people»; 2., «the people knowing the profound secrets of the Gâèâs». Downloaded from Brill.com10/01/2021 06:54:01PM via free access 420 Scrinium II (2006). Universum Hagiographicum The unnamed demons (apparently, three of them)6 complain that, although they carry out Ôhrmazds work and will, and are his tools (abzâr), they do not, nevertheless, receive their proper reward from Him. They complain fur- ther that Ôhrmazd does not add to their power to destroy (His, presumably, wicked) creatures, who later implicitly are called Ôhrmazds enemies; they also tell that they are of Ôhrmazds religion and law. «No», answers Ôhr- mazd: «you do it on your own, it is your evil nature that pushes you to the destruction of your own Evil Realm». The demons’ sin is described as lea- ding astray as to «good life» and «immortality» (huzîwçniðn ud a-marg- rawiðnîh). We shall return to these terms later. The Dk account is supposed to be a commentary to Y 32.1, which reads: Axþiiâcâ xvaçtuð yâsat ahiiâ v#r#z#n#m mat ariiamnâ ahiiâ daçuuâ mahmî manôi ahurahiiâ uruuâz#mâ mazdå èâôi dûtå½hô å½hâmâ t#ng dâraiiô yôi vå daibið#ntî. This Avestan passage was differently translated: «And (for bliss) from him shall the nobility beg; from him the community with (its) sodality; from him, (even) the daçva-adherents (daçuuâ)— on my terms (mahmî manôi), for bliss (uruuâz#mâ) from Ahura the wise. (People:) Let us be messengers (dûtå½hô) for (your) strengthening; for restraining those who are-hostile-to you»;7 «(to the gods). At my insistence (mahmî manôi), ye gods, the family, the community together with the clan, entreated for the grace of Him (uruuâz#mâ), the Wise Lord, (saying:) “Let us be Thy messengers, in order to hold back those who are inimical to you”»;8 «The family entreats, the community along with the tribe (do so) in my recital (mahmî manôi9 ), O you Daçvas, (entreating) for His, the Wise Ahu- ra’s favour: “Let us be Thy households (èâôi dûtå½hô10 å½hâmâ). Thou breakest up (the groupings of) those who hate You”»;11 6 From Ôhrmazds answer it is clear that the three unnamed demons have some specific links with Waran, Âz, Indr, who are also mentioned in the S[t]ûdgar commen- tary of Y 32, namely Dk 9.9.1, see below; they could even be identical with these. 7 M. WILKINS SMITH, Studies in the Syntax of the Gathas of Zarathushtra Together with the Text, Translations, and Notes. Language Dissertations Published by the Lin- guistic Society of America (Philadelphia, 1929). 8 S. INSLER, The Gâèâs of Zarathustra (Téhéran—Liège, 1975) (Acta Iranica 8. Sé- rie 3. Textes et mémoires, sous le Haut Patronage de SM. I. le Shahinshah Aryemehr). 9 Mana being a technical term, cf. H. HUMBACH, in collaboration with J. ELFEN- BEIN and P. O. SKJÆRVØ, The Gâèâs of Zarathustra and Other Old Avestan Texts. Vol. I II (Heidelberg, 1991) (Indogermanische Bibliothek, Reihe 1) Vol. II. 77. 10 Dûtå½hô is generally connected with Vedic dûtá-, «messenger», but must be equated with dûd, dûdag, «smoke»; «hearth, family» (Ibid). 11 HUMBACH, ELFENBEIN, SKJÆRVØ, The Gâèâs of Zarathustra Downloaded from Brill.com10/01/2021 06:54:01PM via free access D. D. Y. Shapira 421 «In my recital, O Daçvas, the family and the community along with the tribe ask for His, Mazdâ Ahuras, favor (by praying): Let us be your people. You scatter those who are hostile to you”»;12 «Of Him have they sought — family, community together with the clan, Of Him, o false gods, at my inspiration (mahmî manôi); His, the Wise Lord’s blessing: “May we be Your messengers, to hold back those that hate You!”».13 Its Pahlavi version (PY 32.1) is as follows: hân [gyan] î awç pad xvçðîh xvâst hân î awç wâlanîh14 abâg çrmânîh [hân mizd î Ôhrmazd xvçð dçwân pad çn ku wâlan ud çrmân î tô hçm #-ðân ôh xvâst] hân î awç dçwân pad man meniðnîh [ku-mân meniðn çdôn frârôn ciyôn Zardu[x]ðt] hân î Ôhrmazd urwâhmîh [#-ðân ôh xvâst] tâ gâwâg15 bawçm [ku râyçnâdâr â tâ bawçm] awçðân dârçm kç ðmâh bçðçnçnd [ku-ðân az ðmâh abâz dârçm].