I beg to thank you very much for electing me the President of this Fourth Oriental Conference. I had the; pleasure of attending all the three preceding conferences at Poona, Calcutta and Madras, and when I remember that those Conferences had, as their Presidents, scholars like the late Sir Bamakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar of Poona, Prof. Sylvain Levi of the Institute of France, and Dr. Ganganath Jha, the distinguished Vice-Chancellor of the University of this city where we have met, I feel honoured in being called upon, to sit on the chair worthily occupied by these eminent scholars. This honour of being chosen as the President, out of hundreds of capable scholars of the country—a country as great as a continent—is, as said ...
Contents
1. Presidential Address / 1 II. King Akbar and the Persian Translations of Sanskrit Books / 26 Introduction / 26 Object of the Paper / 28 Sanskrit known by Mahomedans before Akbar’s time / 29 Amir Kbusru on Sanskrit Language and Literature / 31 Akbar, though himself illiterate, had made his Court an academy / 32 Akbar’s Library / 34 A list of Sanskrit books translated at the direction of Akbar, with the names of the translators / 35 The Mahabharata / 37 Abul Pazl’s accounts / 37 Abul Pazl’s dissertation on the learning of the Hindus / 38 Badaoni’s account of the Mahabharata / 39 What led Akbar to the translation of the Mahabharata / 40 The translators of the Mahabharata / 41 1. Naqib Khan / 43 Badaoni / 44 3. Shaikh Sultan of Thanessar / 45 A. Mulla Sheri / 45 5. Shaikh Paizi / 46 The translation, not a labour of love with Badaoni / 46 The translation illustrated with paintings / 50 "The nature of the translations / 51 Specimen translations for comparison / 53 Translations of other Sanskrit works / 55 The Rainayana / 55 The At’harban / 56 Hari Vamsa / 57 III. Alexander the Great and the Destruction of the Ancient Literature of the Parsees at his hands / 58 Introduction / 58 Some of the writers who doubt the devastation at the hands of Alexander / 60 The writers of our country / 60 Heeren’s doubts / 62 A Brief History of the Rise and Fall of the Ancient Iranian Literature / 63 1. Pre-Zoroastrian Literature / 63 2. Zoroastrian Literature / 65 The two great Libraries of Ancient Iran / 65 Kazwini on the Library at Istakhar / 66 Ibn-al Balkhi on the Library at Istakhar / 66 Mirkhond / 67 The contents of the Libraries / 68 3. Post-Zoroastrian Literature / 68 Destruction of Pre-Zoroastrian and Zoroastrian Literature at the hands of Alexander / 69 Pahlavi Books: 1. The Dinkard / 70 2. The Bundehesh / 72 3. Shatroiha-i Airan / 72 4. Viraf-nameh / 73 5. Din-i Vazar-kard / 74 6. Afdiya va Sahigiya-i Seist&n / 80 Letter of Dastur Tansar or Taosar, translated from Pahlavi into Persian via Arabic / 80 Aristotle’s advice to Alexander / 82 Firdousi on the correspondence between Alexander and Aristotle / 84 Viraf and Tansar, supported by (a) an Arab writer, Al-Makin and by (6) an Ethiopic writer (a) Al-Makin / 84 (b) The support of an Ethiopic writer / 85 Arabic Writers / 86 1. Masoudi / 86 2. Tabari on Alexander’s work in connection with Iranian Literature / 86 3. Hamza Ispahani / 91 Persian Writers / 91 1. The Riv&yats / 91 2. The Kisseh-i Sanjan / 94 3. Nizami / 94 4. The Tarikh-i Guzideh / 94 5. Sharastan-i Chahar Chaman / 94 Later Persian Tradition about Perseipolis / 100 Classical Writers / 101 1. Diodorus / 101 2. Plutarch on the Destruction of the Royal Palace / 104 3. Arrian on the Destruction of Perseipolis / 105 4. Quintus Curtius / 106 Haug’s reference to Classical Writers and his conclusion / 109 Chardin on Alexander / 110 Darmesteter on Alexander / 111 Gabriel du Chinon / 112 A recent writer on this subject / 112 Nature of the Iranian Literature lost, or got translated into Greek, at the hands of Alexander / 113 IV. The Doctrine of Karma from the Zoroastrian Point of View / 117 Introduction / 117 Iranian equivalents of the Indian word Karma / 118 Its Avesta equivalent in the ordinary sense / 118 A corresponding Pahlavi equivalent of Karma / 118 A corresponding Persian equivalent of Karma / 120 The Avesta equivalent of Karma in its technical secondary sense / 121 The Avesta and Pahlavi passages illustrating the Doctrine of Karma as regards the Future Life / 124 (A) The Avesta Books: (a) The Vendidad / 125 (6) The Hadokht Nask / 126 (c) The Fishtasp Yasht / 130 (B) The Pahlavi Books:(a) The Minokherad / 131 (6) The Dadistan-i Dini / 132 (c) The Grand Bundehesh / 135 (d) The Ardai Viraf-Nameh / 137 The Iranian allegory of Kar ma, appearing in the form of a maiden, as represented in other literatures / 139 The Action of Karma to begin in this world / 140 Iranian Proverbs or Sayings reflecting the Doctrine of Kunishn or Karma / 141 The words daena, kunishna, kerddr or karma to be taken in a broad sense / 143 What constitutes Happiness? Righteousness / 145 Asha / 145 Industry. Zoroastrianism elevates work to the position of worship / 147 -One’s work procures him Paradise / 149 The earth blesses the workers, curses the idlers / 149 The result of one’s actions increasing with interest 151 Good deeds for the present as well as for future generations / 151 The sense of Duty / 151 Duty done brings happiness; duty neglected brings misery / 151 The smallest act of goodness has its reward / 154 Zoroastrian View of Heaven and Hell / 155 The Iranian Ham&zor. To be in tune with the whole Universe / 157 Karma (Deed) or Destiny—Freewill or Fate / 159 The story of Duff, Renan and Victor Hugo / 160 Taqdlr and Tadblr / 161 The sto ry of Prophet Mahomed and his camel driver 163 Action first. A story of two kings / 163 V. The Huns who invaded India. What was their Religion? / 165 The Home of the Huns / 165 From where came the Huns who invaded India? / 165 The origin of the Huns / 166 Reference to the Huns in Indian books and inscriptions and in a Chinese book / 167 1. The reference in the Vishnu Purana / 167 2. Reference in the Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa / 168 Two invasions of India by the Huns in the reign of Skandagupta / 169 The first invasion referred to in an inscription / 169 The second invasion deferred to by a Chinese traveller / 170 The invasion of India by the Huns under Toramana / 170 The Question of their Religion / 172 I. -Evidence from Iranian Sources: The Avesta Writings / 173 Two great wars between the Iranians and the Hunus or Huns / 174 The Ab&n Yasht passage referring to the First War / 175 The ceremonial form or ritual referred to in the Aban Yasht / 177 The Second Great War / 179 The nationality of Arejataspa or Arjasp / 179 The Aban Yasht passages referring to the Second Great War / 181 The other passages of the Avesta / 184 The Pahlavi Writings / 186 1. The Pahlavi Dinkard / 186 2. The Pahlavi Yadga,r-i Zariran / 189 3. The Pahlavi Zadsparam / 191 4. The Pahlavi Jamaspi / 192 5. The Bahman Yasht / 192 The Persian (and Arabic) Writings / 196 (а) Firdousi / 197 (b) Tabari / 195 (c) Maçoudi / 196 II. Evidence from Indian Sources / 196 A. Inscriptions / 197 B. Evidence from Historical Writings. The R&ja-tarangini / 198 C. Numismatic Evidence / 201 The view of M. Deguignes, principally based on the authority of Chinese writings / 204 VI. The Iranian Name of the Hunnie King Toramana who invaded India / 205 Relations of the Huns with India / 205 The two periods of the Invasion of India by the Huns / 205 History of the Second Period / 206 Relations of the Huns with Persia / 208’ Table of Events with dates / 210 King Peroze of Persia and the Huns / 214 Famine driving Huns to India / 214 The Hunnie King who helped Feroze and the Hunnie King who defeated and killed Feroze / 217 (а) The Pahlavi Bundehesh / 217 (б) Firdousi / 218 (c) Tabari / 219 (d) Maçoudi / 221 (e) Mirkhond / 220 (f) Priscus, a Byzantine historian / 220 (g) Malcolm / 221 (h) M. Drouin / 221 Identification of the Hunnie King who fought with Persia with the Hunnie King who fought with India / 222 The name of the HunnicKing and its Signification / 224 The proper form of the name Khushnawaz / 224 Mihirkula of the Indian Inscriptions and the Chaturmukha-Kalkin of the Jain writings / 225 Meaning of the name Toramana / 227 VII. Disa-pothi (Family Death Register) among the Parsees / 228 Introduction / 228 1. Disa-pothi / 228 The Disa-pothi in the hands of family priests / 230 Sacerdotal arrangements of priests / 231 Abbreviations / 234 The name of living persons in the list of the dead / 237 The procedure for preparing the Disa-pothi / 241 Disa-pothi or Vahi / 241 Historical importance of such Disa-pothis / 242 1. The Vari&v Tragedy / 242 2. The date of Changa Shah and that of the removal of the sacred Iran Shah-Fire to Naosari / 246 3. The event of Changa Shah’s sons being murdered / 247 The traditional story of the death of three persons of Changa Asha’s family / 248 4 The dates of the deaths of known persons / 249 VIII. The Persian Rivgyats of the Parsis / 252 Introduction / 252 What is a Rivayat? / 254 The Rivayats and the Smrtis / 257 The Hindu Smrtis and the Persian Rivayats / 257 The Rivayats and the Talmud / 258 The Hebrew Talmud and the Persian Rivayats / 258 The Language of the Rivayats / 264 Classification of the Rivayats / 265 The importance of the Rivayats as sources of materials for history / 266 The story of Firdousi and the jealous poets corroborated / 267 IX. A Parses High Priest (Dastur Azar Kaiwan, 1529- 1614 A.D.) with his Zoroastrian Disciples in Patna, in the Parth and 17th Century A.C. / 269 Introduction / 269 What drew the Zoroastrian band to India? / 269 The position of Indian Parsees at the time of Akbar / 270 Akbar and his Times / 271 The Moghul Emperors of India as friends of literature / 271 Akbar as a mystic / 272 The religious fervour of Akbar’s time drew Azar Kaiwan and his disciples to India / 273 Why at Patna ? / 274 Authorities for an account of Azar Kaiwan and his Disciples / 275 The Dabistan / 275 The author of the Dabistan / 276 The contents of the Dabistan as given by the author / 278 The divisions of the Dabistan / 278 Sources of Materials for the First Chapter (on the Persians) of the Dabistan / 280 The known books in the list of the Dabistan / 283 1. Desatir / 283 2. Jam-i Kaikhusru / 288 3. The Sharist&n / 289 The four chamans of the Sharistan / 291 4. Zardasht Afshar / 299 Azar Kaiwan / 293 Azar Kaiwan’s Pedigree / 293 Azar Kaiwan’s Mysticism and Retirement / 294 Azar Kaiwan’s extraordinary powers / 295 His views in relation to the destruction of the Fire-temples of Iran and the Shiah sect / 297 Date of Azar Kaiwan’s death / 298 Date of his arrival in India / 299 Azar Kaiwan, spoken of as a Dastur, by later writers / 300 Had Azar Kaiwan a son? / 300 The Disciples of Azar Kaiwan / 302 The School of Azar Kaiwan’s / 302 Sufism A list of the disciples of Azar Kaiwan / 303 I. Zoroastrian Disciples / 303 II. Non-Zoroastaian Disciples / 304 (I) A brief account of the Zoroastrian Disciples of Azar Kaiwan / 305 I. Farzaneh Kharrad / 305 12. Farzaneh Farshidward / 306 3. Farzaneh Kheradmand / 306 4. Farzaneh Behrarn / 307 5. Mobad Hoshiyar / 308 6. Another Hoshiyar / 309 7. Mobab Sarush / 309 8. Khuda Jui / 311 9. Mobad Khushi / 312 10. Farzaneh Behram, the Younger / 312 II. Mobad Parastar / 313 12. Mobad Peshkar / 314 13. Shidush / 315 Mobad Hosh / 316 The above 13 Zoroastrian Disciples / 317 (2) Non-Zoroastrian Disciples of Azar Kaiwan / 317 1. Mahamad Ali of Shiraz / 317 2. Mahmud S‘ayad of Isphahan / 318 3. Ashur Beg Qaramanlu / 318 4. Mahmud Beg Tamin / 318 5. and 6. Musa and H&run / 318 7. Antun Bashuyeh Vavraj / 319 8. Bam Bhat / 319 9. Mir Abdul Q&sam Fandarasky / 319 10. Mehrab / 319 11. Mahah / 319 The ancestors of Azar Kaiwan and of his disciples / 320 The original home of Azar Kaiwan and his Zoroastrian Disciples / 321 The dates of the deaths of Azar Kaiwan and his disciples / 321 Works written by the different pupils of Azar Kaiwan and by Azar Kaiwan himself / 322 A Few Tenets of Belief, Observances, etc., of Azar Kaiwan and his Disciples / 324 The Basic Belief of Azar Kaiwan and his disciples Their Sufism / 330 Sufism. Persia, its cradle / 330 What is Sufism / 332 The Platonists / 333 New Platonism / 334 The Ishraqians of Persia were Platonists / 335 Influence of the Platonists and Neo-Platonists / 336 Platonism in Ardeshir Babegan’s time / 339 Ancient Greece knew Persia and its religion / 341 Was the mysticism, professed by Azar Kaiwan and his Disciples, known to the Ancient Zoroastrians? / 343 The belief in the transmigration of Soul / 345 Old Avestic view of Heaven / 346 Rise and fall of the Soul / 347 Zoroastrian view of Mortification and austere Practices / 348 Parsee view of the last century toward Azar Kaiwan’s School / 349 Makul&t-i Bahmani, a similar book of Mysticism / 350
Appendix / 352 X. The Derivation of the Gujarati word (Mr an jo or Mr an jo) / 354
PREFACE
The credit of the movement of holding Conferences of Orientalists in India belongs to the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. The Executive Board of the Institute, which had the idea lurking in its mind, from the time of the very foundation of the Institute, passed, on the 12th of December 1918, a resolution, expressing the desirability to hold such a Conference, at first, in Poona, in 1919. It corresponded with some scholars to know their views on the subject. It seemed quite appropriate that the Institute should start this movement, because the late Professor Sir Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, whose honoured name the Institute bears, was the first distinguished Indian scholar of our Presidency who attended one of such Oriental Congresses in Europe. He had, as a Delegate from the Bombay Government, attended the seventh Oriental Congress at Vienna in 1886. He has given us an interesting account of his visit in his paper entitled “ My Visit to the Vienna Congress”, read before the Bombay Branch, Royal Asiatic Society, on 11th February 1887. His presence there, in his “turban and uparneih”, when added to his personality as a great scholar, must have been very attractive at that Congress. It appears from his paper, that he much appreciated the advantages of such congresses or conferences. So, it seems that, it was he, who first inspired his colleagues of the Committee of his Institute with the idea of holding such conferences in India.
When consulted about the desirability of holding such conferences, I agreed with great pleasure, as I also had the good fortune of having an interesting and instructive experience of an Oriental Congress in Europe. It was in the end of 1888, that a flash of thought first came to my mind, that I may tread humbly in the footsteps of Sir Kamkrishna G-. Bhandarkar, and go to Europe to attend the next Oriental Congress, the eighth Congress, which was to be held at Stockholm. I remember an evening in January 1889, when the late Prof. Peterson had invited a few friends, at his rooms in the Elphinstone College, to meet Prof. Lanman of America, then a budding scholar, now a great Oriental Scholar of the first rank. There, in conversation with Prof. Lanman and Prof. Peterson who was appointed Indian Secretary of the coming Congress at Stockholm, the first flash of thought to have some experience of an Oriental Congress in Europe, matured a little. At last, I made up my mind in June 1889, and started on 5th July, in the midst of a heavy monsoon which upset me for a few days. The next few days set me up, and the rest of my voyage and travels and my visit to the Congress, further set me up, as it were, in a career of progress in life as a student. The Congress was presided over by the late learned King, His Majesty King Oscar, who opened the Congress with a speech in Latin. I had the pleasure of being one of those who were put down as speakers for expressions of joy at the meeting of the Congress. I was the first Parsee in an Oriental Congress, and I remember well, how my address on that opening day in the Avesta, recited in the singing tone of a Parsee priest, was liked by the assembly, and among them, by the learned King himself, who, later on, honoured me with the presentation of a beautiful gold medal of the Diploma of Litteris et Artibus. That was the first medal I had the humble pleasure of winning in my life. I pray to be pardoned for this little autobiographical diversion, and say, that, with all the vivid recollection of what I had seen, heard, read and learnt at the feet of some great Oriental Scholars like Prof. Max Miiller at the Congress I, with very great pleasure agreed, when consulted, as said above, to the proposal of holding Oriental Conferences in our country.
I had the pleasure of personally attending all the six Congresses1 held upto now except the fifth, held at' Lahore. I had the pleasure and honour of presiding at the fourth Oriental Conference at Allahabad. Thanks . to God, I am honoured, by our and some foreign Governments and Institutions, in recognition of my humble literary work. Of all these honours, I value two, the most—that of being called to the Presidential , Chair of one of such Oriental Conferences and that of being honoured, later on, by my own Alma Mater, the «t University of Bombay, with its honoured LL.D. degree.
As an humble souvenir of all the above associations with the Oriental Conferences and of the inspiration for further study given by them, I beg to dedicate this work of Oriental Conference Papers ” to the President, the Vice-Presidents, and Members of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, which started the movement of these Oriental Conferences in India. I had the pleasure of dedicating one of my works, “ The Memorial Papers ”, to the Sacred Memory of the late Sir Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, the President of the Institute, and the originator of the idea of such Conferences, and now I take the liberty and the pleasure of dedicating this Volume to his Institute.
As the President of my K. B. Cama Oriental Institute for two years and as its Hon. Secretary for nearly 10 years, I have been often inspired by the work of the late Sir Bamkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, * whose name the Institute bears and by the work of a galaxy of scholars connected with the Institute. I remember with pleasure the few words of appreciation of my humble literary work uttered by Dr. Bhandarkar in his Presidential address as the President of the 1st Oriental Conference at Poona. Again, I remember with » pleasure and grateful feelings, my association with that Institute as one of its Honorary Members, one of its Vice- Presidents and as a Lecturer once on its platform. So, I beg to repeat, that it is with intense pleasure that I connect this Volume with the honoured name of the Institute.
-f I have read, in all, 15 papers before the various Sections of the Conferences. Out of these 15, ten are published in this Volume. One,—that on “ Prophylactic Disguises”, read in the Section of Anthropology at the Madras Conference,—is being published in my Anthro- ** pological Papers, Part V. Pour remain to be published.
I beg to oiler my best thanks to my learned friend Mr. Bomonji Nusserwanji Dhabhar, M.A., for the valued help he has kindly given me in preparing an exhaustive Index for this Volume.
Jivanji Jamshedji Modi
Presidential Address
Ladies and Gentlemen, I beg to thank you very much for electing me the President of this Fourth Oriental Conference. I had the; pleasure of attending all the three preceding conferences at Poona, Calcutta and Madras, and when I remember that those Conferences had, as their Presidents, scholars like the late Sir Bamakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar of Poona, Prof. Sylvain Levi of the Institute of France, and Dr. Ganganath Jha, the distinguished Vice-Chancellor of the University of this city where we have met, I feel honoured in being called upon, to sit on the chair worthily occupied by these eminent scholars. This honour of being chosen as the President, out of hundreds of capable scholars of the country—a country as great as a continent—is, as said by my last predecessor, Dr. Ganganath Jha, “the highest that can be obtained by an Oriental scholar”; and so, I appreciate it. I beg to assure you, that I always like to look at honours, not only as honours, but also as further calls for duty and responsibility. Privileges and responsibilities, both, must go together with honours. So, I feel, that it is my duty, not only to carry on well the traditions always attached to such Presidential chairs, but also, after retiring from the chair, to continue to work in the cause of Oriental learning and to advance it. We all mourn the loss, caused, since we last met at Madras, by the death of our first President, Sir Bamakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar. Indian scholarship bemoans...
Oriental conference papers
Jivanji Jamshedji Modi
Fort Printing Press
The Fort Printing Press Papers read at the Oriental Conferences held in India By Dr. Sir Jivanji Jamshedji Modi B.A. (Bombay University. 1877). Ph.D. (Honoris- Causa. Heidelberg. 1912). C.I.E. (1917), Fellow oi the University of Bombay (1887), Dipl. Litteris et Artibus (Sweden. 1889), Shams-ul’-Ulama (Government of India, 1893), Offieier d’Academic (France, 1898), Offieier do 1’Instrucfcion Publique (France, 1902), Honorary Correspondent of the Archaeological Department of the Government of India (1914), Campbell Medalist (B. B. Royal Asiatic Society, 1918), Fellow of the B. B. Royal Asiatic Society (1923), Honorary Member of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona (1923), Chevalier, Legion d’Honneur (France, 1925), Offieier, Croix de Merit (Hungary, 1925), Past-President, K. R- Cama Oriental Institute, Bombay (1919-20), Past-President, Anthropological Society of Bombay (1911, 1926), Past-President, B. B. Royal Asiatic Society (1929-30), Honorary Member, Societe Turanienne, Hungary (1930), Vice-President, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (1930), Knight (1930), LL-D., Bombay University (1931), Honorary Fellow, Asiatic Soeietr of Bengal (1931), Honorary Member, Royal Asiatio Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1932).
Bombay: The Fort Printing Press. 1932
Printed by Hosang T. Anklesaria at the Fort Printing Press, No. 1, Pars! Bazar Streot, Fort, Boinbay, and pttbliM&ed by Shams-ul Ulama Pin. Sir Jivahji J. Modi, Kt., C.I.E., B.A., Ph.B„ LL.-D-j Pilot Btrnder Road, Colsba, Bombay.
Copthıght Reserved by the Author.
To the President, Vice-Presidents, and Members of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute As an humble Souvenir, of my Appreciation of the Institute’s valued Work in starting the Movement of Oriental Conferences in India, and of its literary work in various other directions.
