At a recent event held at the Research Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Dr. Farzaneh Goshtasb emphasized the importance of reprinting and preserving the ancient manuscripts of the Avesta. In her speech, Dr. Goshtasb highlighted two key differences between Goldner’s version of the Avesta and the newer editions, underscoring the unique cultural and historical significance each version holds for Iran. According to her, each manuscript tells its own story and forms a crucial part of the nation’s legacy.
Dr. Goshtasb, a renowned professor and leading expert in ancient culture and languages, has dedicated her career to the study and preservation of Avesta manuscripts. Her extensive research and relentless efforts have played a vital role in safeguarding and reprinting these invaluable texts. Through numerous publications and lectures, she has introduced and analyzed newer versions of the Avesta while leading significant initiatives to digitize these manuscripts, making them more accessible to scholars and the general public alike.
On Tuesday, Mehr 24, 1403, Dr. Goshtasb delivered a talk in the Hall of Literature at the Research Institute of Humanities, focusing on the crucial task of reprinting ancient Avesta manuscripts. She reiterated the cultural and scholarly value of these documents, which remain central to the study of Iran’s rich historical and religious heritage.
Avesta Manuscripts: Our Priceless Cultural Heritage
“Avesta manuscripts are a part of our precious heritage, each with its own unique story,” said Dr. Farzaneh Goshtasb at the beginning of her presentation on the history of these ancient texts. She explained how one such manuscript was initially purchased by Samuel Guise in India and brought to Europe. This manuscript had been in the possession of Darab, the teacher of Anquetil Duperon. Guise owned numerous Avesta manuscripts and other important texts, which were dispersed to various libraries and private collectors after his death. After changing hands several times, one of these manuscripts was eventually bought by a man named Akhawan Zanjani, who finally brought it to Iran, where it now resides in the Malik National Library.
Dr. Goshtasb also highlighted the West’s early achievements in studying these manuscripts, beginning with the preparation of a critical edition of the Avestan texts. Pioneers like Westergaard and later Goldner played a key role, with Goldner’s edition serving as the most important reference for Avesta scholars until recently. These editions were compiled using the manuscripts available in India at the time.
In 2007 Dr Katayoun Mazdapour published an important article titled “Some updated Avesta Manuscripts,” introducing 12 manuscripts discovered in Iran. This article sparked a new wave of interest in locating Iranian manuscripts and preparing a new critical edition of the Avesta. Since then, dozens of additional copies have been found, and they are currently being digitized by the Avestan Digital Archive group in Berlin.
Two important differences between Goldner’s Avesta and this new Avesta
Dr. Farzaneh Goshtasb identified two significant differences between Goldner’s critical edition of the Avesta and the newly discovered versions:
In Goldner’s edition, the majority of the manuscripts originated from India.
The order of the texts in the new Avesta manuscripts has changed significantly compared to Goldner’s version.
Another important development was the printing of these manuscripts and their subsequent editions. With the expansion of the printing industry, the reprinting of smaller Avesta texts in Persian script in Iran and Gujarati in India began, starting with the Khordeh Avesta. More recently, texts like the Yesna and Vendidad have been printed in the original Avestan script.
Dr. Goshtasb also mentioned exceptions, such as Yasht Ba Nirang Dastur Namdar (Bombay, 1262 Yazdgardi) and Avesta Deron (1350 AD), which was translated into Persian by Ustad Shahmardan from Dindabira and published with a foreword by Mobed Ardeshir Azargoshasb.
The Importance of Research on Inscriptions and Annotations
Dr. Goshtasb further emphasized the necessity of conducting research on the inscription and annotations (nirang) found in this manuscript. “Now that these manuscripts have been rescued from dark basements and crypts and are in the hands of researchers, it is time to study them,” she said. One particularly important aspect that is often missing from the critical editions is the colophon, which offers valuable insights into the history and transmission of these manuscripts.
Manuscripts Found in Iran: The “Simple Vendidad”
The majority of manuscripts found in Iran are known as the “Simple Vendidad,” which consist of the Avestan texts from the three books: Yesna, Visperad, and Vendidad, arranged in a specific order without a Pahlavi translation. These manuscripts typically feature two significant footnotes: one at the end of the seventh section, before the ninth chapter of the Vendidad, and the other at the end of the book (which is often lost).
The inscriptions within these manuscripts provide valuable information, such as the identity of the scribe and his lineage. For instance, Fereydun Marzban, a prominent scribe from the 10th century, was responsible for an important 976 edition of the Vendidad housed at Tehran University. According to the manuscript’s colophon, Marzban traveled from Kerman to Yazd, staying in the village of Sharif Abad at the home of Rostam Bandar. At the request of a devout Behdin family, he wrote this copy and later returned to Kerman to complete the transcription.
Inscriptions Reflecting Zoroastrian Settlements
The inscriptions also reveal the names of places where Zoroastrians lived. For example, Hoshang Siavakhsh, a resident of Sharifabad village in the 9th century AH, left an extensive inscription on a manuscript of the Yesna and its Zand. While the manuscript itself has not survived, this inscription has been transcribed into other manuscripts, preserving it for future generations. Some lines from this inscription include references such as:
The manuscript of Hirbad Mehraban Esfandiar Mehraban, which he copied from Hirbad Mahpanah Azadmard from the village of Kazeroon.
Rostam Dadhormozd, from Farrokhbom Sepahan, in the village of Ruddasht, Deh Varzaneh.
The script and language used in these inscriptions are typically in later Pahlavi and Persian, sometimes featuring Persian written in Avestan script. These elements, along with the occasional use of Arabic words in the Pahlavi text, help scholars estimate the time period in which the manuscripts were written.
Another significant aspect of avesta manuscripts is the presence of “nirang” (meaning instructions for performing religious rites and rituals), typically carried out by the Zot and Raspi. These instructions are only found within manuscripts. For instance, there are instructions (nirang) for adding essence to the fire, instruction for picking “barsam” and instruction for drinking the “haum” herbal tea.
The notes written in the margins of the manuscripts offer additional insight. For example, annotations by the owner, such as those found in the Malik manuscript, help us understand whose hands the manuscript passed through. These notes may include the costs of holding a religious ceremony or even the dates of death for certain believers.
Sometimes, the manuscripts were written to commemorate special occasions, such as the birth of a child. One manuscript reads “Whose covets may be cursed by God, whoever has mercy may God have mercy on the ancestors.”
The manuscripts also feature various illustrations, such as images of praayers standing during the Yazeshn ceremony, depictions of Breshnom Gah, and the arrangement of pits (as seen in Avesta 976, from the late Afshar period). Other illustrations include humans in different poses, eyes and eyebrows, a female sun, a mountain goat, a camel, birds, trees, and jars.
The manuscripts also contain important terminology for the classification of mobeds, such as Yuzhdathargar, Breshnomgar, and Yashtaran Nasak, along with texts like the Dadig, Vendidad, and Mobedan Vendidadkhan.
Dr. Goshtasb concluded her speech by expressing hope that, despite the challenges and high costs associated with printing Avesta manuscripts, there will soon be a digital library that organizes Avesta and Pahlavi manuscripts. This would enable researchers to easily access and study these valuable texts.
In this meeting, which was also broadcast online, Dr. Siros Nasrolahzadeh, Dr. Hamidreza Dalvand, and Dr. Farzaneh Goshtasb discussed the importance of reprinting old manuscripts, with Dr. Shahin Aryamanesh serving as the scientific secretary of the meeting.
