Pahlavi Texts, Part II — SBE Vol. 18 (trans. E. W. West, 1882)

. 120 Reasons for wearing the sacred thread-girdle . . 122 On the sacred shirt and thread-girdle, grace before and after eating, and cleansing the mouth before the aftergrace . 133 The sin of apostasy, and how to atone for it 136 The good works of him who saves others from apostasy 139

CONTENTS. x CHAP. PAGE 43. The distance at which the fire can be addressed, the use of a lamp, and the proper order of the propitiatory dedications, when consecrating a sacred cake . . 4! 44. Whether a skilful priest who is employed to perform ceremonies, but is not officially the priest of the district, should be paid a regular stipend . . - 145 45. The separate duties of priests and disciples . . . 5% 46. When a priest can abandon the Priesthood | to obtain a livelihood . . . - 153 47. Whether a priest who knows the Avesta, or one > who understands the commentary, be more entitled to the foremost place at a sacred feast . 155 48. The advantage and proper mode of celebrating the ceremonial . . 159 49. Whether it be lawful to buy « corn and keep it “long, so as to raise the price for the sake of profit . 174 50. Whether it be lawful to sell wine to foreigners and infidels 176 51. The sin of drunkenness, and what constitutes immoderate drinking . . . . . 178 52. Whether a man who bargains to deliver wheat i ina month, and takes a deposit, is bound to deliver the wheat if its market-price has risen enormously . 180 53. Whether it be lawful to sell cattle to those of a different religion . . . . . . . 182 54. Whether a man without a son can give away his property to one daughter on his death-bed; the laws of inheritance, and when an adopted son must be appointed, in such acase . . . - 183 55. Whose duty it is to order the ceremonies after adeath . 187 56. The laws of adoption and family-guardianship . 188 57. Those who are fit, or unfit, for adoption 190 58. The three kinds of adoption 1g! 59. The least amount of property that requires the appoint ment of an adopted son . : . - 192 60. The sin of not appointing an adopted son, or of appointing a dishonest one . . - 192 61. The merit and demerit of family guardianship 193 62. The laws of inheritance 194 63. Whether it be lawful to seize property from foreigners and infidels . . . . . . .

p. 196

CONTENTS.

CHAP.

. The origin of Gayémard, Mashyath, and Mashyayéih .

65.
66.

67.
68.
69.
40.
41.

72.

13.
74:
75.

46. q- 78. 79-

80.
81.
82.

83.

85.
86.
87.
88.
89.

go.

gt. 92.

The origin of next-of-kin marriage .

Regarding the cost of religious rites, and whether a priest’s s fees can be reduced when others will take less .

The cause of the rainbow .

The cause of the phases of the moon .

The cause of eclipses

The causes of river-beds .

What things happen through destiny, and what through exertion

The seven heinous sinners, and the necessity of avoiding him who commits unnatural intercourse .

Whether the stench of such intercourse reaches the sky.

Whether that stench disturbs the archangels

What things happen through destiny, and what through exertion

The seven heinous sinners, and the necessity of avoiding him who commits unnatural intercourse .

Whether the stench of such intercourse reaches the sky.

Whether that stench disturbs the archangels

Whether the angels raise such a sinner from the dead at the resurrection. .

Whether it be a good work to kill such a sinner

Why such intercourse is a heinous sin .

Why adultery is heinous, and how one can atone for it.

The sin of not repeating the full grace before drinking (when one is able to do *0), and how one can atone for it . :

Regarding him who does not order ceremonies

About the ceremonies for the living soul .

About him who pays for ceremonies and him who takes the money without performing them .

Whether a priest must undertake all religious rites

. Whether gifts to the priesthood for ceremonies can be

diminished or increased .
The advantages of increasing such gifts
The harm of diminishing such gifts : .
Why it is good to give such gifts . . . ‘
About the cost of religious rites in Pars .
Whether when a man has once resolved to go into
Pars, with gifts for the priesthood, it be lawful for
him to send another man with the gifts
The seven immortal rulers in the region of Khvantras
before the coming of the good religion
The nature and material of the sky. . .
The course and benefit of the water of Arekdvisdr .

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250

254
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CONTENTS. Xi
CHAP, . PAGE

• 93. Tistar’s seizing of water from the ocean to rain it upon the earth, and his conflict with Ap46sh .. 264
• 94. Conclusion . . . . . . 269 EpistLes OF MAnOsxtHAR re 277

' Eptstiz I. To the good people of Sirk4n.

1. Introductory compliments, acknowledging receipt of a complaining epistle : : . 279

2. Deploring the false opinions in circulation, owing | to the fiend, about the purification ceremonies . . - 282

3. Excusing any defects in this epistle for various reasons detailed - . . . . . 286

4. Deprecating the disuse of the Bareshnoim ceremony, as decreed by his brother; such disuse being contrary to scripture and the commentaries . . + 292

5. Alluding to the one-sided view of the opinions of the commentators adopted by the decree they had sent . 298

6. Discussing the different statements of the commentators as to the number of purifiers and washings. gor

4. Discussing the proper quantities of hauids to be used, and the 300 pebbles. . . . + 304

8. Regarding the stirring up of the bulls urine when fetid, as mentioned in the Sakadim Nask . . * 309

9. Deciding that the commentary which teaches the most efficient mode of purification is to be followed, when there are no special reasons for acting otherwise . 312

10. Reserving other matters for special instructions to the priests, but warning them not to obey the decree now denounced . . . . . . - 316

p. 312

10. Reserving other matters for special instructions to the priests, but warning them not to obey the decree now denounced . . . . . . - 316

11. Arranging for the enforcement of his decision, until he can write further, or come himself; and concluding with benediction and date . . . 2. 6 320

Epistte II. To his brother, Z4d-sparam.

1. Acknowledging receipt of a former epistle, and announcing the arrival of complaints about his brother’s reprehensible decree 324

2. Disapproving of the decree and its mode of dealing with the commentaries, whose exact agreement is as unlikely as the simultaneous occurrence of several particular conjunctions of the planets . . 331 xii CONTENTS.

CHAP.

3. Exhorting him not to seek for new rules, but to adhere strictly to the old customs. :

4. Reasserting his opinions, and protesting against the notion that the decree was in accordance with the practice of all the purifiers in Iran . . .

5. Commenting upon the secrecy with which the decree had been prepared, and the evil consequences resulting from it. . : : .

6. Persuading him to remain steadfast in the faith, and threatening him if he should not . . .

4. Explaining that he had previously written to Sirkan, and would shortly come there himself; but ordering the appointment of proper purifiers . . .

8. Mentioning his general epistle to all of the good religion in Iran, and describing the evil consequences of continued disobedience, including the possibility of -his own retreat to foreign lands. . .

g. Giving further instructions for satisfying the discontented, and opposing the heterodox; and concluding without date . . . . . . . .

Epistte III. To all of the good religion in Iran. Forbidding the substitution of a fifteenfold washing for the Bareshnim ceremony; and dated a.y. 250 (a. D. 881) « .

APPENDIX . «© «© . «.

• I. Legends relating to KeresAsp . .
• II. The Nirang-i Kust? . . . .
• III. The meaning of Khvétfk-das_ . .
• IV. The Bareshnfim ceremony . . . . . .
• V. Finding a corpse in the wilderness

InpEx. . ee
CoRRECTIONS . . .

Transliteration of Oriental Alphabets adopted for the
Translations of the Sa¢red Books of the East .

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35°

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367
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389
431
455

459
479

p. 481

INTRODUCTION.

1. GENERAL REMARKS.

THE Pahlavi texts selected for translation in this volume are distinguished from all others by the peculiarity that both the name and station of their author and the time in which he lived are distinctly recorded.