* The eleventh day of the fourth month, when the festival commences,
* The Av. maidhydirya of Yas. I, 30, II, 39, III, 44, Visp. I,
Chapter Xxv, 4-6. 93
auspicious day Vahram of the month Din'—the
shortes¢ day—the night increases; and from the sea-
son of Médiydrém to the season of Méddk-shém the
night decreases and the day increases. 4. The
summer day is as much as two of the shortest *
winter days, avd the winter night is as much as two
of the shortest summer nights*. 5. The summer
day is twelve Hasars, the night six Hasars; the
winter night is twelve Hasars, the day six; a Hasar
bcing a measure of time and, in like manner, of land‘.
6. In the season of Haméspamadayém °, that is, the
Tt Nr Ns
6, Il, 1, Af. Gahan. 2, 11. It is the fifth season-festival, held on the five days ending with the 290th day of the Parsi year, which formerly corresponded approximately to midwinter, according to the Bundahis. Later writings assert that it commemorates the creation of animals.
' The twentieth day of the tenth month, when the festival ends.
* The word kah-ait is merely a hybrid Huzvaris form of kahist, ‘ shortest,’ which occurs in the next phrase.
* This statement must be considered merely as an approxima- tion. The longest day is twice the length of the shortest one in latitude 49°, that is, north of Paris, Vienna, and Odessa, if the length of the day be computed from sunrise to sunset; and, if twilight be included, it is necessary to go still further north. In Adarbigin,.the northern province of Persia, the longest day is about 14} hours from sunrise to sunset, and the shortest is about y4 hours.
‘ According to this passage a hdsar of time is one hour and twenty minutes; itis the Av. hathra of the Farhang-i Oim-khadik (p. 43, ed. Hoshangji), which says, ‘of twelve Hasars is the longest day, and the day and night in which is the longest day are twelve of the longest Hasars, eighteen of the medium, and twenty-four of the least—an enumeration of the several measures of the Hasar.’ For the hasar measure of land, see Chap. XXVI.
* So in K2o, but this name is rarely written twice alike; it is the Av. hamaspathmaédaya of Yas. I, 31, II, 40, III, 45, Visp. a, ee 2 Be Af. Gahan. 2,12. It is the sixth season-festival, held on the five Gatha days which conclude the Parsi year, just before
O4 BUNDAIIIS.
five supplementary days at the end of the month
Spendarmad, the day azd night are again equal.
7. As from the auspicious day Atharmazd of the
month Fravardin to the auspicious day Aniran of
the month Mitré! is the summer of seven months,
so from the auspicious day Atharmazd of the month
Avan to the auspicious month Spendarmad, on to
the end of the five supplementary days?, is the
winter of five months. 8. The priest fulfils the
regulation (vaar) about a corpse azd other things,
by this calculation as to summer and winter. 9. In
those seven months* of summer the periods (gas)
of the days and nights are five—since one cele-
brates the Rapitvin—namely, the period of day-
break is Havan, the period of midday is Rapitvin,
the period of afternoon is Atizérin, when the ap-
pearance of the stars Aas come into the sky‘ until
midnight is the period of Aibisritém, from mid-
night until the stars become imperceptible is the
period of Adshahin®. tro. In winter are four periods,
for from daybreak till Atizérin is all HAvan, avd the
rest as I fave said; and the reason of it is this, that
the appearance ® of winter is in the direction of the
the vernal equinox, according to the Bundahis. Later writings assert that it commemorates the creation of man.
* That is, from the first day of the first month to the last day of the seventh month.
* That is, from the first day of the eighth month to the last of the five Gatha days, which are added to the twelfth month to com- plete the year of 365 days.
* All MSS. have ‘ five months’ here.
* 1X20 has ‘when the stars Aave come into sight.’
° The Avesta names of the five Gahs are Havani, Rapithwina, Uzayéirina, Aiwisrfithrema, and Ushahina.
* Paz. ash4ris is evidently a misreading of Pahl, 4shkarth.
Chapter Xxv, 7-14. 935
north, where the regions Vérftharst' and Voérdgarst
are; the original dwelling of summer, too, is in the
south, where the regions Fradadafsh and Vidadafsh
are; on the day Adharmazd of the auspicious month
Avan the winter acquires strength and enters into
the world, ad the spirit of Rapitvin goes from
above-ground to below-ground, where the spring
(khant) of waters is, avd diffuses* warmth and
moisture in the water, azd@ so many roots of trees do
not wither with cold and drought. 11. And oz the
auspicious day Ataré of the month Din ®* the winter
arrives, with much cold, at Airan-vég; and until the
end, in the auspicious month Spendarmad, winter
advances through the whole world; on this account
they kindle a fire everywhere ox the day Ataré of
the month Din, avd it forms an indication that
winter Aas come. 12. In those five months the
water of springs azd conduits is all warm‘, for Ra-
pitvin keeps warmth avd moisture there, avd one
does not celebrate the period of Rapitvin. 13. As
the day Adharmazd of the month Fravardin ad-
vances it diminishes the strength which winter
possesses, avd summer comes in from its own
original dwelling, avd receives strength azd do-
minion. 14. Rapitvin comes up from below-ground,
and ripens the fruit of the trees; on this account
1 See Chaps. V, 8, XI, 3. The north, being opposed to the south or midday quarter, is opposed to the midday period of Rapitvin, which, therefore, disappears as winter approaches from the north.
2 If, instead of khanf for khAntk, ‘spring,’ we read ahf-i, ‘lord of,’ the translation will be, ‘so that the angel of waters may diffuse,’ &c.
8 The ninth day of the tenth month.
¢ That is, warmer than the air, as it is cooler in summer.
96 BUNDAHIS.
the water of springs is cold in summer?, for Rapftvin
is not there; azd those seven® months ove celebrates
the Rapitvin, azd summer advances through the
whole earth. 15. And yet in the direction of Hin-
distin, there were the original dwelling of summer
is nearer, it is always neither cold nor hot; for in the
season which is the dominion of summer, the rain
always dispels most of the heat, avd it does not
become perceptible; in the winter rain does not fall,
and the cold does not become very perceptible *.
16. In the northern direction, where the preparation
of winter is, 74 zs always.cold*; for in the summer
mostly, on account of the more oppressive winter
there, it is not possible so to dispel the cold that
ote might make 7/ quite warm. 17. In the middle
localities the cold of winter axzd heat of summer
both come on vehemently.
18. Again, the year defcexrdent on the revolving
moon is not equal to the computed year on this
account, for the moon* returns one time in twenty-
nine, azd one time in ge ast and there are four
' Keo has ‘winter’ by mistake.
* K2o has ‘six,’ and M6 ‘ five,’ instead of ‘ seven.’
* This is a fairly accurate account of the effect of the monsoons over the greater part of India, as understood by a foreigner unac- quainted with the different state of matters in a large portion of i Madras provinces.
* M6 has kharasin instead of ardyisn, ‘preparation,’ which alters the sense into ‘ thatis, Khfrdsan, of which the winter is always sa :
The MSS. have the Huzvaris term fools month,’ which is sometimes used, by mistake, for ‘moon. It is doubtful which word the author intended to use here, but it is usual to count the days ofa lunar month from the first actual appearance of the new
moon, which usually occurs a full day after the change of the moon,
Chapter Xxv, 15-22. 97
a Ee
hours (zam4n) more than suck a one of its years';
as it says, that every one deceives where they speak
about the moon: (or month), except when they say
that it comes twice in sixty days. 19. Whoever
keeps the year by the revolution of the moon
mingles summer with winter avd winter with
summer *,
20. This, 00, 7¢ says, that the auspicious month
Fravardin, the month Ardavahist, avd the month
Horvadad® are spring; the month Tir, the month
Amerddad, and the month Shatvairé are summer;
the month Mitré, the month Avan, azd the month
Ataré are autumn; the month Din, the month
Vohaman, azd the month Spendarmad are winter ¢.
21. And the sun comes from the sign (khadrdak) of
Aries, into which it proceeded in the beginning,
back to that same place in three hundred and sixty-
five days and six short times (hours), which are one
year. 22. As every three months it (the sun) ad-
vances through three constellations, more or less,
the moon comes, in a hundred and eighty days,
back to the place out of which it travelled in the
_ beginning ®.
1 Meaning, probably, that the lunar year is four hours more than twelve months of 29 and 30 days each, alternately. It should be 8 hours, 48 minutes, and 37 seconds. The sentence seems defective, but it is evident from § 21 that zam4n means ‘ hour.’
2 That is, the lunar year being eleven days shorter than the solar one, its months are constantly retrograding through the seasons.
§ Generally written Avardad in Pazand, and Khurdad in Persian.
* The names of the months are selected from the names of the days of the month (see Chap. XXVII, 24), but are arranged in a totally different order.
’ Probably meaning, that the new moon next the autumnal
98 BUNDAHIS.
CuarTeR X XVI.
1. A Hasar? on the ground is a Parasang of one
thousand steps of the two feet. 2. A Parasang? is
a measure as much as a far-seeing man may look
out, see a beast of burden, and make known that 7¢
is black or white. 3. And the measure of a man is
eight medium spans *.
equinox is to be looked for in the same quarter as the new moon nearest the vernal equinox, the moon’s declination being nearly the same in both cases.
1 Av. hathra of Vend. II, 65, VIII, 280, 287, 291, Tistar Yt. 23, 29. The statements regarding the length of a Hasar are rather perplexing, for we are told that it ‘is like a Parasang’ (Chap. XLV, 4), that ‘the length of a Hasar is one-fourth of a Para- ~ sang’ (Chap. XVI, 7), and that ‘a medium Hasar on the ground, which they also call a Parasang, is a thousand steps of the two feet when walking with propriety’ (Farhang-i Otm-khadfk, ed. Hosh. p. 42). To reconcile these statements we must conclude that the Hasar is like a Parasang merely in the sense of being a long measure of distance, that it is really the mille passus or mile of the Romans, and that it is a quarter of the actual Parasang. At the same time, as it was usual to call a Hisar by the name of a Parasang, we are often left in doubt whether a mile or a league is meant, when a Hasar or Parasang is mentioned. The Farhang-i Oim-khadik (p. 41) also mentions other measures of distance, such as the tafar (Av. takara) of two Hasars, the asvdst (or a€ast) of four Hasars, the dashmést (Av. dakhshmaiti) of eight Hasars, and the yOgést (Av. yigaiasti or yugaiasti) of sixteen Hasars.
* A Parasang is usually from 3} to 4 English miles, but perhaps a Hisar is meant here.
* Reading vitast-i miydnak instead of vitast damaénak. The Farhang-i Oim-khadfik (p. 41) mentions three kinds of spans, the Av. vitasti (Vend. VIII, 243, 245, XVII, 13) of twelve finger- breadths (angtist), or about 9 inches, which is a full span between the thumb and little finger (the one mentioned in the text); the Av. disti (Vend. XVII, 13) of ten finger-breadths, or about 74 inches, Which is a span between the thumb and middle finger ; and the
Chapter Xxvi, I—Xxvii, 2. 99
CuHarTterR XXVII.
1. On the nature of plants it says in revelation,
that, before the coming of the destroyer, vegetation
had no thorn and bark about it; and, afterwards,
when the destroyer came, it became coated with
bark and thorny', for antagonism mingled with
every single thing; owing to that cause vegetation
is also much mixed with poison, like Bis the height
of hemp (kand)*, that is poisonous, for men when
they eat z¢ die.
2. In like manner even as the animals, with grain
of fifty and five species and twelve species of medi-
cinal plants, have arisen from the primeval ox *, ten
thousand‘ species among the species of principal
