Similar developments are to be found in Ya^t XXIV, 53-65; Arda Viraf XVII ; Minokhired II, 123-194.
1. Zarathiutra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O Ahura
Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material
world, thou Holy One!
' When one of the faithful departs this life, where
does his soul abide on that nio^ht ? '
Ahura Mazda answered :
2, * It takes its seat near the head, singing the
Uj-tavaiti Gatha ^ and proclaiming happiness:
" Happy is he, happy the man, whoever he be, to
whom Ahura Mazda gives the full accomplishment
of his wishes!" On that nio-ht his soul tastes^ as
much of pleasure as the whole of the living world can taste.'
^ See p. 319, note i.
^ The name of the second Gatha, which begins with the word ujta : the words in the text, 'Happy the man ....,' are its opening line (Yaj-na XLII, i).
^ Literally, sees, perceives.
Vast Xxii. 315
3. — ' On the second night where does his soul abide ?'
4. Ahura Mazda answered: 'It takes its seat near
the head, singing the U^tavaiti Gatha and pro-
claiming happiness : " Happy is he, happy the man,
whoever he be, to whom Ahura Mazda gives the full
accomplishment of his wishes!" On that night his
soul tastes as much of pleasure as the whole of the
living world can taste.'
5. — 'On the third night where does his soul abide?'
6. Ahura Mazda answered : 'It takes its seat
near the head, singing the U^tavaiti Gatha and
proclaiming happiness : " Happy is he, happy the
man, whoever he be, to whom Ahura Mazda gives
the full accomplishment of his wishes!" On that
night his soul tastes as much of pleasure as the
whole of the livins: world can taste.'
7. At the end^ of the third night, when the dawn
appears, it seems to the soul of the faithful one as
if it were brought amidst plants and scents : it
seems as if a wind were blowing from the region of
the south, from the regions of the south, a sweet-
scented wind, sweeter-scented than any other wind
in the world.
8. And it seems to the soul of the faithful one as
if he were inhaling that wind with the nostrils, and he
thinks: 'Whence does that wind blow, the sweetest-
scented wind I ever inhaled with my nostrils ?'
9. And it seems to him as if his own conscience
were advancing to him in that wind, in the shape
of a maiden fair, bright, white-armed, strong, tall-
^Thraojta: in Pahlavi roijman.
formed, high -standing, thick-breasted, beautiful of
body, noble, of a glorious seed ^ of the size of a
maid in her fifteenth year, as fair as the fairest
things in the world.
10. And the soul of the faithful one addressed
her, asking : ' What maid art thou, who art the
fairest maid I have ever seen ? '
11. And she, being his own conscience, answers
him : ' O thou youth of good thoughts, good words,
and good deeds, of good religion, I am thy own
conscience !
* Everybody did love thee for that greatness, good-
ness, fairness, sweet-scentedness, victorious strength
and freedom from sorrow, in which thou dost
appear to me ;
12. 'And so thou, O youth of good thoughts,
good words, and good deeds, of good religion ! didst
love me for that greatness, goodness, fairness, sweet-
scentedness, victorious strength, and freedom from
sorrow, in which I appear to thee.
13. 'When thou wouldst see a man making deri-
sion^ and deeds of idolatry, or rejecting^ (the poor)
and shutting his door ^, then thou wouldst sit singing
the Gathas and worshipping the good waters and
Atar, the son of Ahura Mazda, and rejoicing^ the
faithful that would come from near or from afar.
' ' That is to say, from the gods' (Pahl. Comm.).
^ Of holy things.
^ Doubtful. The Pahlavi commentary has the following gloss : ' He would not give his friends what they begged for.'
* To the poor: — Urvaro-straya: urvar babai/^ kart (Pahl. Comm.): aighshan bab^ bara asrunast (star, to tie, as in frasta- retem baresma). Cf. Yt. XXIV, 37, 59.
^ With alms to the poor Mazdayasnians (asho-dad).
Vast Xxii. 317
14. ' I was lovely and thou madest me still
lovelier ; I was fair and thou madest me still fairer ;
I was desirable and thou madest me still more
desirable; I was sitting in a forward place and thou
madest me sit in the foremost place, through this
good thought, through this good speech, through
this good deed of thine ; and so henceforth men
worship me for my having long sacrificed unto and
conversed with Ahura Mazda.
15. ' The first step that the soul of the faithful
man made, placed him in the Good -Though t ^
Paradise ;
' The second step that the soul of the faithful
man made, placed him in the Good-Word^
Paradise ;
' The third step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Good-Deed^ Paradise;
' The fourth step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Endless Lights *.'
16. Then one of the faithful, who had departed
before him, asked him, saying: 'How didst thou
depart this life, thou holy man ? How didst thou
come, thou holy man ! from the abodes full of cattle
and full of the wishes and enjoyments of love ?
From the material world into the world of the spirit?
From the decaying world into the undecaying one ?
How long did thy felicity last ?'
17. And Ahura Mazda answered: 'Ask him not what thou askest him, who has just gone the dreary
^ The so-called Hum at Paradise (cf.Yt. Ill, 3). ^ The so-called Hfikht Paradise. ^ The so-called Hvarsht Paradise. * The seat of the Garothman.
3l8 YASTS AND SIROZAHS.
way, full of fear and distress, where the body and the soul part from one another.
1 8. '[Let him eat] of the food brought to him, of
the oil of Zaremaya ^ : this is the food for the youth
of good thoughts, of good words, of good deeds, of
good religion, after he has departed this life ; this is
the food for the holy woman, rich in good thoughts,
good words, and good deeds, well-principled and
obedient to her husband, after she has departed
this life,'
19. Zarathu^tra asked Ahura Mazda 1 'O Ahura
Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material
world, thou Holy One !
( 'When one of the wicked perishes, where does his soul abide on that night.-*'
20. Ahura Mazda answered: 'It rushes and sits
near the skull, singing the Kima^ Gatha, O holy
Zarathui'tra !
'"To what land shall I turn, O Ahura Mazda? To whom shall I go with praying?"
' On that night his soul tastes as much of suffering as the whole of the living world can taste.'y
21. — 'On the second night, where does his soul abide ?'
22. Ahura Mazda answered: Tt rushes and sits near the skull, singing the Kima Gatha, O holy
^ Zaremaya is the spring: the word translated oil (raoghna, Persian ^^^ might perhaps be better translated 'butter;' the milk made in the middle of spring was said to be the best (Vis- perad I, 2 ; PahL Comm.; cf. Dadistan XXXI, 14).
^ The Gatha of lamenting, beginning with the word Kam (Kam neme zam : ' To what land shall I turn ?') ; Yasna XLVI (XLV).
Ya5'T Xxii. 319
Zarathui-tra ! "To what land shall I turn, O Ahura Mazda ? To whom shall I go with praying?"
'On that night his soul tastes as much of suffering as the whole of the livingf world can taste.'
23^. — 'On the third night, where does his soul abide ?'
24. Ahura Mazda answered : ' It rushes and sits
near the skull, singing the Kima Gatha, O holy
Zarathui'tra ! " To what land shall I turn, O Ahura
Mazda ? To whom shall I go with praying ?"
'On that night his soul tastes as much of suffering as the whole of the living world can taste.'
25. At the end of the third night, O holy Zara-
thui-tra ! when the dawn appears, it seems to the
soul of the faithful one as if it were brought amidst
snow and stench, and as if a wind were blowing
from the region of the north, from the regions of
the north, a foul-scented wind, the foulest-scented
of all the winds in the world.
26-32. And it seems to the soul of the wicked man
as if he were Inhaling that wind with the nostrils, and
he thinks: 'Whence does that wind blow, the foulest-
scented wind that I ever inhaled with my nostrils V )
^ A development similar to that in §§ 9-14 is to be supplied here : in the Arda Viraf and the INIinokhired the soul of the wicked is met by a horrid old woman, who is his own conscience : ' And in that wind he saw his own religion and deeds, as a profligate woman, naked, decayed, gaping, bandy-legged, lean-hipped, and unlimitedly spotted, so that spot was joined to spot, like the most hideous noxious creatures (khrafstar), most filthy and most stinking' (cf. § 9).
Then that wicked soul spoke thus : ' Who art thou ? than whom I never saw any one of the creatures of Auharmazd and Akharman uglier, or filthier or more stinking' (cf. § 10).
To him she spoke thus : ' I am thy bad actions, O youth of evil thoughts, of evil words, of evil deeds, of evil religion I It
320 YAi'TS AND stR6zAHS.
33. The first step that the soul of the wicked man made laid him in the Evil --Thought Hell ;
The second step that the soul of the wicked man made laid him in the Evil-Word Hell ;
The third step that the soul of the wicked^ man made laid him in the Evil-Deed Hell ;
The fourth step that the soul of the wicked man made laid him in the Endless Darkness.
34. Then one of the wicked who departed before him addressed him, saying: 'How didst thou perish,
0 wicked man? How didst thou come, O fiend!
from the abodes full of cattle and full of the wishes
and enjoyments of love ? From the material world
into the world of the Spirit ? From the decaying
is on account of thy will and actions that I am hideous and vile, iniquitous and diseased, rotten and foul-smelling, unfortunate and distressed, as appears to thee (cf. §§ 11-12).
' When thou sawest any one who performed the Yazishn and Dron ceremonies, and praise and prayer and the service of God, and preserved and protected water and fire, catile and trees, and other good creations, thou practisedst the will of Akharman and the demons, and improper actions. And when thou sawest one who provided hospitable reception, and gave something deservedly in gifts and charity, for the advantage of the good and worthy who came from far, and who were from near, thou wast -avaricious, and shuttedst up thy door (cf. § 13).
'And though I have been unholy (that is, I have been considered bad), I am made more unholy through thee ; and though I have been frightful, I am made more frightful through thee; though
1 have been tremulous, I am made more tremulous through thee ; though I am settled in the northern region of the demons, I am settled further north through thee; through these evil thoughts, through these evil words, and through these evil deeds, which thou practisedst. They curse me, a long time, in the long execration and evil communion of the Evil Spirit (cf. § 14).
'Afterwards that soul of the wicked advanced the first footstep on Dush-humat (the place of evil thoughts), &c.' (The Book of Arda Viraf, XVII, 12-27, as translated by Haug).
Yast Xxii. 321
world into the undecaying one ? How long did thy suffering last ?'
35. Angra Mainyu, the lying one, said: 'Ask
him not what thou askest him, who has just gone
the dreary way, full of fear and distress, where the
body and the soul part from one another.
36. ' Let him eat of the food brought unto him,
of poison and poisonous stench ' : this is the food,
after he has perished, for the youth of evil thoughts,
evil words, evil deeds, evil religion after he has
perished ; this is the food for the fiendish woman,
rich in evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds,
evil religion, ill-principled, and disobedient to her
husband.
37^. 'We worship the Fravashi of the holy man,
whose name is Asm6-//iyanva;^/^; then I will worship
the Fravashis of the other holy Ones who were
strong of faith*.