CHAPTER IX.
1. The conflict waged with plants was that when® they became quite dry. 2. Amerddad the arch-
* M6 has rasak, but this and many other strange words are probably due to the copyist of that MS. having an original before him which was nearly illegible in many places.
* Or, ‘as it were innumerable ;’ the word amar meaning both ‘number’ and ‘innumerable.’
* See Chap. XII, 1.
* The word must be farhakhtag4n, ‘proprieties,’ both here and in Chap. IX, 6, as farhakhtisn is an ungrammatical form.
* Reading amat, ‘ when,’ instead of min, ‘ which’ (see the note to Chap. I, 7).
Chapter Viii, 3~-X, I. 3
angel, as the vegetation was his own, pounded the
plants small, azd mixed “hem up with the water
which Vistar seized, and Tistar made that water rain
down upon the whole earth. 3. On the whole earth
plants grew up like hair upon the heads of men.
4. Ten thousand! of them grew forth of one special
description, for keeping away the ten thousand
species of disease whzch the evil spirit produced for
the creatures; avd from those ten thousand, the
100,000 species* of plants have grown forth.
5. From that same germ of plants the tree of all
germs * was given forth, axd grew up in the wide-
formed ocean, from which the germs of all species of
plants ever increased. 6. And near to that tree of
all germs the Gékard tree‘ was produced, for keeping
away deformed (dispad) decrepitude; and the full
perfection of the world arose therefrom.
CHAPTER X.
*o. On the conflict waged with the primeval ox.
1. As it passed away®, owing to the vegetable
principle (Aiharak) proceeding from every limb of
the ox, fifty and five species of grain® avd twelve
species of medicinal plants grew forth from the
earth, and their splendour and strength were the
1 See Chap. XXVII, 2.
® Here 120,000 are mentioned, but see Chap. XXVII, 2, and Selections of Zad-sparam, VIII, 2.
* Or, ‘of all seeds’ (see Chap. XVIII, 9).
* The white-Hém tree (see Chaps. XVIII, 1-6, XXVII, 4).
* See Chap: IV, x. 6 See Chaps. XIV, 1, XXVII, 2.
32 BUNDAIIIS.
seminal energy (tO6khmith) of the ox. 2. Delivered
to the moon station', that seed was thoroughly puri-
fied by the light of the moon, fully prepared in
every way, and produced life ina body. 3. Thence
arose two oxen, one male azd one female; and,
afterwards, two hundred and eighty-two species of
each kind? became manifest upon the earth. 4. The
dwelling (manist) of the birds is in the air, and the
fish are in the midst of the water.
1. On the nature of the earth it says in revela-
tion, that /Aere are thirty and three kinds® of land.
2. On the day when Tistar produced the rain, when
its seas arose therefrom, the whole place, half taken
up by water, was converted into seven portions;
this portion’, as much as one-half, is the middle,
and six portions are around; those six portions
are together as much as Khvaniras. 3. The name
' See Chap. XIV, 3. In the Mah Yt. 0, 7, blessings are in- voked for ‘the moon of ox lineage’ (gaofithra) in conjunction with the ‘sole-created ox and the ox of many species.’ In the Avesta the gender of these two primeval oxen appears doubtful, owing probably to the dual gen. masc. of their epithets being of the same form as a sing. gen. fem.
* That is, of each sex. See Chap. XIV, 13, 27. In all three occurrences of this number K2o has 272, but all other MSS. have 282 (except M6 in this place only).
* Kzob has ‘ thirty-two kinds,’
* That is, Khvaniras; or it may be ‘one portion,’ as han, ‘this,’ is often used for aé, ‘one,’ because the Pazand form of both words is e.
Chapter X, 2—Xi, 5. 33
késhvar (‘zone or region’) is also applied to them,
and ¢hey existed side by side (kash kash); as on
the east side of this portion (Khvaniras) is the
Savah region, oz the west is the Arzah region; the
two portions on the south side are the Fradadafsh
and Vidadafsh regions, the two portions on the north
side are the Vérdbarst and Vordgarst regions, and
that in the middle is Khvaniras. 4. And Khvaniras
has the sea, for one part of the wide-formed ocean
wound about around it; and from Vordbarst and
Vordgarst a lofty mountain grew up; so that it is
not possible for any one to go from region to
region *,
5. And of these seven regions every benefit was
created most in Khvaniras, and the evil spirit also
produced most for Khvaniras, on account of the
superiority (sarih)* which he saw in it. 6. For the
Kayanians and heroes were created in Khvaniras ;
and the good religion of the Mazdayasnians was
created in Khvaniras, and afterwards conveyed to
the other regions ; Sdéshyans* is born in Khvaniras,
who makes the evil spirit impotent, and causes the
resurrection azd future existence.
? Possibly an attempt to connect the term késhvar with kash; but the sentence may also be translated thus: ‘and /Aey formed various districts like this portion; on the east side is the Savah region,’ &c.
2 In the Pahlavi Vend. I, 4a, and in the Mainy6-i-khard, IX, 6, it is added, ‘except with the permission of the angels’ or the demons.
* Always spelt so in the Bundahis MSS. Kzo and M6, and corrupted into Séshyés in Pazand; but it is more usually written Sdéshins in other Pahlavi works, and its Avesta form is Saoshyis (see Chap. XXXII, 8).
34 BUNDAIIIS.
CuartTER XII.
1. On the nature of mountains it says in revela-
tion, that, at first, the mountains have grown forth
in eighteen years; and Albtirz ever grew till the
completion of eight hundred years; two hundred
years #p to the star station (payak), two hundred
years to the moon station, two hundred years to the
sun station, and two hundred years to the endless
light’, 2. While the other mountains have grown
out of Albfirz, in number 2244 mountains, avd are
Hiigar the lofty’, Térak of Albtirs, A’akad-i-Daitik,
and the Areztr ridge, the Atsinddm mountain,
Mount Aparsén which they say is the mountain of
Pars, Mount Zarid also which is Mount Manis,
Mount Aira’, Mount Kaf, Mount Vadeés, Mount
Adshdastar, Mount Arestr-bim, Mount Rodyisn-
homand, Mount Padashkhvargar which is the
ereatest in Khvarih, the mountain which they call
Aind, Mount Révand, Mount Darspét the Bakyir
mountain, Mount Kabed-sikaft, Mount Siyak-mii-
mand, Mount Vafar-ho6mand, Mount Spendyad and
Kondrasp, Mount” Asnavand avd Kondras, Mount
‘ These are the four grades of the Mazdayasnian heaven.
* In all the geographical details, mentioned in the Bundahis, there is a strange mixture of mythical tradition with actual fact. The author of the work finds names mentioned in the Avesta, by old writers of another country, and endeavours to identify them with places known to himself; much in the same way as attempts have been made to identify the geographical details of the garden of Eden. Most of the names of these mountains occur in the Zamyad Yast, or in other parts of the Avesta, as will be noticed in detail further on, The number 2244 is also mentioned in § 7 of that Yast. A very able commentary on this chapter will be found in Windischmann’s Zoroastriche Studien, pp. 1-19.
CHAPTER XII, 1-6.
Sifidav', a mountain among those which are in
Kangdez *, of which they say that they are a comfort
and delight of the good creator, the smaller hills.
3. I wi// mention them also a second time; Al.
bairz* is around this earth and is connected with the
sky. 4. The Térak‘ of Albfrz is that through
which the stars, moon, azd sun pass* in, and
through it they come back. 5. Hagar the lofty® is
that from which the water of Arédvivsdr’ leaps
down the height of a thousand men. 6. The Ad-
sindém* mountain is that which, being of ruby
1 The Av. Sifidava of Zamyfd Yt. 5.
* The Haraiti-bares of Zamyfid Yt. 1; but it is more usually called Hara berezaiti (see Chap. V, 3).
* A central peak of the mythic Albfrz, around which the heavenly badies are said to revolve (see Chap. V, 3). It is the Av. Taéra, mentioned in Yas. XLI, 24, Ram Yt. 7, Zamy4d Yt. 6.
® So in M6, but K20 has ‘go in.’
° This appears to be another peak of the mythic Albfrz, pro- bably in the west, as it is connected with Satavés, the western chief- tain of the constellations (see Chaps. XXIV, 17, and Il, 7). It is the Av. Hukairya berezé, of Yas. LXIV, 14, Aban Yt. 3, 25,96, Gos Yt. 8, Mihir Yt. 88, Rashnu Yt. 24, Fravardin Yt. 6, Ram Yt. 15.
7 See Chap. XIII, 3-5.
§ In Atharmazd Yt. 31 and Zamyad Yt. 2, 66, an Ushidhfo mountain is mentioned as having many mountain waters around it, but this seems to be a near neighbour of the Ushidarena mountain (see § 15). The details in the text correspond with the description of the Hindva mountain, given in Tistar Yt. 32, thus: us Hindvad paiti gardid y6 histaiti maidhim zrayangho vouru-kashahé, ‘up on the Hindva mountain, which stands amid the wide-shored
iS
36 BUNDAHIS.
(khtin-Ahin6d), of the substance of the sky}, is 2
the midst of the wide-formed ocean, so that its
water, which is from Htigar, pours down into it (the
ocean). 7. Kakdd-i-Daitik (‘the judicial peak’) ts
that of the middle of the world, the height of a hun-
dred men, on which the Kinvar bridge? stands; and
they take account of the soul at that place. 8. The
Areztir® ridge [of the Albtrz mountain] is a summit
at the gate of hell, where they always hold the con-
course of the demons. 9. This also is saic, that,
excepting Albirz, the Aparsén* mountain is the
ocean ;’ and the Pahlavi name, Afistndém, has probably arisen from the us Hindvad of this passage, as suggested by Justi. (See Chaps. XIII, 5, and XVIII, ro, 11.)
' The sky is considered to be a true firmament, or hard and indestructible dome.
* The Xinvaté-peretu of the Avesta, mentioned even in the Githas. In the Pahlavi Vend. XIX, ror, it is stated that ‘they pass across by the Ainvad bridge, whose two extremities are their own heavenly angels, one stands at Aak4d-i-Daitik, and one at Albfirz;’ the former mountain seems not to be mentioned in the Avesta, but the bridge is the path of the soul to the other world ; if righteous the soul passes by it easily over Albfrs (the confines of this world) into paradise, but if wicked it drops off the bridge into hell.
* See Vend. III, 23, XIX, 140. The words in brackets may perhaps be inserted by mistake, but they occur in all MSS. exa- mined, and there is nothing inconsistent with tradition in supposing Arezfir to be the extreme northern range of the mythic Albfrz which surrounds the earth, being the place where demons chiefly congregate,
* Justi adopts the reading Harpfrsén, which occurs in K20 four times out of eleven, but is corrected thrice. Windischmann suggests that this mountain is the Av. skyata (or iskata) upairi-saéna of Yas. X, 29, and Zamy4d Yt. 3, which the Pahlavi translator of the Yasna explains as ‘the Parsén crag.’ It seems to be a general name for the principal mountain ranges in the south and east of Iran, as may be seen on comparing this passage and Chap. XXIV,
CHAPTER XII, 7-15. 37
greatest; the Apdirsén movntain they call the
mountain of Pars, and its beginning is in Sagastan!
and its end in Khfgistan. 10. Mount Manis? is
great; the mountain on which Mandsé#ihar was
born.
11, The remaining mountains have chiefly grown
from those; as it is said that the elevation (afsArih)
of the districts had arisen most around those three
mountains*. 12, Mount Airaé* is in the middle
from Hamadain to Khvarizem, and has grown from
Mount Aparsén. 13. Mount [Aind]}*, which is on its
east, on the frontier of Tarkistan, is connected also
with Aparsén. 14. Mount Kaf® has grown from
the same Mount Apdarsén. 15. Mount Adshdas-
28, with Chap. XX, 16, 17, 21, 22, where the Haro, Hétimand, Marv, and Balkh rivers are said to spring from Mount Apdrsén; but its application to the southern range is perhaps due to the etymological attempt, in the text, to connect it with Pars. The Selections of Zid-sparam, VII, 7, have Ainistén for Khfgistan.
1 This name can also be read Sistan.
2 In §2 it is also called Zarid, but in Zamyfd Yt. 1 Zeredhé and Aredhé-manusha are mentioned as neighbouring mountains. The word ‘great’ is omitted in M6.
* That is, around the ranges of Albfirz, Aparsén, and Mantis.
* Perhaps intended for the Erezish6 of Zamyfd Yt. 2. The de- scription would apply to any of the mountains near Nisapdr.
