The Z&d-marg is still used in Persia, and in the Gugarati provinces (where it is called Nas4-kh4na, ‘house for corpses’). In Bombay they use the simpler and more economical method given in Farg. VIII, 8.
* ‘Being in life’ (Comm.) * To come back.
5 They were hidden under the earth.
* *Until the winter is past’ (Comm.)
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13 (44). ‘And as soon as the birds begin to fly, the plants to grow, the hidden floods to flow, and the wind to dry up the earth, then the worshippers of Mazda shall lay down the dead (on the Dakhma), his eyes towards the sun.
14 (46). ‘If the worshippers of Mazda have not, within a year, laid down the dead (on the Dakhma), his eyes towards the sun, thou shalt prescribe for that trespass the same penalty as for the murder of one of the faithful’; until the corpse has been rained on, until the Dakhma has been rained on, until the unclean remains have been rained on, until the birds have eaten up the corpse.’
IV.
15 (49). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Is it true that thou, Ahura Mazda, seizest the waters from the sea Vouru-kasha ? with the wind and the clouds ?
- 16 (51). That thou, Ahura Mazda, takest them down to the corpses*? that thou, Ahura Mazda, takest them down to the Dakhmas? that thou, Ahura Mazda, takest them down to the unclean remains? that thou, Ahura Mazda, takest them down to the bones? and that then thou, Ahura Mazda, makest them flow back unseen ? that thou, Ahura Mazda, makest them flow back to the sea Phitika ¢ ?
1 See Farg. III, 41, note; cf. below, §§ 21-26.
* Vouru-kasha or Frakh-kart, the Ocean, wherefrom all waters come and whereto they return (Farg. XXI, 4).
* Zoroaster wonders that Ormazd fears so little to infringe his own laws by defiling waters with the dead. In a Ravéet, he asks him bluntly why he forbids men to take corpses to the water,
while he himself sends rain to the Dakhmas (Gr. Rav. 125). ‘ The sea where waters are purified before going back to their
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17 (53). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘It is even so as thou hast said, O righteous Zarathustra! I, Ahura Mazda, seize the waters from the sea Vourukasha with the wind and the clouds.
18 (55). ‘I, Ahura Mazda, take them to the corpses; I, Ahura Mazda, take them down to the Dakhmas; I, Ahura Mazda, take them down to the unclean remains; I, Ahura Mazda, take them down to the bones; then I, Ahura Mazda, make them flow back unseen; I, Ahura Mazda, make them flow back to the sea Pditika.
19 (56). ‘The waters stand there boiling, boiling up in the heart of the sea Pditika, and, when cleansed there, they run back again from the sea Pfitika to the sea Vouru-kasha, towards the wellwatered tree’, whereon grow the seeds of my plants of every kind by hundreds, by thousands, by hundreds of thousands.
20 (60). ‘Those plants, I, Ahura Mazda, rain down upon the earth’, to bring food to the faithful, and fodder to the beneficent cow; to bring food to
20 (60). ‘Those plants, I, Ahura Mazda, rain down upon the earth’, to bring food to the faithful, and fodder to the beneficent cow; to bring food to gathering place, the sea Vouru-kasha (see § 19). ‘ All the thickness, salt, and impurity of the sea Pfittk wishes to go to the Frakh-kart sea; but a mighty high wind, blowing from the Var Satvés, drives it away: whatever is clean and movable passes to the Frakh-kart sea, and the rest (the unclean element) flows back to the Patik’ (Bund. XIII, ro).
1 The tree of all seeds (Harvisptokhm), which grows in the middle of the sea Vouru-kasha ; the seeds of all plants are on it. There is a godlike bird, the Sinamru, sitting on that tree; whenever he flies off the tree, there grow out of it a thousand boughs ; whenever he alights on it, there break a thousand boughs, the seeds of which are scattered about, and rained down on the earth by Tistar (Tistrya), the rain-god (Yt. XII, 17; Minokhired LXII, 37 seq.; Bundahis XXVII; cf. Farg. XX, 4 seq.)
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my people that they may live on it, and fodder to the beneficent cow.’
V.
21 (63). ‘This? is the best, this is the fairest of all things, even as thou hast said, O pure [Zarathustra]!’
With these words the holy Ahura Mazda rejoiced the holy Zarathustra*: ‘ Purity is for man, next to life, the greatest good, that purity, O Zarathustra, that is in the Religion of Mazda for him who cleanses his own self with good thoughts, words, and deeds +.’
22 (68). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! This Law, this fiend-destroying Law of Zarathustra’, by what greatness, goodness, and fairness is it great, good, and fair above all other utterances ? .
23 (69). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘As much above all other floods as is the sea Vouru-kasha, so much above all other utterances in greatness, goodness, and fairness is this Law, this fienddestroying Law of Zarathustra.
24 (71). ‘As much as a great stream flows swifter than a slender rivulet, so much above all other utterances in greatness, goodness, and fairness is this Law, this fiend-destroying Law of Zarathustra.
1 The cleansing, the purification.
# ‘When Zoroaster saw that man is able to escape sin by performing good works, he was filled with joy’ (Comm.)
® Quotation from the Gathas (Yasna XLVIII, § c).
‘ That is to say, ‘Who performs the rites of cleansing according to the prescriptions of the law.’
5 The Law (DAtem), that part of the religious system of
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‘As high as the great tree! stands above the small plants it overshadows, so high above all other utterances in greatness, goodness, and fairness is this Law, this fiend-destroying Law of Zarathustra.
25 (73). ‘As high as heaven is above the earth that it compasses around, so high above all other utterances is this Law, this fiend-destroying Law of Mazda.
25 (73). ‘As high as heaven is above the earth that it compasses around, so high above all other utterances is this Law, this fiend-destroying Law of Mazda.
‘(Therefore], he will apply to the Ratu’, he will apply to the Sraosh4-varez*®; whether for a draonaservice‘ that should have been undertaken® and has not been undertaken *; or for a draona that should have been offered up and has not been offered up; or for a draona that should have been entrusted and has not been entrusted ’.
which the Vendidad is the specimen, and the object of which is the purification of man.
1 «The royal cypress above small herbs’ (Comm.)
® «To take the rule’ (Comm.), which probably means, ‘to know what sort of penance he must undergo;’ as, when a man has sinned with the tongue or with the hand, the Dastur (or Ratu) must prescribe for him the expiation that the sin requires. The Ratu is the chief priest, the spiritual head of the community.
* «To weep for his crime’ (Comm.), which may mean, ‘to recite to him the Patet, or, to receive at his hand the proper number of stripes.’ The Sraosh4-varez is the priest that superintends the sacrifice. He receives the confession of the guilty man and very likely wields the Sraosh6-karana.
* The Srésh-darfn, a service in honour of any of the angels, or of deceased persons, in which small cakes, called draona, are consecrated in their names, and then given to those present to eat.
5 When it ought not to be.
* When it ought to be.
7 The meaning of the sentence is not certain. The Commentary has: ‘Whether he has thought what he ought not to have thought, or has not thought what he ought to have thought; whether he has said what he ought not to have said, or has not
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26 (81). ‘The Ratu has power to remit him onethird of his penalty': if he has committed any other evil deed, it is remitted by his repentance; ‘if he has committed no other evil deed, he is absolved by his repentance for ever and ever?’
VI.
27 (82). O Maker’ of the material world, thou Holy One! If there be a number of men resting in the same place, on the same carpet, on the same pillows, be there two men near one another, or five, or fifty, or a hundred, close by one another; and of those people one happens to die; how many of them does the Drug Nasu? envelope with corruption, infection, and pollution ?
28 (86). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘If the dead one be a priest, the Drug Nasu rushes forth 4, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the eleventh and defiles the ten‘.
said what he ought to have said; whether he has done what he ought not to have done, or has not done what he ought to have done.’
1 When the Ratu remits one-third of the sin, God remits the whole of it (Saddar 29).
® Cf. Farg. III, 41.
* Nasu (véxus) designates both the corpse and the corpse-demon (the Drug that produces the corruption and infection of the dead body).
‘ In opposition to the case when the dead one is an Ashemaogha (§ 35), as no Nasu issues then.
® Cf. Farg. III, 41.
* Nasu (véxus) designates both the corpse and the corpse-demon (the Drug that produces the corruption and infection of the dead body).
‘ In opposition to the case when the dead one is an Ashemaogha (§ 35), as no Nasu issues then.
5 Literally, ‘If she goes as far as the eleventh, she defiles the tenth.’ That is to say, she stops at the eleventh and defiles the next ten. In the Ravdets, the Avesta distinctions are lost, and the defiling power of the Nasu is the same, whatever may have been the rank of the dead: ‘If there be a number of people sleeping in the same place, and if one of them happen to die, all those around him, in any direction, as far as the eleventh, become unclean if they have been in contact with one another’ (Gr. Rav. 470).
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‘If the dead one be a warrior, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the tenth and defiles the nine.
‘If the dead one be a husbandman, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the ninth and defiles the eight.
29 (92). ‘If it be a shepherd’s dog, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the eighth and defiles the seven.
‘If it be a house-dog, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the seventh and defiles the six.
30 (96). ‘If it be a Vohunazga dog!, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the sixth and defiles the five.
‘If it be a Tauruna dog %, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the fifth and defiles the four.
31 (100). ‘If it be a porcupine dog, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the fourth and defiles the three.
‘If it be a Gazu dog’, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the third and defiles the two.
32 (104). ‘If it be an Aiwizu dog, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the second and defiles the next.
‘If it be a Vizu dog, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the next, she defiles the next.’
1 A dog without a master (see Farg. XIII, 19).
* A hunting-dog.
* This name and the two following, Aiwizu and Vizu, are left untranslated in the Pahlavi translation.
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33 (108). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If it be a weasel’, how many of the creatures of the good spirit does it directly defile, how many does it indirectly defile ?
34 (110). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘A weasel does neither directly nor indirectly defile any of the creatures of the good spirit, but him who smites and kills it; to him the uncleanness clings for ever and ever ®*’ .
35 (113) O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If the dead one be such a wicked, twofooted ruffian, as an ungodly Ashemaogha‘, how many of the creatures of the good spirit does he directly defile, how many does he indirectly defile ?
35 (113) O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If the dead one be such a wicked, twofooted ruffian, as an ungodly Ashemaogha‘, how many of the creatures of the good spirit does he directly defile, how many does he indirectly defile ?
36 (115). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘No more than a frog does whose venom is dried up, and that has been dead more than a year’, Whilst alive, indeed, O Spitama Zarathustra! such a wicked, twolegged ruffian as an ungodly Ashemaogha, directly defiles the creatures of the good spirit, and indirectly defiles them.
37 (119). ‘Whilst alive he smites the water °; whilst alive he blows out the fire’; whilst alive he
1 A weasel. The weasel is one of the creatures of Ahura, for ‘it has been created to fight against the serpent garza and the other khrafstras that live in holes’ (Bund. XIX, 27).
* Not that the unclean one cannot be cleansed, but that his uncleanness does not pass from him to another.
* §§ 35-38; cf. Farg. XII, 21-24.
* Ashemaogha, a heretic.
5 The frog is a creature of Ahriman’s, and one of the most hateful. Cf. Farg. XIV, 5.
* By defiling it (a capital crime; see Farg. VII, 25).
7 He extinguishes the Bahram fire (a capital crime; cf. Farg. VII, 25).
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carries off the cow!; whilst alive he smites the faithful man with a deadly blow, that parts the soul from the body?; not so will he do when dead.
38 (120). ‘Whilst alive, indeed, O Spitama Zarathustra! such a wicked, two-legged ruffian as an ungodly Ashemaogha robs the faithful man of the full possession of his food, of his clothing, of his wood,
of his bed, of his vessels*; not so will he do when dead
VII.
39 (122). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! When into our houses here below we have brought the fire, the Baresma, the cups, the Haoma, and the mortar®, O holy Ahura Mazda! if it come to pass that either a dog or a man dies there, what shall the worshippers of Mazda do? _
40 (125). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Out of the house, O Spitama Zarathustra! shall they take the fire, the Baresma, the cups, the Haoma, and the mortar; they shall take the dead one out to the proper place * whereto, according to the law, corpses must be brought, to be devoured there.’
41 (128). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! When shall they bring back the fire into the house wherein the man has died ?
* As a cattle-lifter. ? As an assassin.
* By defiling them, he deprives the faithful of their use.
* *When a wicked man dies, the Drug who was with him during his lifetime, seizes him and drags him down to Ahriman; therefore, his body, as the Drug is no longer with it, becomes pure. On the contrary, when it is a righteous man that dies, the Amshaspands take his soul to Ormazd and the Drug settles in the house of the body and makes it impure’ (Gujastak Abalish).
5 In order to perform a sacrifice. * The Dakhma.
62 VEND{DAD.
On the contrary, when it is a righteous man that dies, the Amshaspands take his soul to Ormazd and the Drug settles in the house of the body and makes it impure’ (Gujastak Abalish).
5 In order to perform a sacrifice. * The Dakhma.
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42 (129). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall wait for nine nights in winter, for a month in summer, and then they shall bring back the fire to the house wherein the man has died.’
43 (131). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! And if they shall bring back the fire to the house wherein the man has died, within the nine nights, or within the month, what penalty shall they pay ?
44(134). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ They shall be Peshétanus: two hundred stripes with the Aspahéastra, two hundred stripes with the Sraoshé-Zarana.’
VIII.
45 (135)% O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If in the house of a worshipper of Mazda there be a woman with child, and if being a month gone, or two, or three, or four, or five, or six, or seven, or eight, or nine, or ten months gone §, she bring forth a still-born child, what shall the worshippers of Mazda do?
46 (139). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘The place in that Mazdean house whereof the ground is the cleanest and the driest, and the least passed through by flocks and herds, by the fire of Ahura Mazda, by the consecrated bundles of Baresma, and by the faithful ;’—
47 (143). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How far from the fire? How far from
? Corruption being worse in summer.
* §§ 45-54=Farg. VII, 60-69.
* The pregnancy, without lasting more than nine calendar months (9g times 30 days), generally extends along ten months on the calendar (for instance from January 10 to October 10).
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the water? How far from the consecrated bundles of Baresma? How far from the faithful ?
48 (144). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ Thirty paces from the fire; thirty paces from the water; thirty paces from the consecrated bundles of Baresma ; three paces from the faithful! ;—
49 (145). ‘On that place shall the worshippers of Mazda erect an enclosure’, and therein shall they establish her with food, therein shall they establish her with clothes.’
50 (147). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! What is the food that the woman shall first take ?
51 (148). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Géméz® mixed with ashes, three draughts of it, or six, or nine, to send down the Dakhma within her womb 4,
52 (151). ‘Afterwards she may drink boiling milk of mares, cows, sheep, or goats, with pap or without pap*; she may take cooked milk without
1 The carrier alone is kept thirty feet from the faithful (Farg. III, 18), as he is cut off from the community: his food is not brought to him, he has a store prepared for him. The woman, when armést, is only temporarily isolated; she stays in the house and her food is brought to her all but from hand to hand (Farg. XVI, 6).
* The place for the man or woman in state of uncleanness, or Armést-g 4h.
The woman, when armést, is only temporarily isolated; she stays in the house and her food is brought to her all but from hand to hand (Farg. XVI, 6).
* The place for the man or woman in state of uncleanness, or Armést-g 4h.
* Urine of the ox: the so-called Nfrang-din; cf. Farg. VIII, 37; XIX, 21. ‘Three cups, or six, or nine, according to her strength’ (Asp.)
‘ Her womb is a Dakhma, as it contained a dead body.—These nine draughts of gé6méz mixed with ashes are like an interior Barashnfim, as the Barashnfim consists of nine successive purifications with géméz and dust.
® Doubtful. ® Doubtful.
64 vEND{DAD.
water, meal without water, and wine without water 1.’
53 (154). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How long shall she remain so? How long shall she live thus on milk, meal, and wine ?
54 (155). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ Three nights long shall she remain so; three nights long shall she live thus on milk, meal, and wine. Then, when three nights have passed, she shall wash her body, she shall wash her clothes, with géméz and water, by the nine holes %, and thus shall she be clean.’
55 (157). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How long shall she remain so? How long, after the three nights have gone, shall she sit confined, and live separated from the rest of the worshippers of Mazda, as to her seat, her food, and her clothing ?
56 (158). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ Nine nights long shall she remain so: nine nights long, after the three nights have gone, shall she sit confined, and live separated from the rest of the worshippers of Mazda, as to her seat, her food, and her clothing. Then, when the nine nights have gone, she shall wash her body, and cleanse her clothes with géméz and water %’
‘ «The water would be defiled ;’ cf. Farg. VII, 70 seq.
* She shall perform the nine nights’ Barashnfm, for the details of which see Farg. IX. That Barashnim is taken forty days after the delivery.
5 «If a woman brings forth a still-born child, after a pregnancy of one month to ten months, the first food she shall take is nfrang (=g6méz)... fire and ashes; and she is not allowed until the fourth day to take water or salt, or any food that is cooked with water or salt: on the fourth day they give her nfrang, that she may cleanse herself and wash her clothes with it, and she is not
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57 (160)!. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Can those clothes, when once washed and cleansed, ever be used either by a Zaotar, or by a HaAvanan, or by an Atare-vakhsha, or by a Frabaretar, or by an Abered, or by an Asnatar, or by a Rathwiskar, or by a Sraosh4-varez?, or by any priest, warrior, or husbandman ® ?
58 (162). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Never can those clothes, even when washed and cleansed, be used either by a Zaotar, or by a HAvanan, or by an Atare-vakhsha, or by a Frabaretar, or by an Abered, or by an Asnatar, or by a Rathwiskar, or by a Sraosh4-varez, or by any priest, warrior, or husbandman,
58 (162). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Never can those clothes, even when washed and cleansed, be used either by a Zaotar, or by a HAvanan, or by an Atare-vakhsha, or by a Frabaretar, or by an Abered, or by an Asnatar, or by a Rathwiskar, or by a Sraosh4-varez, or by any priest, warrior, or husbandman,
59 (164). ‘But if there be in a Mazdean house a woman who is in her sickness, or a man who has become unfit for work‘, and who must sit in the place of infirmity®, those clothes shall serve for their allowed to wash herself and her clothes with water until the fortyfirst day’ (Gr. Rav. 568).
* §§ 57-62=Farg. VII, 17-22.
2 These are the names of the different priests who were engaged in the sacrifices. The HAvanan strains the Haoma; the Atarevakhsha kindles the fire; the Frabaretar brings to the Zaotar all that he needs; the Abered brings the water; the Asnatar washes and strains the Haoma; the Rathwiskar mixes the Haoma and the milk; the Zaotar chants the hymns and says the prayers; the Sraosh4-varez superintends the sacrifice. Nowadays there are only two priests, the Zaotar (ZAtt) and the Rathwiskar (Raspf), the latter performing all the accessory services formerly performed by several priests. Cf, Nirangistin, §§ 71 sq.
* In short, by any of the faithful, when in state of purity.
4 An Armést; literally, ‘an infirm person,’ that is to say, one who is unclean, during the time of his uncleanness (Farg. IX, 33 8eq.), when all work is forbidden to him.
5 The Armést-g4h, the place of seclusion of the Armést.
[4] Fp. 66 coverings and for their sheets', until they can withdraw their hands for prayer *.
60 (168). ‘Ahura Mazda, indeed, does not allow us to waste anything of value that we may have, not even so much as an Asperena’s* weight of thread, not even so much as a maid lets fall in spinning.
61 (171). ‘ Whosoever throws any clothing on a dead body‘, even so much as a maid lets fall in spinning, is not a pious man whilst alive, nor shall he, when dead, have a place in Paradise.
62 (174). ‘He makes himself a viaticum unto the world of the wicked, into that world®, made of
1 The clothing defiled by the dead can only serve for Dashtén women, even after it has been washed and exposed for six months
to the light of the sun and of the moon (Saddar 91; cf. Farg. VI, ‘10 seq.)
? Until they are clean. The unclean must have their hands wrapped in an old piece of linen, lest they should touch and defile anything clean.
5 See Farg. IV, 48, note 4.
Farg. VI, ‘10 seq.)
? Until they are clean. The unclean must have their hands wrapped in an old piece of linen, lest they should touch and defile anything clean.
5 See Farg. IV, 48, note 4.
‘ Cf. Farg. VIII, 23 seq. It appears from those passages that the dead must lie on the mountain naked, or ‘clothed only with the light of heaven’ (Farg. VI, 51). The modern custom is to clothe them with old clothing (Dadabhai Naoroji, Manners and Customs of the Parsis, p. 15). ‘When a man dies and receives the order (to depart), the older the shroud they make for him, the better. It must be old, worn out, but well washed: they must not lay anything new on the dead. For it is said in the Zend Vendidad, If they put on the dead even so much as a thread from the distaff more than is necessary, every thread shall become in the other world a black snake clinging to the heart of him who made that shroud, and even the dead shall rise against him and seize him by the skirt, and say, That shroud which thou madest for me has become food for worms and vermin’ (Saddar 12). After the fourth day, when the soul is in heaven, then rich garments are offered up to it, which it will wear in its celestial life (Saddar 87).
* «Where darkness can be seized with the hand’ (Comm.; cf. Aogemaidé 28); something more than the ‘visible darkness.’
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darkness, the offspring of darkness}, which is Darkness’ self. To that world, to the world of Hell, you are delivered by your own doings, by your own religion, O sinners?!’
Farcarp VI.
I (1-9). How long the earth remains unclean, when defiled by the dead.
II (10-25). Penalties for defiling the ground with dead matter.
III (26-41). Purification of the different sorts of water, when defiled by the dead.
IV (42-43). Purification of the Haoma.
V (44-51). The, place for corpses ; the Dakhmas.
I,
1. How long shall the piece of ground lie fallow whereon dogs or men have died ?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘A year long shall the piece of ground lie fallow whereon dogs or men have died, O holy Zarathustra!
2 (3). ‘A year long shall no worshipper of Mazda sow or water that piece of ground whereon dogs or men have died; he may sow as he likes the rest of the ground; he may water it as he likes *.
3 (5). ‘If within the year they shall sow or water the piece of ground whereon dogs or men have died, they are guilty of the sin of “burying the dead”
1 The Commentary has, ‘the place of those who impregnate darkness, for the Drug who conceives seed from the sinner comes from that place’ (cf. Farg. XVIII, 30 seq.)
* Quotation from the Gathas (Yasna XXXI, 20).
® Cf. Farg. VII, 45 seq.
F 2
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towards the water, towards the earth, and towards the plants!
4 (7). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If worshippers of Mazda shall sow or water, within the year, the piece of ground whereon dogs or men have died, what is the penalty that they shall pay ?
F 2
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towards the water, towards the earth, and towards the plants!
4 (7). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If worshippers of Mazda shall sow or water, within the year, the piece of ground whereon dogs or men have died, what is the penalty that they shall pay ?
5 (9). Ahura Mazda answered : ‘ They are Peshétanus: two hundred stripes with the Aspahé-astra, two hundred stripes with the Sraoshé-darana 2%’
6 (10). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If worshippers of Mazda want to till that piece of ground again ’, to water it, to sow it, and to plough it, what shall they do?
7 (12). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ They shall look on the ground for any bones, hair, dung, urine, or blood that may be there.’
8 (13). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If they shall not look on the ground for any bones, hair, dung, urine, or blood that may be there, what is the penalty that they shall pay ?
9 (15). Ahura Mazda answered : ‘They are Peshétanus: two hundred stripes with the Aspahé-astra, two hundred stripes with the Sraoshé-£arana.’
Il.
10 (16). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall throw on the ground
1 <To the water which they pour out, to the earth which they plough, to the plants which they sow’ (Comm.)
* ‘If they plough and sow it, one tan4fhr (see Introd. V, 19) ; if they pour water on it, one tanffdhr; if they plough, sow, and water it, two tanafahrs ’ (Comm.)
5 Even when a year’s space is past, the ground is not free ipso facto.
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a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as large as the top joint of the little finger, and if grease or marrow flow from it on to the ground, what. penalty shall he pay?
11 (18). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ Thirty stripes with the Aspahé-astra, thirty stripes with the Sraosh6-Aarana.’
12 (20). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall throw on the ground a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as large as the top joint of the fore-finger, and if grease or marrow flow from it on to the ground, what penalty shall he pay ?
13 (24). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Fifty stripes with the Aspahé-astra, fifty stripes with the Sraoshé- Aarana.’
14 (25). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall throw on the ground a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as large as the top joint of the middle finger, and if grease or marrow flow from it on to the ground, what penalty shall he pay ?
15 (29). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Seventy stripes with the Aspahé-astra, seventy stripes with the Sraosh6-£arana.’
16 (30). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall throw on the ground a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as large as a finger or as a rib, and if grease or marrow flow from it on to the ground, what penalty shall he pay?
17 (34). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ Ninety stripes with the Aspahé-astra, ninety stripes with the Sraoshé-éarana.’
18 (35). O Maker of the material world, thou
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17 (34). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ Ninety stripes with the Aspahé-astra, ninety stripes with the Sraoshé-éarana.’
18 (35). O Maker of the material world, thou
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Holy One! If a man shall throw on the ground a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as large as two fingers or as two ribs, and if grease or marrow flow from it on to the ground, what penalty shall he pay?
19 (39). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ He isa Pesh6tanu: two hundred stripes with the Aspahé-astra, two hundred stripes with the Sraoshé-/arana.’
20 (40). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall throw on the ground a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as large as an arm-bone or as a thigh-bone, and if grease or marrow flow from it on to the ground, what penalty shall he pay ?
21 (44). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ Four hundred stripes with the Aspahé-astra, four hundred stripes with the Sraoshé-Aarana.’
22 (45). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall throw on the ground a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as large as a man’s skull, and if grease or marrow flow from it on to the ground, what penalty shall he pay?
23 (49). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Six hundred stripes with the Aspahé-astra, six hundred stripes with the Sraoshé-Zarana.’
24 (50). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall throw on the ground the whole body of a dead dog, or of a dead man, and if grease or marrow flow from it on to the ground, what penalty shall he pay?
25 (53). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘A thousand stripes with the Aspahé-astra, a thousand stripes with the Sraoshé-4arana.’
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Ill.
26 (54). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a worshipper of Mazda, walking, or running, or riding, or driving, come upon a corpse in a stream of running water, what shall he do ?
27 (56). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Taking off his shoes, putting off his clothes, while the others wait!, O Zarathustra! he shall enter the river, and take the dead out of the water; he shall go down into the water ankle-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep, or a man’s full depth, till he can reach the dead body?’
28 (61). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If, however, the body be already falling to pieces and rotting, what shall the worshipper of Mazda do?
29 (63). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ He shall draw out of the water as much of the corpse as he can grasp with both hands, and he shall lay it down on the dry ground; no sin attaches to him for any bone, hair, grease, dung, urine, or blood that may drop back into the water.’
30 (65). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! What part of the water in a pond does the Drug Nasu defile with corruption, infection, and pollution ?
31 (66). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Six steps on each of the four sides. As long as the corpse has
* Ready to help him in case of need.
O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! What part of the water in a pond does the Drug Nasu defile with corruption, infection, and pollution ?
31 (66). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Six steps on each of the four sides. As long as the corpse has
* Ready to help him in case of need.
? ‘Tf he is able to draw out the corpse and does s0, it is a pious deed worth a tanffahr (that is, one by which a tan4fQbr sin can be cancelled) ; if he is able to draw it out and does not do so, it is a tanffohr sin. Gfigésasp says, It is a margarz4n sin (a capital crime) ’ (Comm.)
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not been taken out of the water, so long shall that water be unclean and unfit to drink. They shall, therefore, take the corpse out of the pond, and lay it down on the dry ground.
32 (69). ‘ And of the water they shall draw off the half, or the third, or the fourth, or the fifth part, according as they are able or not; and after the corpse has been taken out and the water has been drawn off, the rest of the water is clean, and both cattle and men may drink of it at their pleasure, as before.’
33 (72). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! What part of the water in a well does the Drug Nasu defile with corruption, infection, and pollution ?
34 (73). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘As long as the corpse has not been taken out of the water, so long shall that water be unclean and unfit to drink. They shall, therefore, take the corpse out of the well, and lay it down on the dry ground.
35 (73). ‘And of the water in the well they shall draw off the half, or the third, or the fourth, or the fifth part, according as they are able or not; and after the corpse has been taken out and the water has been drawn off, the rest of the water is clean, and both cattle and men may drink of it at their pleasure, as before.’
36 (74). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! What part of a sheet of snow or hail does the Drug Nasu defile with corruption, infection, and pollution ?
37 (75). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Three steps?
1 Nine feet on the four sides.
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on each of the four sides. As long as the corpse has not been taken out of the water, so long shall that water be unclean and unfit to drink. They shall, therefore, take the corpse out of the water, and lay it down on the dry ground.
38 (78). ‘After the corpse has been taken out, and the snow or the hail has melted, the water is clean, and both cattle and men may drink of it at their pleasure, as before.’
39 (79). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! What part of the water of a running stream does the Drug Nasu defile with corruption, infection, and pollution ?
40 (80). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Three steps down the stream, nine steps up the stream, six steps across. As long as the corpse has not been taken out of the water, so long shall the water be unclean and unfit to drink. They shall, therefore, take the corpse out of the water, and lay it down on the dry ground,
As long as the corpse has not been taken out of the water, so long shall the water be unclean and unfit to drink. They shall, therefore, take the corpse out of the water, and lay it down on the dry ground,
41 (83). ‘After the corpse has been taken out and the stream has flowed three times!, the water is clean, and both cattle and men may drink of it at their pleasure, as before.’
IV.
42 (84). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Can the Haoma that has been touched with Nasu from a dead dog, or from a dead man, be made clean again ?
43 (85). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘It can, O holy Zarathustra! If it has been prepared for the
} Three times the measure up the stream (that is nine feet).
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sacrifice}, there is to it no corruption, no death, no touch of any Nasu. If it has not been prepared for the sacrifice, [the stem] is defiled the length of four fingers *®: it‘ shall be laid down on‘ the ground, in the middle of the house, for a year long. When the year is passed, the faithful may drink of its juice at their pleasure, as before.’
V.
44 (92). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Whither shall we bring, where shall we lay the bodies of the dead *, O Ahura Mazda ?
45 (93). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘On the highest summits’, where they know there are always corpse-eating dogs and corpse-eating birds, O holy Zarathustra !
46 (95). ‘There shall the worshippers of Mazda fasten the corpse, by the feet and by the hair, with brass, stones, or clay, lest the corpse-eating dogs and the corpse-eating birds shall go and carry the bones to the water and to the trees.
47 (98). ‘If they shall not fasten the corpse, so that the corpse-eating dogs and the corpse-eating
? Pounded and strained.
* Because the Haoma is the plant of life ; when strained for the sacrifice, it is the king of healing plants (Bund. XXIV); the dead shall become immortal by tasting of the white Haoma (ib. XXXI).
® Four fingers from the point touched by the Nasu. That part of the stem shall be cut off (Framjf): the rest can be made clean.
“ What is left of the stem.
5 Perhaps: in the ground (it shall be buried).
* In places where there are no Dakhmas; for instance, in the country.
7 «On the top of a mountain’ (Comm.) Cf. VIII, ro.
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birds may go and carry the bones to the water and to the trees, what is the penalty that they shall pay ?’
48 (100). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall be Peshétanus: two hundred stripes with the Aspahé-astra, two hundred stripes with the Sraoshé- Aarana.’
49 (101). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Whither shall we bring, where shall we lay the bones! of the dead, O Ahura Mazda ?
50 (102). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘The worshippers of Mazda shall make a receptacle? out of the reach of the dog, of the fox, and of the wolf, and wherein rain-water cannot stay.
Whither shall we bring, where shall we lay the bones! of the dead, O Ahura Mazda ?
50 (102). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘The worshippers of Mazda shall make a receptacle? out of the reach of the dog, of the fox, and of the wolf, and wherein rain-water cannot stay.
51 (105). ‘ They shall make it, if they can afford it, with stones, plaster, or earth®; if they cannot afford it, they shall lay down the dead man on the ground, on his carpet and his pillow, clothed with the light of heaven, and beholding the sun ‘*.’
1 When the flesh has been stripped off the bones, they may be collected in a stone ossuary. See following note.
* “When the corpse-eating birds have eaten the fat, that fat which, when it is not possible to eat it, becomes rotten, offensive, and fraught with noxious creatures, then men shall properly convey the bones away to the bone-receptacle (ast6d4n), which one is to elevate so from the ground, and over which a roof so stands, that in no way does the rain fall upon the dead matter, nor the water reach up to it therein, nor are the dog and fox able to go to it, and for the sake of light coming to it a hole is made therein’ (DAdistén XVIII, 3; tr. West).
% Such stone ossuaries have been found at Bushir, by Mr. Malcolm; earth ossuaries, found at Susa, were brought to the Louvre by M. Dieulafoy.
‘ The dead must see the sun: that is why the astédan has holes for letting the light in (see note 2 above).
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Farcarp VII.
I (1-5). How long after death the Drug Nasu takes possession of the corpse.
II (6-9 = V, 27-30). How far the defiling power of the Drug Nasu extends.
III (10-22). Cleansing of clothes defiled by the dead.
IV (23-24). Eating of Nasu an abomination.
V (25-27). Bringing Nasu to fire or water an abomination.
VI (28-35). Cleansing of wood and corn defiled by the dead.
VII a (36-40). Physicians; their probation.
VII b (41-44). Their fees.
VIII (45-59). Purification of the earth, of the Dakhmas. The Dakhmas and the Daévas.
IX (60-72 ; 66-69 = V, 45-54). Treatment of a woman who has brought forth a still-born child.
X (73-75). Cleansing of vessels defiled by the dead.
XI _ (76). Cleansing of the cow.
XII (78). Unclean libations.
This chapter would offer tolerable unity, but for a digression on medicine, which would be better placed as an introduction to the last three chapters. Sections IJ and IX, parts of which have already been found in Fargard V, are more suitably placed here. This chapter, as a whole, deals with the action of the Drug Nasu, from the moment she takes hold of the corpse, and shows how and when the several objects she has defiled become clean, namely, clothes, wood, corn, earth, women, vessels, and cows.
I.
1. Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: ‘O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! When a man dies, at what moment does the Drug Nasu rush upon him ?’
I.
1. Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: ‘O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! When a man dies, at what moment does the Drug Nasu rush upon him ?’
2 (3). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Directly after death, as soon as the soul has left the body, O Spitama Zarathustra! the Drug Nasu comes and rushes upon him, from the regions of the north}, in
1 Hell lies in the north; cf. I, ro n.; III, 7 n.; XIX, 1 Yt. XXII, 25; Bundahis XV, 19.
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the shape of a raging fly, with knees and tail sticking out, droning without end, and like unto the foulest Khrafstras 1.
[3. ‘On him she stays until the dog has seen the corpse ? or eaten it up, or until the flesh-eating birds have taken flight towards it®. When the dog has seen it or eaten it up, or when the flesh-eating birds have taken flight towards it, then the Drug Nasu rushes away to the regions of the north in the shape of a raging fly, with knees and tail sticking out, droning without end, and like unto the foulest Khrafstras.’]
4 (5). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If the man has been killed by a dog, or by a wolf, or by witchcraft, or by the artifices of hatred 4, or by falling down a precipice, or by the law‘, or by calumny *, or by the noose’, how long after death does the Drug Nasu come and rush upon the dead ?
5 (6). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘At the next watch after death*, the Drug Nasu comes and
’ Khrafstra is a general denomination for noxious animals.
* Until the Sag-dfd has been performed (see VIII, 16 seq.)
* The Sag-did may be performed by birds of prey as well as by dogs. The dog smites the Nasu when it brings its muzzle near to the dead, the bird (mountain hawk, sparrow (?), or eagle) when its shadow passes over the body (Comm. ad § 2; cf.§ 29). § 3 is from the Vendidad SAda.
‘ «By poison’ (Comm.)
® Literally, ‘by men;’ that is to say, put to death by the community according to law (Comm.)
* If he has been condemned unjustly.
7 Tf he has strangled himself.
* The day is divided into five watches or ratu. If the man dies a natural death, the Drug comes directly; if the death be violent and unlooked for, the Drug comes later (as the corruption does not set in so quickly).
78 VEND{DAD.
rushes upon the dead, from the regions of the north, in the shape of a raging fly, with knees and tail sticking out, droning without end, and like unto the foulest Khrafstras.’
IT},
6 (7). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If there be a number of men resting in the same place, on the same carpet, on the same pillows, be there two men near one another, or five, or fifty, or a hundred, close by one another; and of those people one happens to die; how many of them does the Drug Nasu envelope with corruption, infection, and pollution ?
7 (11). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘If the dead one be a priest, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathu- Stra! she goes as far as the eleventh and defiles the ten.
7 (11). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘If the dead one be a priest, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathu- Stra! she goes as far as the eleventh and defiles the ten.
‘If the dead one be a warrior, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the tenth and defiles the nine.
‘If the dead one be a husbandman, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the ninth and defiles the eight.
8 (17). ‘If it be a shepherd’s dog, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the eighth and defiles the seven.
‘If it be a house dog, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the seventh and defiles the six.
9 (21). ‘If it be a Vohunazga dog, the Drug Nasu rushes forth,O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the sixth and defiles the five.
‘If it be a Tauruna dog, the Drug Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathustra! she goes as far as the fifth and defiles the four ®,’
1 §§ 6-9 = Farg. V, 27-30.
* This enumeration is less complete than that in the fifth Fargard, as it comprises only the first four sorts of dogs; the rest is to be supplied as in Farg. V, 31-38.
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. - - ‘Those clothes shall serve for their coverings and for their sheets?.’. . .
Ill.
10 (26). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! What part of his bedding? and pillow does the Drug Nasu defile with corruption, infection, and pollution ?
11 (27). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘The Drug Nasu defiles with corruption, infection, and pollution the upper sheet and the inner garment 3,’
12 (28). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Can that garment be made clean, O holy Ahura Mazda! that has been touched by the carcase of a dog or the corpse of a man?
‘If there be on the garment seed, or blood, or dirt, or vomit, the worshippers of Mazda shall rend it to pieces, and bury it under the ground ‘.
14 (33). ‘But if there be no seed [on the garment], nor blood, nor dirt, nor vomit, then the worshippers of Mazda shall wash it with géméz.
15 (35). ‘If it be leather, they shall wash it with géméz three times, they shall rub it with earth three
1 This phrase, which forms part of § 19, is wrongly inserted here.
* The bedding on which he has died.
* The upper sheet of the bed and the inner garment of the body, that is to say, only those clothes which have been in direct contact with the dead.
* According to the Commentary only that part which has been defiled is rent off ; the rest may still be used.
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times, they shall wash it with water three times, and afterwards they shall expose it to the air for three months at the window of the house.
‘If it be woven cloth, they shall wash it with géméz six times}, they shall rub it with earth six times, they shall wash it with water six times, and afterwards they shall expose it to the air for six months at the window of the house.
‘If it be woven cloth, they shall wash it with géméz six times}, they shall rub it with earth six times, they shall wash it with water six times, and afterwards they shall expose it to the air for six months at the window of the house.
16 (37). ‘The spring named Ardvt Stra, O Spitama Zarathustra! that spring of mine, purifies the seed of males, the womb of females, the milk of females ®.’
17° (41). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Can those clothes, when once washed and cleansed, ever be used either by a Zaotar, or by a HAvanan, or by an Atare-vakhsha, or by a Frabaretar, or by an Abered, or by an AsnAtar, or by a Rathwiskar, or by a Sraosh4-varez, or by any priest, warrior, or husbandman ?
18 (43). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Never can those clothes, even when washed and cleansed, be used either by a Zaotar, or by a Havanan, or by an Atare-vakhsha, or by a Frabaretar, or by an Abered, or by an Asnatar, or by a Rathwiskar, or by a Sraosha-varez, or by any priest, warrior, or husbandman.
19 (45). ‘ But if there be in a Mazdean house a woman who is in her sickness, or a man who has become unfit for work, and who must sit in the place of infirmity, those clothes shall serve for their coverings and for their sheets, until they can withdraw their hands for prayer.
20 (49). ‘Ahura Mazda, indeed, does not allow us to waste anything of value that we may have, not even so
1 See Farg. XIX, ar.
* This clause is a quotation from Yasna LXV, 5, intended to illustrate the cleansing power of water. Ardvf Sfira is the goddess of the waters, Cf. Farg. XXI, 6 notes.
* §§ 17-22 = Farg. V, 57-62.
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much as an Asperena’s weight of thread, not even so much as a maid lets fall in spinning.
21 (52). ‘Whosoever throws any clothing on a dead body, even so much as a maid lets fall in spinning, is not a pious man whilst alive, nor shall he, when dead, have a place in Paradise.
22 (55). ‘He makes himself a viaticum unto the world of the wicked, into that world, made of darkness, the offspring of darkness, which is Darkness’ self. To that world, to the world of Hell, you are delivered by your own doings, by your own religion, O sinners!’
IV.
23 (59). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Can he be clean again who has eaten of the carcase of a dog or of the corpse of a man! ?
24 (60). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘He cannot, O holy Zarathustra! His burrow ? shall be dug out, his heart shall be torn out, his bright eyes shall be put out; the Drug Nasu falls upon him, takes hold of him even to the end of the nails, and he is unclean, thenceforth, for ever and ever®’
1 The carcase-eater lodges the Nasu in himself; he becomes a Nasu, and therefore must be destroyed ; cf. below, § 76 seq.
* His house, as he is assimilated to a devouring Khrafstra; cf. Farg. III, 7.
below, § 76 seq.
* His house, as he is assimilated to a devouring Khrafstra; cf. Farg. III, 7.
5 Till the resurrection. ‘It is prescribed in the Vendid4d that if a man shall eat of a carcase, his house and family shall be destroyed, his heart shall be torn out of his body, his eyes shall be put out, and his soul shall abide in hell till the resurrection’ (Saddar 71). ‘He who eats of a carcase with sinful intent is both unclean and margarz4n; Barashnim and Nfrang are of no avail for him, he must die. If there has been no sinful intent, he may wash himself; one may give him the ashes and the gdméz (Comm.); he is unclean, he is not margarz4n’ (Old Rav. 115 b).
(4) G
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V.
25 (65). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Can he be clean again, O holy Ahura Mazda! who has brought a corpse with filth into the waters, or unto the fire, and made either unclean ?
26 (66). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘He cannot, O holy Zarathustra! Those wicked ones it is, those Nasu-cutters, that most increase spiders and locusts’; those wicked ones it is, those Nasu-cutters, that most increase the grass-destroying drought’.
27 (69). ‘Those wicked ones it is, those Nasucutters, that increase most the power of the winter ?, produced by the fiends, the cattle-killing, thicksnowing, overflowing, the piercing, fierce, mischievous winter ®. Upon them comes and rushes the Drug Nasu, she takes hold of them even to the end of the nails, and they are unclean, thenceforth, for ever and ever ‘4.’
1 «Tt is said in the Avesta that when there are many gnats and locusts it is owing to corpses having been brought to water and to fire’ (Saddar 72).
* § 26 refers chiefly to the damage produced by the defilement of the waters, and § 27 to that produced by the defilement of the fire.
5 «In the same way (by the bringing of corpses to water and to fire), winter grows colder, and summer grows warmer’ (Saddar 72).
‘ «Whoever shall do that deed, shall pay for it in this world and in the next; they shall flay his body in the presence of the assembly, they shall tear him limb from limb, and his corpse shall be thrown away to dogs and ravens, . . . and when his soul comes to the other world, he shall suffer tortures from the Dévs. If he has not made his Patet, his soul shall remain in hell till the day of resurrection ’ (Gr. Rav. p. 123).
p. 83
VI.
28 (72). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Can the wood be made clean, O holy Ahura Mazda! whereunto Nasu has been brought from a dead dog, or from a dead man ?
29 (73). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘It can, O holy Zarathustra!’
How so?
‘If the Nasu has not yet been expelled! by the corpse-eating dogs, or by the corpse-eating birds ?, they shall lay down, apart on the ground, all the wood on a Vitasti® all around, if the wood be dry; on a Fraérathni? all around, if it be wet; then they shall sprinkle it once over with water, and it shall be clean °.
by the corpse-eating dogs, or by the corpse-eating birds ?, they shall lay down, apart on the ground, all the wood on a Vitasti® all around, if the wood be dry; on a Fraérathni? all around, if it be wet; then they shall sprinkle it once over with water, and it shall be clean °.
30 (78). ‘But if the Nasu has already been expelled *® by the corpse-eating dogs, or by the corpse-eating birds, they shall lay down, apart on the ground, all the wood on a Frérathni all around, if the wood be dry; on a Fréb4zu’ all around, if it
1 That is to say, if the Sag-did has not yet been performed. Read: ‘If the Nasu has been expelled...’ (that is to say, if the Sag-did has been performed). See note 6.
* See above, p. 77, n. 3.
® Twelve fingers ; a span.
4 The Fr&rathni is, as it seems, as much as a forearm.
* « After a year,’ according to the Commentary.
* Read: ‘But if the Nasu has not yet been expelled.’ It appears from the similar passages (VIII, 35, 36, and 98, 99) and from the general principles of uncleanness that the words ‘If the Nasu has not yet been expelled,’ in § 29, have been misplaced there from § 30, and that the corresponding words in § 30 belong to § 29; because uncleanness spreads less far, when the Sag-did has taken place.
7 A measure of unknown extent ; ‘ an arm’s length,’ it would seem.
G2
p. 84
be wet; then they shall sprinkle it once over with water, and it shall be clean.
31 (81). ‘ Thus much of the wood around the dead shall they lay down, apart on the ground, according as the wood is dry or wet; as it is hard or soft; they shall sprinkle it once over with water, and it shall be clean.’
32 (83). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Can the corn or the fodder be made clean, O holy Ahura Mazda! whereunto Nasu has been brought from a dead dog, or from a dead man ?
‘If the Nasu has not yet been expelled’ by the corpse-eating dogs, or by the corpse-eating birds, they shall lay down, apart on the ground, all the corn on a Frarathni all around, if the corn be dry; on a Fr4bazu all around, if it be wet; then they shall sprinkle it once over with water, and it shall be clean.
34 (89). ‘But if the Nasu has already been expelled? by the corpse-eating dogs, or by the corpse-eating birds, they shall lay down, apart on the ground, all the corn on a Frab4zu all around, if the corn be dry; on a Vibazu ®all around, if it be wet; then they shall sprinkle it once over with water, and it shall be clean.
35 (92). ‘ Thus much of the corn around the dead
' Read: ‘If the Nasu has already been expelled...’ See § 29 note.
2 Read: ‘If the Nasu has not yet been expelled...’ See
§ 30 note.
* A measure of unknown extent; ‘an ell,’ it would seem.
p. 85
35 (92). ‘ Thus much of the corn around the dead
' Read: ‘If the Nasu has already been expelled...’ See § 29 note.
2 Read: ‘If the Nasu has not yet been expelled...’ See § 30 note.
* A measure of unknown extent; ‘an ell,’ it would seem.
p. 85
shall they lay down, apart on the ground, according as the corn is dry or wet; as it is sown or not sown; as it is reaped or not reaped; [as it is beaten or not beaten]!; as it is winnowed or not winnowed?; [as it is ground or not ground]*; as it is kneaded [or not kneaded]*; they shall sprinkle it once over with water, and it shall be clean.’
Vila.
36 (94). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a worshipper of Mazda want to practise the art of healing, on whom shall he first prove his skill? on worshippers of Mazda or on worshippers of the Daévas * ?
37 (96). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘On worshippers of the Daévas shall he first prove himself, rather than on worshippers of Mazda. If he treat with the knife a worshipper of the Daévas and he die ; if he treat with the knife a second worshipper of the Daévas and he die; if he treat with the knife for the third time a worshipper of the Daévas and he die, he is unfit for ever and ever.
38 (99). ‘Let him therefore never attend any worshipper of Mazda; let him never treat with the knife any worshipper of Mazda, nor wound him with the knife. If he shall ever attend any worshipper of Mazda, if he shall ever treat with the knife any worshipper of Mazda, and wound him with the knife,
1 From the Vendidad Sada. 2 Doubtful.
* This is supplied, as it seems to be required by the context and by the Pahlavi translation.
* On Zoroastrians or on idolaters (or, what is tantamount, on Iranians or on non-Iranians).
86 VEND{DAD. -
he shall pay for his wound the penalty for wilful murder},
39 (102). ‘If he treat with the knife a worshipper of the Daévas and he recover; if he treat with the knife a second worshipper of the Daévas and he recover; if for the third time he treat with the knife a worshipper of the Daévas and he recover; then he is fit for ever and ever *.
40 (104). ‘He may henceforth at his will attend worshippers of Mazda; he may at his will treat with the knife worshippers of Mazda, and heal them with the knife.
VII b.
41 (105). ‘A healer shall heal a priest for a blessing of the just; he shall heal the master of a house for the value of an ox of low value; he shall heal the lord of a borough ‘ for the value of an ox of average value ; he shall heal the lord of a town for the value of an ox of high value; he shall heal the lord of a province for the value of a chariot and four®.
42 (110). ‘He shall heal the wife of the master of a house for the value of a she-ass; he shall heal the wife of the lord of a borough for the value of
1 For baodh6-varsta, literally, ‘done with full conscience.’
* ‘Some say, One who has been qualified may become disqualified; one who has been disqualified shall never become qualified’ (Comm. ad § 43).