CHAPTER XXV
BAGHAS
The divinities. One of the names for divinity in general is Bagha, literally meaning 'dispenser.' We have seen that its history goes far back to the Indo-European period. In the Rig Veda, Bhaga is one of the Adityas, and one hymn is dedicated to him. Unlike the term Yazata, which retains its place as a divine appellation throughout the history of Zoroastrianism, Bagha soon loses its significance in the Avestan texts. The inscriptions of the Achaemenian kings do not speak of the heavenly beings as Yazatas, but they speak of them under the designation Bagha, as noted below. The Avestan texts, on the contrary, use the term bagha hardly six times throughout the extant literature, and by the time that we reach the Pahlavi period Bagha is used to represent the idea of divinity in general,[1] and also as a title of the Sasanian monarchs who zealously uphold the divine right of kings.[2]
Ahura Mazda himself is a Bagha.[3] Baga, the cognate of the Avestan Bagha, is most freely applied to Auramazda in the Old Persian Inscriptions. He is the greatest of all Bagas.[4] Besides the supreme godhead, Mithra is expressly mentioned as a Baga.[5] This does not exhaust the list of the Baghas, for, though not mentioned by name, the texts refer to others besides these two.[6] In the Later Avesta, compound forms of Bagha are also found, which also signify 'allotted by God.'[7] Bagabigna and Bagabukhsha, the names of persons; and Bagayadi, the name of a month,
- ↑ Sg. 4. 8, 29; 10. 69; Dk. SBE., vol. 37, bk. 8. 15. 1, p. 34.
- ↑ Sg. 10. 70; cf. Mordtmann, Zur Pehlevi-Munzkunde in ZDMG. 34. 1-162.
- ↑ Ys. 10. 10; 70. 1.
- ↑ Dar. Pers. d. 1; Xer. Elv. 1; Xer. Van. 1.
- ↑ Yt. 10. 141; Artaxerxes Ochus, Pers. a. (b). 4.
- ↑ Yt. 10. 141; Bh. 4. 61, 62; Dar. Pers. d. 3; Xer. Pers. b. 3; Xer. Van. 3.
- ↑ Vsp. 7. 3; Yt. 8. 35; Vd. 19. 23; 21. 5, 9, 13.
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