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Asha (; ''aša'') is the Avestan language term (corresponding to Vedic language ṛta) for a concept of cardinal importance〔.〕 to Zoroastrian theology and doctrine. In the moral sphere, ''aša/arta'' represents what has been called "the decisive confessional concept of Zoroastrianism."〔 qtd. in .〕 The opposite of Avestan ''aša'' is ''druj'', "lie." The significance of the term is complex, with a highly nuanced range of meaning. It is commonly summarized in accord with its contextual implications of 'truth' and 'right(eousness)', 'order' and 'right working'.〔.〕〔.〕 For other connotations, see meaning below. Its Old Persian equivalent is ''arta-''. In Middle Iranian languages the term appears as ''ard-''. The word is also the proper name of the divinity Asha, the Amesha Spenta that is the hypostasis or "genius"〔.〕 of "Truth" or "Righteousness". In the Younger Avesta, this figure is more commonly referred to as Asha Vahishta (''Aša Vahišta'', ''Arta Vahišta''), "Best Truth". The Middle Persian descendant is ''Ashawahist'' or ''Ardwahisht''; New Persian ''Ardibehesht'' or ''Ordibehesht''. In the Gathas, the oldest texts of Zoroastrianism and thought to have been composed by the prophet himself, it is seldom possible to distinguish between moral principle and the divinity. Later texts consistently use the 'Best' epithet when speaking of the Amesha Spenta, only once in the Gathas is 'best' an adjective of ''aša/arta''. ==Etymology== Avestan ' and its Vedic equivalent ' both derive from Proto-Indo-Iranian '' *ṛtá-'' "truth", which in turn continues Proto-Indo-European '' *'' "properly joined, right, true", from the root '' *''. The word is attested in Old Persian as '. It is unclear whether the Avestan variation between ''aša'' and ''arta'' is merely orthographical. Benveniste suggested ''š'' was only a convenient way of writing ''rt'' and should not be considered phonetically relevant.〔.〕 According to Gray, ''š'' is a misreading, representing – not /ʃ/ - but /rr/, of uncertain phonetic value but "probably" representing a voiceless ''r''.〔.〕 Miller suggested that ''rt'' was restored when a scribe was aware of the morpheme boundary between the /r/ and /t/ (that is, whether the writer maintained the ''–ta'' suffix).〔.〕 Avestan ''druj'', like its Vedic Sanskrit cousin ''druh'', appears to derive from the PIE root '' *'', also continued in Persian دروغ / ''d()rūġ'' "lie", German ''Trug'' "fraud, deception". Old Norse ''draugr'' and Middle Irish ''airddrach'' mean "spectre, spook". The Sanskrit cognate ''druh'' means "affliction, afflicting demon". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Asha」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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