* Referring to Vend. V, 82—107, which gives an account of the number of persons through whom the pollution of a corpse or carcase will pass, which is in proportion to the importance of the dead individual. The statement here made is that the infection, passing from one to the other, enters each person only on one side, but the demon of corruption attacks them on all sides,
5 Meaning, probably, the Nastis, or demon of corruption (see § 1), who is said to rush upon all those polluted as detailed in Vend. V, 82-107.
® See Chap. I, 3. ;
7 That is, umil seen by the dog the corpse remains pervaded by the demon of corruption and hazardous to approach (see §§ 1-4).
260 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
warrior, and a husbandman are no use, for merely
a dog is stated. 57. Ktshtand-bigéd! said the
account is at the time when its life departs; and
that which Kdshtand-bagéd specially said is, ‘when
anything is inside it (the place) the pollution is as
far as to the place where that thing stands.’ 58.
When a dog, or a goat, or a pig is requisite
(darvai)? it is proper, for ¢he pollution does not
attack further there ; and the pollution of a child in
the womb is a/ong with the mother.
59. The direct pollution of a hedgehog ® cleaves
to ove, and not the indirect pollution. 60. Direct
pollution (hamréd@)* is that when the body is in
contact with a corpse, and indirect pollution (pait-
1 See Chap. I, 4, note. This name is nearly always written Kushtané-bigéd in Sls. in Kz2o and M6; it is not mentioned in Pahl. Vend. V, 107, although the details here quoted are there given in part.
® The meaning is not quite clear, but this sentence is probably to be read in connection with the preceding one, as implying that where such domestic animals are kept they can be used for stopping the infection, as effectually as any inanimate object. ‘The pig is here mentioned as a common domestic animal, but Parsis have long since adopted the prejudices of Hindus and Muhammadans as regards the uncleanness of the pig.
* As Vend, V, ro8-rr2 says the same of the dog urupi, it would seem that the writer of our text considered the urupi to be a hedgehog (zfizak); the Pahlavi translation of the Vendidad renders it by rapuk or rip&k, which appears to be merely an approximate transcript of the Avesta word; traditionally, this is read raspfik and compared with Pers. r4sf, ‘ichneumon;’ its identification with the hedgehog is certainly doubtful, although it appears ta be admitted in Pahl. Vend. V, 112, where the same words are used as in this section.
* The technical terms hamréd and paitréd, for contagion and infection, are merely corruptions of Av. him-raéthwayéiti and paiti-raéthwayéiti. The definition of the latter one is omitted in K2o by mistake.
Chapter I, 57-63. 261
réd) is that when’ one is in contact with him who
touched the corpse; and from contact with him who
is the eleventh ? indirect pollution cleaves to oe é
the same manner. 61. The indirect pollution of an
ape * and a menstruous woman, not acting the same
way, remains. 62. The shepherd's dog, and like-
wise the village-dog, and others also of the like kind
carry contamination to eight‘; and when they shall
carry ¢he carcase down on the ground ‘he place® is
clean immediately; and that, too, which dies on a
balcony (4skap), until they shall carry 7¢ down to
the bottom, is polluted /ory the length of a year.
63. Whoever brings dead matter (nas4f) on any person is worthy of death; he is thrice worthy of
1 Reading amat, ‘when,’ instead of mfin, ‘ which’ (see note to Bund. I, 7).
® Vend. V, 86, 87 limits the pollution to the eleventh person infected, in the extreme case of the corpse having been a priest; but Pahl. Vend. V, 107 quotes the opinion of Séshans that until a dog has gazed at the corpse the pollution extends to the twelfth, but only the first ten require the ceremonial purification of the bareshniim, the others being cleansed by ordinary washing with bull’s urine and water.
’ Pahl. Vend. V, 107 states, however, that ‘everything of th: ape (kapik) is just like mankind.’ The meaning of § 61 is very uncertain, as the text can be both read and translated several ways, and none of them are very satisfactory.
‘ That is, in the case of the shepherd’s dog (see Vend. V, 92, 93); the carcases of other dogs occasion the indirect pollution of fewer persons, in proportion to their inferior importance; but Pahl. Vend. V, 107 states, with regard to this importance, that when ‘in doubt, every man is to be considered as a priest, and every dog as a shep- herd’s dog,’ so as to be on the safe side, by exacting the maximum amount of purification in all doubtful cases.
’ The Pahlavi text leaves it doubtful whether the place, the people, or the carcase becomes clean, but the first is the most
probable.
262 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
65. When they move a corpse which a dog Aas
not seen with a thousand men, even then the bodies
of the whole xzmdécr are polluted ®, and are to be
washed for them with ceremony (pisak)®. 66. And
for that which a dog as seen, except that one only
when a man shall move 7¢ all? by touching 7, his
washing is then not /o de with ceremony. 67. And
when he is in contact azd does not move 7é, he is to
be washed with bull’s urine axd water. 68. And
‘ That is, he has committed a sin equivalent to three mortal sins (marg-argan).
* Reading ves as equivalent to vés.
* Reading rakhtakih (compare Pers. rakhtah, ‘sick, wounded’),
* This opinion of Afarg (see Chap. I, 3) is also quoted in Pahl. Vend. III, 48.
® This statement is repeated in Chap, X, 33.
® That is, with the Bareshnim ceremony.
* This exception (which is repeated in §§ 68, 71) seems to imply that §§ 66, 68, 71 refer to the collection of any fragments of a corpse found in the wilderness, or in water; and the exemption from the troublesome purification ceremony in such cases, is pro- bably intended to encourage people to undertake the disagreeable duty of attending to such fragments.
CHAPTER Il, 64-71. 263
when he shall move with a stake (dar)! a corpse
which a dog Aas not seen, except that one only
when he shall move 7¢ all, the washing for him is
not fo de with ceremony.
1 The interposition of the stake, or piece of wood, prevents the direct attack of the Nastis, or demon of corruption, which has not been driven away bya dog. That inanimate objects are supposed to stop the progress of the pollution appears from § 57.
2 See Chap. I, 1, 2. A sin is figuratively said to take root in the body, when it has to be eradicated, or figuratively dug up.
5 See § 68. If he employs another man to move the corpse merely because he is physically unable to do it himself, he escapes with less pollution than when he is able to do the work himself ; but the man employed suffers the same in both cases.
* See Chap. I,.2,°2. ® See § 66.
264 _ SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
72, When one is going dy a place at night, and
comes back there oz the morrow, and a corpse
lies there, and he does not know whether the evil
(dis) was there when he came by’, or not, it is to
be considered by him that it was not there.
73. Ofa flock in which is a sheep by whom dead
matter is eaten, of a forest in which is a tree with
which dead matter is mingled, and of a firewood-
stand (aesamd4n) in which is a stick of firewood
with which grease is mingled, Afarg said that it is
not proper to make the flock and the forest fruitful,
and the firewood is useless ®.
74. Adout a door on which a corpse impinges; as
to the door of a town and city they have been of the
same opinion, that z¢ is to be discarded by zs com-
_rades (hamk4r)*; as to a door which is mostly closed
(badtim)* they have been of different opinions,
' Literally, ‘when I came by ;’ the usual Persian idiom in such phrases.
* This statement of Afarg’s, so far as it relates to greasy fire- wood, will be found in Pahl; Vend. V, 14.
* Or, ‘by the community,’ The same rule is mentioned in Pahl. Vend. V, 14.
* There is some uncertainty about this word. It is not the Pers. badtum, ‘ worst, vilest,’ because that is written vadtim or vatfim in Pahlavi; besides, the rule must apply to other than the vilest doors, otherwise it would not harmonize with § 75. It is not a miswriting of nitfim, ‘lowest, most debased,’ for the same reason, and because it occurs elsewhere. It is not a miswriting of bétman, a possible variant of béta, ‘a house’ (although ‘a house-door’ would suit the context very well), because it occurs also in Pahl. Vend. V, 14, XI, ro, in which latter place it is clearly an adjective partially translating Av. bendvéd. And it would be hazardous to connect it with Pers. bidfin, ‘outside,’ which seems merely a cor- ruption or misreading of birfin. The view taken here is that badtfim stands for bandtfim, ‘most shut up,’ the nasal being often dropped in Pahlavi, as in sag for sang, ‘stone,’ &c.
Chapter Ii, 72~—78. 265
Ce EEE SESE EEnEEEEE I EEREInEEERENEEnEEnpnnnneemmmnememeenmemmemmemmmmenneme= eee
Gégésasp! said that discarding 7¢ by Azs comrades
is likewise proper, and Sdéshyans said that it is not
proper; and as to other doors they have been
of the same opinion, that it is not proper. 75.
The door of one’s own chief apartment (shah-gAs)
is fit for that of the place for menstruation (dastAn-
ist4n), and that of the place for menstruation is fit
for that of the depository for the dead (khazan6)*,
and that of the depository of the dead is not fit for
any purpose whatever*®; that of the more pleasant
is fit for that of the more grievous.
76. Any one who, through sinfulness, throws a
corpse into the water, is worthy of death on the
spot *#; when he throws only one 7¢ ¢s one siz worthy
of death, and when he throws ten at one time 7/ ¢s
then one szz worthy of death; when he throws ‘Aem
separately 7/ zs a s¢z worthy of death for each one.
77. Of the water, into which ove throws dead matter,
the extent of pollution is three steps of three feet 7
the water advancing, nine steps of three feet zz the
water fassed over, and six steps of three feet 77 the
water alongside °; six steps of three feet in the depth
of the water, and three steps of three feet in the
water pouring over the dead matter are polluted as
regards the depth®. 78. When it is thrown z7/o the
midst of a great standing water, in like manner, the
proportion it comes is ever as much as it goes, avd
a a
* The Huz. equivalent of Paz. dakhmak (see § 6).
5 See Pahl. Vend. V, 14.
* Compare Pahl. Vend. VII, 66. ® See Vend. VI, 80.
6 That is, the pollution extends about eight English feet up-stream and upwards, sixteen feet sideways and downwards, and twenty- four feet down-stream. Some of the latter part of the sentence is omitted in K2o by mistake.
266 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
Ti
zs the proportion of it they should always carry away with the dead matter’,
79. And when a man comes forth, and a corpse
lies in the water, when he is able to bring it out,
and it is not an injury to him, it is not allowable to
abandon z¢ except when he brings z¢ out’. 80.
Séshyans ® said that, when it is an injury, it is allow-
able when ¢ he does not bring z¢ out; and when it is
not an injury, and he does not bring 2¢, his sin isa
Tanapthar®. 81. Kashtand-bigéd® said that even
in case of injury it is not allowable to abandon 2/,
except when he brings z¢ out; when he does not
bring 2¢ fe is worthy of death. 82. And Gédgédsasp’
said that it is even in case of injury not allowable,
except when he brings z¢ out; and when, in case of
injury, he does not bring z¢ out his sin is a Tanéa-
paihar; and when it is no injury to him, and he does
not bring 2¢, Ae is worthy of death.
83. And when he shall wish to bring z¢ his cloth- ing is to be laid aside’, for it makes the clothing
