The Fourth book of the dnkird
The extant book iv of the Dnkird contains passages selected by
durfarrbay son of Farroxzd from the book vn-nmag Book of
Institutes1, an encyclopedia of various branches of knowledge
2
compiled in the sixth century precisely at the times of Xusr
Anervn (the text speaks of him thus: im bay his present majesty)
by some scribe(s) of the secretarial office of the Sasanians. Ibn
Qutaiba, alibi, and others have given a few informations about it
.and have translated some passages of it ( )
1 . Pers. vn law ; custom, habit ; tradition ; ordinance (Armen. ). The
name of this book is found in the VC, 38: ud nigerin bavandag-meninh, ud
abrg n cn andar vn-nmag nibit sted. 2 Le livre IV ne serait-il pas un rsum, une sorte de table des matires
schmatique, mais tout de mme dtaille, dun ouvrage plus considrable ? J.-P.
de Manasce, Une encyclopdie mazdenne, le Dnkart, Paris, 1958, 28-9.
Epigraph: niyyin dn mazdesn juddv ohrmazdddestn.
cahrum az gbinh vizd az veh dn hamg
hufravard durfarrbay farroxzdn hudnn
pby hamg dar az vn nmag vizin.
Dk iv M 409-431
M 409
hd.
k. bunt-iz xvad-iz mng ast n cimg.
do. doh naxvist andar ugn
3 az (k ?) dahin /bun/
4 ast
fradum vahman ; b- bun az ebgad vahn ast dahin cim. ud do ud
abrg bavandag-nigerinh vnhed k andar d xr do 5/ham-
/rynin, d ry ped and bahr and bun nsth, c- bun nm abg
nmcit az jud-kh (jud-vnagh ?) ud hambidgh mad. az do
hambidg peszin- rst husz(ag) bd n yed ; ud pez kanrag
tz-sgh brd. d ry dn n yed hn tz-sg do kust dred
bahrn baxhed. c k ped kh stgn xvad abrn. dn az ham
+cim
ka-z garded ped xvadh yed. ham k n vinrhed cn tis az cim. ud
do-iz k k xvad cim n, b doh az cim, ud n nimyed abar
buntagh ud stgnh kh k. kh ud hambidgh donn n
kh kh, b k k. abrg andar maragh ped ham n. ud do-
nmh M410
g baved ka k abg k gbhed ; eny k k judg k nm.
se. se bun nm az abzn , andar +ugn, k abar do ; aavahit
dred andar amehrspendn gyg sidgar, ped fradum tarsaghh6. c
az furin frz, fradum dahin andar ddr tarsaghh baved sidgar.
cn xvad ast ddr ohrmazd fradum, didgar vahman ast fradum
dahin, sidgar tarsagh aavahit bavhist pedi vahman tarsaghh
az ohrmazd, az ohrmazd bavndrh. ud ham handzag xvadyh
peristingh ud bannagh peristagh, az bun dahin rn, stgn ped
cihr, ud bannagn peristagh xm xvadyn handzin.
cahr. /cahrum/ andar +ugn x
vadyh nmhist ahrever
aparzd ox vnag, bd yistan az pahlum rst-kirdr tarsaghh
3 . the Intelligences.
4 . S.
5 . S.
6 . tarsaghh rendering Av. ai- f., ahlyh (rendering Av. aa-) is more proper
here.
aavahit ast sidgar ped bavin az y didgar vahman ast fradum
dm. ayxust zn driyun abg murzin sryin.7
u- ped /hamnfh/8 /abyuxt/
9 ox-kmagh
10 ud dn
abzng th11
, sn xrad ud gsrd xrad vahman ham-zahagg
zahag, ermn-xvyinh
12 ud sg aavahit hamnfg, ud ped
hamnfh hamxgh frz-franminh oxg xvadyh ud radg dn
dmn ryndrh, ud ebgad nftrh, ud hamg-xvrh
13
mehndrh. h-iz ravg-dnh yazdn andar ghn, ravg-xvadyh
+ hn ped kmag andar dmn, u-n ravg-x
vadyh ravg-dnh
ast M 411
rsth peymn14
. ud xvadyh mdayn ped x
v nirg dn
vbargnh, ud dn mdayn ped nirg xv rsth ;
abzagh andar
abzagn gbinn (abzag-gbinn ?) ud gumzagh andar gumzag
gbinn harv do vnag hambidg kuing, pedrag hamstrn
taggh ravg ; hamgnag ped gbin kunin vnag- ta mng
abrzing sm huk ud hn xvd harv do vnag ped sardh ud
hukh, u- snixr-vidzinh, cn pedrift sted. ghngn abzagh
ud gumzagh-z druz pedi ham vnhed15
cn (ped razmh ?)
/hm-spsh/ (hm-sphh ?), ud pez andar gumzagh, ud
pez kefth vnag abg hambidgn kuin. dn-z dn ud xvadyh
ham fryisth huxvadyh prz, ud dn rst vbar ud km yazdn
andar ghn ravgh, ud parvastagh harv dngh andar dn
mazdesn, drust-pettyinh - huxvadyh, ud hamnfh -n genn
/ud ped/ hupnagh ud ravg-dahinh -n k did ry-iz
dahyubedn dn vbar, dngn dahyubedh amvand dtan,
mazdesn-varzh abar toxend dahyubedn dd vn, u-n vn
dng.
vitsp h ka az krezr abg arzsp pardaxt bd sarxvadyn
abar pedriftan dn, frstag ud nibgh az vispdngh16
psd17
,
7 . Cf. Sr I.4 xarahe vairyehe ay.xustrahe mardiki ry.driaove:
xvadyh ped kmag [ahrever mng] ayxust [han vidxt] ud murzin ud
sryin driyun. Cf. also Dk iii, M 136-137. 8 . S.
9 . S.
10 . ox-kmagh/ ox kmag rendering Av. ah vairy.
11 . dn abzng th. Cf. Vd 3.1 xtaa dana vaca: th [abg vehn] dn
ped gbin. 12
. ermn-xvyinh rendering Av. airy m iy. 13
. hamg-xvrh rendering Av. visp.xvra- adj., an epithet of Paradise.
14 . rsth and peymn continue the older technical term aa for order, truth,
harmony, law. 15
. Cf. Y 31.4 vanam drujm: vnhed druz. 16
. Cf. Dk iii M 405. 17
. psd inscribed (lit. adorned), cf. Pers. nibs- to write < *ni-paisa-.
mazdesn dn, ped vas vnag abzr ud frahang ; ud bd
/hamzegr/18
frahd 19
/-uzvn/20
/muvmard/21
abg
frstd. /spitg/22
ud arzrsp ud abrg M 412
az b xvanirah ped
dn-pursinh fratar mad hend, spurr-ghh vis kird.
dry dryn hamg abestg ud zand cn zardut az ohrmazd
pedrift nibitag do peccn k ped ganz /asabgn/ k ped
diz nibit dtan framd.
val aknn abestg ud zand cn abzagh andar mad std
hamg-iz azi harv c az vizend ud uftagrh aleksander, ud vr
ud rb hrmyn andar rnahr pargandagh /c/ nibitag /ud/
c uzvn-abespring ped dastvar mnd std andar ahr cn frz mad
std nigh dtan ahrh ydgr kirdan framd.
y bay ardaxr hn h pbagn ped rst-dastvarh tsar hn-
z hamg pargandag hamg dar xvst. tsar abar mad, hn k frz
pedrift, ud abrg az dastvar hit. ud n-z framn dd k : frz amh
harv nigzin an baved az dn mazdesn, c nn-z ghh ud dnin
azi frd nst.
buhr hn h ardaxrn nibgh-z az dn b abar
bizekh23
ud stargbinh24
, ud cannin25
, ud zamn ud gyg26
, ud
ghr ud jahin27
, ud bavin ud vinhin28
, ud jadag-vihirh29
, ud
gbgh30
, ud abrg kirrgh ud abzr31
andar hindgn ud hrm
18
. S. 19
. S. 20
. frahd-uzvn rendering Av. hit.hizvah-. 21
. S.
22 . S.
23 . bizekh/ biehkh, , .
24 . stargbinh, , .
25 . cannin, , .
26 . zamn, , .
gyg, , . 27
. ghr, , .
jahin, , . 28
. bavin, , .
vinhin, , . 29
. jadag-vihirh = vihirin jadagn, cf. Dk iii M 161 nirg ghr ud vihirin
jadagn ud cihr tan, GV 12.79 vihirin jadagn. Pers. vihirin Gr. .
See Ammonius, In Aristotelis Categorias Commentarium, 105. 30
gbgh, , . 31
. abrg kirrgh ud abzr, cf. Dk vii abrg pag ud kirrgh.
abzr/ pag: .
abrg-iz zamgh pargandag bd abz ham vurd, ud abg abestg
abz handxt32
, harv hn drust peccn ganz /asabgn/
ddan M 413
framd, ud stndan hamg 33
/erestn/34
abar
dn mazdesn uskr kird.
buhr hn h ohrmazdn hamg kivargn35
ped pehikrin
abvahnag kirdan hamg gbin36
uskr ud vizyin vurd. pas az
bxtan durbd ped gbin pesxt abg hamg avn37
jud-
sardagn ud vase-umurdn-z jud-ristagn, n-z guft k : nn ka-
mn dn ped /st/38
b dd kas-iz agdnh b n hilem, u- abar
toxg toem. ud hamgnag kird.
im bay husrav hn h kavdn cn-i ahlemgh ud sstrh
spurr-hamstrh vnd, ped pdgh az dn abar harv cahr pag
ghh ud uskrin gugng vash b abzd. n-z ped 39
/dehn-hanzamanh/ (vehn-hanzamanh ?)40
guft k : rsth dn
mazdesn b /dned/41
uiyrn ped uskrin stgh tuvn
(b) ped /st/ ddan. ud abardar abzng ud 42
/p-
xrad/43
bdan, mdayn n ped uskr b ped abzagh menin gbin
ud kunin ud veh-mng-vzinh44
mnsrg-abzagh-zinh
yazdn yed. u-mn ohrmazd-mubed45
hn xvand x
vnem k mng-
vninh46
andar amh pdghist. u-mn /fran-vizrh/
kirrgh: , . 32
. abg abestg abz handxt. Cf. Dk iii M 406 abg pdgh az abestg abz
handxt. 33
. S.
34 . Cf. Dk vi M 585 hrbedn ud .
35 . Cf. GV 10. 67.
36 . gbin, , .
37 . bxtan durbd ped gbin abg hamg avn, cf. M(an.) 2.1 abg
avn ped harv-tis bxt.
bxtan durbd ped gbin pesxt, cf. Pamnh 12.1 dn durbd
pedi pesxt kird bxt. 38
. ped st, cf. Syr. in person. 39
. S. 40
. vehn-hanzamanh, cf. VAM 70 hanzaman vehn. 41
. S.
42 . S.
43 . Cf. Dk iv M 415 hn panz abzngh pxradh ud abrg -n nm andar
dn guft sted, Dk v M 437 abzngh ud pxradh ud purnkh zardut. 44
. veh-mng-vzinh, cf. Dk iii M 102 mng-vzinh srg, M 103 mng-
dvrinh xmeng. 45
. Cf. KKZ 4 u-m kird nm kirdr ohrmazd mubed, ohrmazd yazd ped nm. 46
. mng-vninh Arab. . Cf. Dk iii M 231, viii M 639, viii M 747.
mng-vninh gtg-handzag-nimyinh-z47
harv do vnag
spurrg azin xvst x
