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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1for collation with my copy of the text, already obtained from more recent MSS. in Bombay, the best of which turned out to be a copy of K35. INTRODUCTION. xlix texts which usually precede them, and three-fifths of those which usually follow them, are still remaining. This MS. has lost its date, but a copy! of it exists in Bombay (written when it was complete) which ends with a colophon dated A. Y. 941 (A.D.1572), as detailed in p. xxxiii; this may either be the actual date of that copy, or it may have been merely copied from K35, which cannot be much older. The latter supposition appears the more probable, as this colophon seems to be left incomplete by the loss of the last folio in the Bombay copy, and may, therefore, have been followed by another colophon giving a later date. This copy of K35 was, no doubt, originally complete, but has lost many of its folios in the course of time; most of the missing text has been restored from another MS., but there are still twelve or more folios missing from the latter part of the work; it contains, however, all that portion of the Selections which is translated in this volume, but has, of course, no authority independent of K35. The other MS. in Bombay, from which some of the missing text was recovered, is in the library of Dastdr JamAspji Minochiharji ; it is a modern copy, written at different periods from forty to sixty years ago, and is incomplete, as it contains only one-fourth of the texts which usually follow the ninety-two questions and answers, and includes no portion of the Selections of Zad-sparam. Another MS. of the Dadistan-i Dinik and its accompaniments, written also at Kirm4n, but two generations earlier than K35 (say, about A. D. 1530), has been already mentioned (see p. xxxiii). It is said still to contain 227 folios, though its first seventy folios are missing ; it must, therefore, begin very near the same place as K35, but extends much further, as it supplies about half the text still missing from the ' The fact of its being a copy of K35 is proved by strong circumstantial evidence. In the first place, it contains several false readings which are clearly due to mis-shapen letters and accidental marks in K35, so that it is evidently descended from that MS. But it is further proved to have been copied direct from that MS., by the last words in thirty-two of its pages having been marked with interlined circles in K35 ; the circle having been the copyist’s mark for finding his place, when beginning a new page after turning over his folios. [5] 1 PAHLAVI TEXTS. Bombay copy of K35, though it has lost about fourteen folios at the end. This MS. must be either the original from which K35 was copied, or an independent authority of equal value, but it has not been available for settling the text of the Selections for the present translation. | 5. THE BAHMAN YAST.
2This MS. must be either the original from which K35 was copied, or an independent authority of equal value, but it has not been available for settling the text of the Selections for the present translation. | 5. THE BAHMAN YAST. The Bahman Yast, usually called the ‘Zand of the Vohdman Yast,’ professes to be a prophetical work, in which Adharmazd gives Zaratdst an account of what was to happen to the Iranian nation and religion in the future. It begins with an introduction (Chap. I) which states that, according to the Stidgar Nask, Zaratdst having asked Atharmazd for immortality, was supplied temporarily with omniscient wisdom, and had a vision of a tree with four branches of different metals which were explained to him as symbolical of four different periods, the times of Vist4sp, of Ardakhshir the Kaydnian, of Khasré Néshirvan, and of certain demons or idolators who were to appear at the end of a thousand years. It states, further, that the commentaries of the VohQman, Horvadad, and Astad Yasts mentioned the heretic Mazdak, and that Khisr6é Néshirvan summoned a council of high-priests and commentators, and ordered them not to conceal these Yasts, but to teach the commentary only among their own relations. The text then proceeds (Chap. ITI) to give the details of the commentary on the Vohfiman Yast as follows :—Zaratast, having again asked Adharmazd for immortality, is refused, but is again supplied with omniscient wisdom for a week, during which time he sees, among other things, a tree with seven branches of different metals, which are again explained to him as denoting the seven ages of the religion, its six ages of triumph in the reigns of Vistasp, of Ardakhshir the Kaydnian, of one of the Askanian kings, of Ardakhshir Papakan and Shahpar I and II, of Vahram Gér, and of Khisr6 Noéshirvan, and its seventh age of adversity when INTRODUCTION. li Iran is to be invaded from the east by hordes of demons or idolators with dishevelled hair, who are to work much mischief, so as to destroy the greater part of the nation and mislead the rest, until the religion becomes nearly extinct. The details of this mischief, written in a tone of lamentation, constitute the greater part of the text, which also notices that the sovereignty will pass from the Arabs, Ramans, and these leathern-belted demons (Tirks) to other Tarks and non-Tfranians who are worse than themselves.
3The details of this mischief, written in a tone of lamentation, constitute the greater part of the text, which also notices that the sovereignty will pass from the Arabs, Ramans, and these leathern-belted demons (Tirks) to other Tarks and non-Tfranians who are worse than themselves. Distressed at this narrative Zaratist asks Atharmazd (Chap. III, 1) how the religion is to be restored, and these demons destroyed? He is informed that, in the course of time, other fiends with red banners, red weapons, and red hats, who seem to be Christians, will appear in the northwest, and will advance either to the Arvand (Tigris) or the Euphrates, driving back the former demons who will assemble all their allies to a great conflict, one of the three great battles of the religions of the world, in which the wicked will be so utterly destroyed that none will be left to pass into the next millennium. Zaratdst enquires (III, 12) how so many can perish, and is informed that, after the demons with dishevelled hair appear, Hishédar, the first of the last three apostles, is born near Lake Frazdan; and when he begins to confer with Adharmazd a Kay4n prince is born in the direction of Kinistan (Samarkand), who is called Vahram the Vargavand, and when he is thirty years old he collects a large army of Hindu (Bactrian) and int (Samarkandian) troops, and advances into Iran, where he is reinforced by a numerous army of Iranian warriors, and defeats the demon races with immense slaughter, in the great conflict already mentioned, so that there will be only one man left to a thousand women. The writer then proceeds to describe the supernatural agencies employed to produce this result: how the evil spirit (III, 24) comes to the assistance of the demonworshippers ; how Adharmazd sends his angels to Kangdez, to summon Péshyétand, the immortal son of Vistasp, with his disciples, to re-establish the sacred fires and restore the d2 lii PAHLAVI TEXTS. religious ceremonies ; and how the angels assist them against the evil spirits, so that Vahram the Vargavand is enabled to destroy the fiendish races, as already detailed, and Péshyétani becomes supreme high-priest of the Iranian world.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1for collation with my copy of the text, already obtained from more recent MSS. in Bombay, the best of which turned out to be a copy of K35. INTRODUCTION. xlix texts which usually precede them, and three-fifths of those which usually follow them, are still remaining. This MS. has lost its date, but a copy! of it exists in Bombay (written when it was complete) which ends with a colophon dated A. Y. 941 (A.D.1572), as detailed in p. xxxiii; this may either be the actual date of that copy, or it may have been merely copied from K35, which cannot be much older. The latter supposition appears the more probable, as this colophon seems to be left incomplete by the loss of the last folio in the Bombay copy, and may, therefore, have been followed by another colophon giving a later date. This copy of K35 was, no doubt, originally complete, but has lost many of its folios in the course of time; most of the missing text has been restored from another MS., but there are still twelve or more folios missing from the latter part of the work; it contains, however, all that portion of the Selections which is translated in this volume, but has, of course, no authority independent of K35. The other MS. in Bombay, from which some of the missing text was recovered, is in the library of Dastdr JamAspji Minochiharji ; it is a modern copy, written at different periods from forty to sixty years ago, and is incomplete, as it contains only one-fourth of the texts which usually follow the ninety-two questions and answers, and includes no portion of the Selections of Zad-sparam. Another MS. of the Dadistan-i Dinik and its accompaniments, written also at Kirm4n, but two generations earlier than K35 (say, about A. D. 1530), has been already mentioned (see p. xxxiii). It is said still to contain 227 folios, though its first seventy folios are missing ; it must, therefore, begin very near the same place as K35, but extends much further, as it supplies about half the text still missing from the ' The fact of its being a copy of K35 is proved by strong circumstantial evidence. In the first place, it contains several false readings which are clearly due to mis-shapen letters and accidental marks in K35, so that it is evidently descended from that MS. But it is further proved to have been copied direct from that MS., by the last words in thirty-two of its pages having been marked with interlined circles in K35 ; the circle having been the copyist’s mark for finding his place, when beginning a new page after turning over his folios. [5] 1 PAHLAVI TEXTS. Bombay copy of K35, though it has lost about fourteen folios at the end. This MS. must be either the original from which K35 was copied, or an independent authority of equal value, but it has not been available for settling the text of the Selections for the present translation. | 5. THE BAHMAN YAST.
2This MS. must be either the original from which K35 was copied, or an independent authority of equal value, but it has not been available for settling the text of the Selections for the present translation. | 5. THE BAHMAN YAST. The Bahman Yast, usually called the ‘Zand of the Vohdman Yast,’ professes to be a prophetical work, in which Adharmazd gives Zaratdst an account of what was to happen to the Iranian nation and religion in the future. It begins with an introduction (Chap. I) which states that, according to the Stidgar Nask, Zaratdst having asked Atharmazd for immortality, was supplied temporarily with omniscient wisdom, and had a vision of a tree with four branches of different metals which were explained to him as symbolical of four different periods, the times of Vist4sp, of Ardakhshir the Kaydnian, of Khasré Néshirvan, and of certain demons or idolators who were to appear at the end of a thousand years. It states, further, that the commentaries of the VohQman, Horvadad, and Astad Yasts mentioned the heretic Mazdak, and that Khisr6é Néshirvan summoned a council of high-priests and commentators, and ordered them not to conceal these Yasts, but to teach the commentary only among their own relations. The text then proceeds (Chap. ITI) to give the details of the commentary on the Vohfiman Yast as follows :—Zaratast, having again asked Adharmazd for immortality, is refused, but is again supplied with omniscient wisdom for a week, during which time he sees, among other things, a tree with seven branches of different metals, which are again explained to him as denoting the seven ages of the religion, its six ages of triumph in the reigns of Vistasp, of Ardakhshir the Kaydnian, of one of the Askanian kings, of Ardakhshir Papakan and Shahpar I and II, of Vahram Gér, and of Khisr6 Noéshirvan, and its seventh age of adversity when INTRODUCTION. li Iran is to be invaded from the east by hordes of demons or idolators with dishevelled hair, who are to work much mischief, so as to destroy the greater part of the nation and mislead the rest, until the religion becomes nearly extinct. The details of this mischief, written in a tone of lamentation, constitute the greater part of the text, which also notices that the sovereignty will pass from the Arabs, Ramans, and these leathern-belted demons (Tirks) to other Tarks and non-Tfranians who are worse than themselves.
3The details of this mischief, written in a tone of lamentation, constitute the greater part of the text, which also notices that the sovereignty will pass from the Arabs, Ramans, and these leathern-belted demons (Tirks) to other Tarks and non-Tfranians who are worse than themselves. Distressed at this narrative Zaratist asks Atharmazd (Chap. III, 1) how the religion is to be restored, and these demons destroyed? He is informed that, in the course of time, other fiends with red banners, red weapons, and red hats, who seem to be Christians, will appear in the northwest, and will advance either to the Arvand (Tigris) or the Euphrates, driving back the former demons who will assemble all their allies to a great conflict, one of the three great battles of the religions of the world, in which the wicked will be so utterly destroyed that none will be left to pass into the next millennium. Zaratdst enquires (III, 12) how so many can perish, and is informed that, after the demons with dishevelled hair appear, Hishédar, the first of the last three apostles, is born near Lake Frazdan; and when he begins to confer with Adharmazd a Kay4n prince is born in the direction of Kinistan (Samarkand), who is called Vahram the Vargavand, and when he is thirty years old he collects a large army of Hindu (Bactrian) and int (Samarkandian) troops, and advances into Iran, where he is reinforced by a numerous army of Iranian warriors, and defeats the demon races with immense slaughter, in the great conflict already mentioned, so that there will be only one man left to a thousand women. The writer then proceeds to describe the supernatural agencies employed to produce this result: how the evil spirit (III, 24) comes to the assistance of the demonworshippers ; how Adharmazd sends his angels to Kangdez, to summon Péshyétand, the immortal son of Vistasp, with his disciples, to re-establish the sacred fires and restore the d2 lii PAHLAVI TEXTS. religious ceremonies ; and how the angels assist them against the evil spirits, so that Vahram the Vargavand is enabled to destroy the fiendish races, as already detailed, and Péshyétani becomes supreme high-priest of the Iranian world.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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