1 Reading mfin, ‘ whom,’ instead of amat, ‘ when’ (see the note on Bund. I, 7).
* Contracted here into Spendad, as it is also in Bund. XXXIV, 8 in the old MSS. This name of the king is corrupted into Bahman son of Isfendiyar in the Shahnamah.
* This brazen age is evidently out of its proper chronological order. The Pazand and Persian versions correct this blunder by describing the copper age before the brazen one here, but they place the brazen branch before the copper one in § 14, so it is doubtful how the text stood originally.
* Artakhshatar son of Papaki and Shahpfhari son of Artakh- shatar are the Sasanian forms of the names of the first two monarchs (A.D. 226-271) of the Sasanian dynasty, whose reigns constitute this brazen age.
5 Literally, ‘deliverance from sin’ or ‘ salvation’ by one’s own good works, and, therefore, not in a Christian sense.
6 Referring to the ordeal of pouring molten brass on his chest, undergone by Atar6-pad son of Maraspend, high-priest and prime minister of ShapfirII, for the purpose of proving the truth of his religion to those who doubted it.
7 It is uncertain which of the Askanian sovereigns is meant, or whether several of the dynasty may not be referred to. ‘The Greek
200 BAHMAN YAST.
the heterodoxy (gavid-rastakih) which existed,
and the wicked Akandgar-i Kilisyékih! is utterly
destroyed by this religion, azd goes unseen and
unknown from the world. 20. And that which was
of tin is the reign of King Vahram Gér?, when he
successors of Alexander were subdued in Persia by Ask (Arsaces I), who defeated Seleucus Callinicus about B.c. 236. But the third book of the Dinkard (in a passage quoted by Haug in his Essay on the Pahlavi Language) mentions Valkhas (Vologeses) the Askanian as collecting the Avesta and Zand, and encouraging the Mazda- yasnian religion. This Valkhas was probably Vologeses I, a con- temporary of Nero, as shown by Darmesteter in the introduction to his translation of the Vendidad.
* I am indebted to Professor J. Darmesteter for pointing out that Néryésang, in his Sanskrit translation of Yas. IX, 75, explains Kalasiyakah as ‘those whose faith is the Christian religion ;’ the original Pahlavi word in the oldest MSS. is Kilisayatk, altogether a misunderstanding of the Avesta name Keresani, which it trans- ' Jates, but sufficiently near the name in our text to warrant the assumption that Néryésang would have translated Kilisyékih by ‘Christianity ;’ literally it means ‘ecclesiasticism, or the church religion’ (from Pers. kilisy4, Gr. ékcAnoia). Akandgar is probably a miswriting of Alaksandar or Sikandar; though Darmesteter suggests that Skandgar (Av. skevd6-kara, Pers. sikandgar), ‘causer of destruction,’ would be an appropriate punning title for Alexander from a Persian point of view. The anachronisms involved in making Alexander the Great a Christian, conquered by an Askanian king, are not more startling than the usual Pahlavi statement that he was a Roman. To a Persian in Sasanian times Alexander was the representative of an invading enemy which had come from the countries occupied, in those times, by the eastern empire of the Christian Romans, which enemy had been subdued in Persia by the Askanian dynasty ; and such information would naturally lead to the anachronisms just mentioned. The name Kilisyakih is again used, in Chap. III, 3, 5, 8, to denote some Christian enemy.
* This Sasanian monarch (A.D. 420-439), after considerable provocation, revived the persecution of the heretics and foreign creeds which had been tolerated by his predecessor, and _ this conduct naturally endeared him to the priesthood.
Chapter Ii, 20—24. 201
ee er a ——
makes the sight! of the spirit of pleasure manifest,
and Aharman with the wizards rushes back to dark-
ness and gloom. 21. And that which was of steel is
the reign of King Khdsré son of Kévid*, when he
keeps away from this religion the accursed Mazdik®,
son of Bamdad, who remains opposed to the religion
along with the heterodox. 22. And that which was
mixed with iron [is the reign of the demons with
dishevelled hair * of the race of Wrath, when it is
the end of the tenth hundredth winter of thy mil-
lennium}, O Zaratfst the Spitiman !’
23. Zaratist said thus: ‘ Creator of the material
world! O propitious spirit! what token would you
give of the tenth hundredth winter ?’
24. Atharmazd spoke thus: ‘Righteous Zaratdst!
I wd? make z¢ clear: the token that it is the end of
thy millennium, and the most evil period is coming,
is ¢hat a hundred kinds, a thousand kinds, a myriad
of kinds of demons with dishevelled hair, of the
1 Reading véndp (Pers. binab), but it may be va davag, in which case the phrase must be translated as follows: ‘ when he makes the spirit of pleasure and joy manifest.’
* See Chap. I, 5. The characteristic of the steel age, like that of the tin one, was the persecution of heretics who had been tolerated by the reigning monarch’s predecessor.
* Generally written Mazdak, a heretic whose teaching was very popular in the time of King Kévad (or Kavad, a.p. 487-531). His doctrine appears to have been extreme socialism built upon a Mazdayasnian foundation. He was put to death by Khiisré I, as hinted in the text. It is remarkable that none of the successors of Khfsr6é Noéshirvan are mentioned in the Bahman Yast, so that a Parsi, who even did not believe in the verbal inspiration of the book, might possibly consider the remainder of it as strictly prophetical.
* The passage in brackets is omitted in K2o by mistake, and is here supplied from Chap. I, 5, in accordance with the Paz. and Pers. versions.
202 BAHMAN YAST.
race of Wrath, rush into the country of Iran (Airan
shatr6) from the direction of the east!, which has
an inferior race and race of Wrath. 25. They have
uplifted banners, they slay those living in the world?,
they have ¢hezy hair dishevelled on the back, and
they are mostly a small and inferior (nittim) race,
forward in destroying the strong doer; O Zarattist
the Spitiman! the race of Wrath is miscreated (v1-
shfid) and its origin is not manifest. 26. Through
witchcraft they rush into these countries of Iran
which I, Atharmazd, created, since they burn and
damage many things; and the house of the house-
owner, the land of the land-digger, prosperity, nobi-
lity, sovereignty, religion’, truth, agreement, security,
enjoyment, and every characteristic which I, Adhar-
-mazd, created, this pure religion of the Mazda-
yasnians, and the fire of Vahram, which is set in
the appointed place, encounter annihilation, and the
direst destruction and trouble will come into notice.
27. And that which is a great district will become
a town; that which is a great town, a village; that
’ Or ‘of Khfrasan.’ It is difficult to identify these demons with the Arabs, who came from the west, though a dweller in Kirman might imagine that they came from Khfiras4n. In fact, hardly any of the numerous details which follow, except their long- continued rule, apply exclusively to Muhammadans. It appears, moreover, from § 50 and Chap. III, 8, that these demons are intended for Tfirks, that is, invaders from Turkistén, who would naturally come from the east into Persia.
* Reading géhan-zivd zektelind, but the beginning of the latter word is torn off in K2o, and the other versions have no equivalent phrase. ‘The Pdzand substitutes the phrase ‘black banners and black garments.’
* This word, being torn off in K2o, is supplied from the Paz. MSS.
Chapter Ii, 25-31. 203
which is a great village, a family; and that which is
a [great]' family, a single threshold. 28. O Zaratdst
the Spitaman! they will lead these Iranian countries
of Adtharmazd into a desire for evil, ¢#/o tyranny
and misgovernment, those demons with dishevelled
hair who are deceivers, so that what they say they
do not do, and they are of a vile religion, so that
what they do not say they do. 29. And their assist-
ance and promise have no sincerity, there is no
law, they preserve no security, and on the support
they provide no one relies; with deceit, rapacity,
and misgovernment they will devastate these my
Iranian countries, who am Attharmazd.
30. ‘And at that time, O Zaratfst the Spitaman!
all men will become deceivers, great friends will
become of different parties, and respect, affection,
hope ?, and regard for the soul will depart from the
world; the affection of the father will depart from
the son; and /¢haét of the brother from zs brother ;
the son-in-law will become a beggar (kidyak or
kasik) from his father-in-law *, and the mother will
be parted and estranged from the daughter.
31. ‘When it is the end of thy tenth hundredth
winter, O Zaratist the Spitaman! the sun is more
unseen and more spotted (vasangtar); the year,
month, and day are shorter; and the earth of Spen-
darmad is more barren, and fuller of highway-
1 This word is omitted in K2o, but supplied from the Pazand. The whole section is omitted in the Pers.. version.
2 This word, being torn off in K20, is doubtfully supplied from the Pers. paraphrase. The Paz. MSS. omit §§ 30-32.
’ Or, perhaps, ‘ parents-in-law;’ the original is khasrfiné, followed by some word (probably nafsman) which is torn off in K2o. The Pers. version gives no equivalent phrase.
204 BAHMAN YAST.
men!; and the crop will not yield the seed, so that
of the crop of the corn-fields in ten cases seven will
diminish and three? will increase, and that which
increases does not become ripe*; and vegetation,
trees, and shrubs will diminish; when one shall take
a hundred, ninety will diminish and ten will increase,
and that which increases gives no pleasure and
flavour. 32. And men are born smaller, and their
skill and strength are less; they become more de-
ceitful and more given to vile practices; they have
no gratitude and respect for bread and salt, and they
have no affection for their country (désak).
33. ‘And in that most evil time a boundary has
most disrespect * where it is the property of a suf-
fering man of religion; gifts are few among their
deeds, and duties and good works proceed but little
from their hands; and sectarians of all kinds are
seeking mischief for them®. 34. And all the world
will be burying azd clothing the dead, and burying
the dead azd washing the dead we¢/ de by law; the
burning, bringing to water and fire, and eating of
dead matter they practise by law and do not abstain
from. 35. They recount largely about duties and
good works, and pursue wickedness and the road to
hell; and through the iniquity, cajolery, and craving
of wrath and avarice they rush to hell.
36. ‘And in that perplexing time, O Zaratiist the
' Or, ‘tax-collectors;’ Pahl. tangtar va ras-vanagtar.
* In Kao ‘va 3’ is corrupted into the very similar va vai, ‘and a portion.’
* Literally, ‘ white.’
* Reading an4zarm instead of hana Azarm.
* That is, for the Iranians in general, who are the ‘they’ in §§ 32-35.
CHAPTER II, 32—36. 205
Spitéman!—the reign of Wrath with infuriate spear?
and the demon with dishevelled hair, of the race of
Wrath,—the meanest slaves walk forth with the
authority of nobles of the land; and the religious,
who wear sacred thread-girdles on the waist, are
then not able ¢o perform their ablution (padiyavih),
for in those last times dead matter and bodily refuse
become so abundant, that exe who shall set step to
step walks upon dead matter; or when he washes
in the barashniim ceremony, and puts down a foot
from the stone sea¢ (magh)*, he walks on dead
matter; or when he arranges the sacred twigs (bare-
sO6m) and consecrates the sacred cakes (drén6) in
their corpse-chamber (nasai katak)? it is allowable.
1 The Av. Aéshm6 khrvidrus, ‘Aéshma the impetuous assailant’ (see Bund. XXVIII, 15-17); this demon’s Pahlavi epithet is partly a transcription, and partly a paraphrase of the Avesta term.
® Atcording to Dastir Hoshangji (Zand-Pahlavi Glossary, p. 65) the term magh is now applied to the stones on which the person undergoing purification has to squat during ablution in the barash- nfim ceremony. Originally, however, Av. magha appears to have meant a shallow hole dug in the earth, near or over which the person squatted upon a seat, either of stone or some other hard material (see Vend. IX). The term for the hole was probably extended to the whole arrangement, including the seat, which latter has thus acquired the name of magh, although magh and magh4k still mean ‘a channel or pit’ in Persian.
