* Vinds-i hamémalan, ‘sin relating to adversaries.’ Sins -appear to be divided into two great classes, hamém4l and ribanik. A haméméal sin seems to be any secular offence which injures some person or animal who, thereupon, becomes a hamémal, ‘accuser’ (Av. hameretha, ‘opponent,’ Yas. LVI, x, 10), and who must first be satisfied by atonement, before con- fession to the high-priest, or renunciation of sin, can be of any avail for removing the sin (compare Matthew v. 23-26). The Rivayats assert that if a person dies without atoning for a hamémAl sin, his soul will be stopped at the Xinvad bridge (see Bund. XII, 7) on its way to the other world, and kept in a state of torment until the arrival of the ‘accuser,’ and after he is satisfied the sinner’s soul will be disposed of, in the usual manner, accord- ing to the balance of its good and bad actions. It is also probable that only a man of ‘the good religion,’ or an animal of the good creation, can be an ‘accuser. A rfibanik sin, on the other hand, seems to be one which affects only the sinner’s own soul, and foi which the high-priest can prescribe a sufficient atonement. It is doubtful, however, whether the Parsis nowadays have any very clear notions of the exact distinction between these two classes of sins, although aware of their names, which are mentioned in their Patit, or renunciation of sin. The explanations given in some editions of their Khurdah Avesta, or prayer-book, are confined to mentioning certain special instances of each class of sin; thus,
Chapter Vii, 9-Viii, 3. 301
LR eh enn
the soul is to be atoned for among the high-priests
(radan), and when they do whatever the high-
priests of the religion command the sin will depart,
and the good works which they may thenceforth do
will attain completion (avaspérik). 2. The sin of
him who is worthy of death (marg-argdn) is to be
confessed (garzisn6) unto the high-priests, and he
is to deliver up Azs body’; except /o the high-priests
he is not to deliver up Azs body.
3. On account of the dexterity (farhang) of
horsemen it is not /Aezr business to hunt (nakh4ir
kardan6); and it is not allowable for any one else
to hunt for game, except for Aim whose wealth is
less ¢han three hundred stirs *.
murder, seduction, unnecessary slaughter of cattle, embezzlement, slander, seizing land by force, and a few other evil deeds are stated to be hamémA4l sins; while unnatural offences and intercourse with women of another race and religion are said to be ribanfk sins. In the Pahlavi Vendidad these classes of sins are rarely mentioned, but hamém4lan occurs in Pahl. Vend. III, 151, IV, 23, XIII, 38; hamémAlih in III, 119; and riibanik in XIII, 38 ; although, perhaps, not always in the sense of sin.
’ By committing a marg-arg4n or mortal sin, that is, a sin worthy of death, he has forfeited his life, and ought to place it at the disposal of the rad, or high-priest.
2 This section, intended to preserve game for the poor, is evi- dently out of place here, as it has no connection with the context. With reference to the property qualification for hunting, it appears, from a passage in ‘the Persian MS. M5 about the proper dowry for a privileged wife, that 2000 dirhams of silver were worth 2300 ripis, and that 2 dirhams were 2} tolas; this was written in a.p. 1723, when neither the rap? nor the tola were of uniform amount, though now the rfip? is exactly a tola weight of silver. As the stir was four dirhams (see Chap. I, 2), three hundred stirs would have been 1380 rfipis or 1350 tolas of silver, according to the standards mentioned in Ms; so that hunting was intended to be confined to those whose property was less than 1350-1380 rfipis ; but how
302 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
4. The ceremonial worship (yazisn) of those
worthy of death, which they do not perform by way
of renunciation of szz', is the ceremonial wzch is
demon worship; and when the officzateng priest
(aérpat) does not know z¢ the merit (kirfak) of the
ceremonial goes to the store (gang) of the angels,
and they give the enjoyment which avzses from that
merit in the spiritual evzstence to the soul of that
person who has at once (aéva&) become righteous
in mind.
5. When the mortal sinner (marg-argan6) has
delivered his body and wealth at once to the high-
priests, and engages mentally in renunciation as to
the sin which /as occurred, and the high-priests give
him ¢hety decision (dast6ébarih) as to duty and
good works, the duty and good works which were
before performed by him come back Zo him; and
when they inflict punishment for three nights ?, he
does not enter hell. 6. And if the high-priest
orders the cutting off of Azs head Ae is righteous on
the spot®, and the three zzghés’ (satih) ceremony is
to be celebrated for Azm, and the account of the
this limitation is to be reconciled with the fact that hunting was a favourite pursuit of kings and nobles does not appear, unless it be considered as a sacerdotal protest against that practice.
1 That is, in those cases when they do not have the yazisn per- formed as an atonement for sin, by order of the high-priest after confession,
* This appears to refer to temporal punishment, inflicted by order of the high-priest, for the purpose of saving him from the ‘punishment of the three nights’ in the other world, mentioned in Bund. XXX, 16.
* Reading pavan gin&k; but M6 marks the phrase as pavan
dinak (for dina), ‘through the decree,’ which is probably an
error.
Chapter Viii, 4-9. 303
8. However a man engages in renunciation of sin
the duty of his state of renunciation (patitih) is to
be engaged therein openly and mentally in renuncia-
tion; the duty of openness is this, that the sin which
he knows as assailed him, is to be specially con-
fessed (bara gdbisnd) by him; and the mental
duty is this, that he engages in renunciation with
this thought, that ‘henceforth I wz// not commit
sin.’ 9g. And that which occurs before the renuncia-
tion, except pious alms, it is well for him not to be
overlooked * by him, azd not to be kept® secret by
him; for when he shall overlook’, or shall keep
secret, about sin committed, it becomes for him as
1 That is, the usual ceremonies after death are not to be with- held in this world, and his soul is able to pass through the usual investigation, as to his sins and good works, on its way to the other world, without delay. This period of three nights (satdih, ‘the triplet’), which Paézand writers miscall sed6s or sadis, is the time during which the soul is supposed to hover about the body, before finally departing for the other world (see Mkh. II, rr4, 158- 160, AV. LV, 9-14, XVII, 2-9).
2 The same statement is made in nearly the same words in
Pahl. Vend. VII, 136. This is the future three nights’ punishment
for impenitent sinners, mentioned in Bund. XXX, 16.
$ Literally, ‘which he knows thus: “It assailed me.””’
* Reading avénisné, but the word can also be read khunin- isnd, ‘to be made celebrated, to be boasted of.’
> Literally, ‘carried on, borne away.’
® Reading avénéd, but it may be khuninéd, ‘boast of.’
304 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
much, some say, as three Sréshé-#arandms’; some
say that when he keeps secret about a sin of three
Sréshé-£aranams he is worthy of death; some say
much otherwise®. 10. Atard-pad son of Zarattst®
had remarked (pédAkinid) ¢o a disciple, about this
duty, thus: ‘Conform to the renunciation of szz/’
and one‘ time a secret was kept by him, and he
ordered him thus: ‘Henceforth be thou never appa-
rent in this duty!’ and after that he looked upon
the supplication (avakhshih) and much repentance
of that disciple, and even then he did not become
the high-priest (dastébar) over him.
11. The rule is*® this, that of those who would be
proper for this priestly duty (dastébarih), that
person is proper who is perfect in (narm) the com-
mentary (zand) of the law, and the punishment of
sin is easy for him, and he has controlled himself;
some say thus: ‘By whom a course of priestly
studies (aérpatastdn) is performed.’ 12. And the
punishment of sin de¢zg easy for him, and his having
controlled himself are proper; and when, in danger
before a menstruous woman, he engages in renun-
ciation it is proper.
* Probably the same as a Farman sin (see Chaps. I, 1, 2, IV, 14).
* Or ‘many other hings.’
* Reading aé, ‘ one,’ instead of han, ‘this’ (see p. 218, note 3).
° Assuming that the word Ainak has been omitted at the begin- ning of this section (see Chap. X, r).
CHAPTER VIII, 10—I4. 305
13. Néryésang! said thus: ‘Thou deemest 7/
most surprising that, of the renunciation of szz with
energy, whatever may be its efficacy, they have
been so much of the same? opinion, so that when-
ever they perform renunciation, however they per-
form z/, and before whomever they perform //,
whenever @ si is not even mentally originating
with one* a renunciation should be performed by
him; and when very many mortal sins (marg-
argan) are committed by him, and he engages
mentally in renunciation of every one separately, he
is not on* the way to hell, owing to his renuncia-
tion; and if there be one of which he is not in
renunciation the way to hell® is not closed to him,
for he does not rely upon the beneficence (sid) of
Atharmazd, and it is allowable to appoint a priestly
retribution (rad tégisn) to fully atone for it, and
when thou appointest a priestly retribution for it,
and dost not fully atone, it is allowable to inflict 7
justly and strongly (drabd).’
_ 14. When his sin is committed against (dén)
’ This cannot be the learned Parsi translator of several Pahlavi texts into Sanskrit, who bore the same name, and is supposed to have lived in the fifteenth century. Being quoted in the Pahlavi Vendidad (see Chap. I, 4, note) he must have been one of the old commentators.
2 K2o has hOmanam, ‘I am,’ instead of ham, ‘the same;’” a mistake arising from reading am, ‘I am,’ for ham.
’ This applies to all cases of merely imputed sin, ‘such as those committed by children, which are imputed to the father, and for which he is spiritually, as well as temporally, responsible.
* Reading pavan, ‘on,’ instead of bara, ‘out of’ (see p. 176, note 5).
’ Most of this clause is omitted in K2o by mistake.
306 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
16. Sin relating to the soul®, when ove engages in
renunciation, stays away /vom him; when it shall be
fully atoned for z¢ is well, and when he does not
fully atone they will make him righteous by the
three neghés’ (satdih) punishment. 17. Kdshtan6-
bigéd® said that even that which affects accusers,
when ove engages in renunciation, stays away from
him.
' Hamémalin (see § 1); the particular instance of hamém4l sin here referred to is seduction.
* Reading dismin4n instead of the unmeaning dfismfy4n of the MSS.
* Reading y4ityfna instead of the unmeaning yAitam of the MSS. ; & being often written very much like m in Pahlavi.
* This clause about the hamémA4l sin becoming a debt, to be settled with the ‘accuser,’ either here or hereafter, is taken from Pahl. Vend. III, 151.
° That is, ribanik sin (see § 1, note).
® See Chap. I, 4, note.
Chapter Viii, 15-22. 307
es eee on. A
18, Ndsdi Barz-Mitré* spoke these three sayings,
that is, ‘ Next-of-kin marriage will extirpate mortal
sins (marg-argdn4n), and the sacred twigs when
their ablution is such as renders them improper for
firewood, and a man when his wife éecomes pregnant
by him,’
19. Whoever commits a sin against (dén) water,
and kills a lizard, or other noxious water-creature,
has atoned for it; also when thou atonest to (dén)
fire for that against water it is proper’, azd when
thou atonest to water for that agaznsé fire it is
proper; some say that even a scorpion is proper /o
be killed. 20. And when a sin of one Tandpfhar *
is committed by him, and he shall consecrate a
sacred cake (drén), or shall accomplish a good work
of one Tanapthar‘, it has atoned for it.
21. When he has committed a mortal s¢z (marg-
argan), and engages mentally in renunciation, and
the high-priest (rad) knows that, though he ought
to give up his body, he we// not give 7¢ up, it is
allowable when he shall kill him; that is, because
he relies upon the beneficence (sid) of Adharmazd.
22. Moreover, from the rule (mank) ‘ yazemna* kad
na hakaa@’ (‘through being worshipped what then at
