and rewarding it, on the unjust judge and the sagacious one, on daughters given in marriage by mothers and brothers, on the dis- obedient son, &c. And one section on the spirits of the earthly existences, the merit of killing noxious water-creatures, the animal world proceeding from the primeval ox, the evil spirit not to be worshipped, and much other advice.
The passage mentioned in the text appears to have been in the first section of this Nask, as the Dinkard says it treated, among other matters, ‘about a man’s examining an action before doing it, and when he does not know whether :/ de a sin or a good work, when possible, Ae is to set it aside and not to do #” But nothing is said there about Zaratiist, and what is said here seems to have very little connection with the ‘rule’ laid down in this section.
' Literally, ‘ made it quite easy.’
? Literally, ‘not to be devoured or gnawed.’
$ The formula commencing with the words Yatha aha vairy6é (see Bund. I, 21); its parts or bagha are the phrases into which it may be divided (see Yas. XIX, 4, 6, 9, 12).
* Reading drditar, ‘more clamourous or chattering ;’ but the word is ambiguous, as it may be dardktar, ‘more rending,’ or girdftar, ‘more weighty, more threatening,’ &c.
5 M6 has Bak. This was the third nask or ‘book’ of the complete Mazdayasnian literature, according to the Dinkard, which calls it Bak6; but according to the Dini-vagarkard and the Rivayats it was the fourth nask. For its contents, as given by the Dini-vagarkard, see Haug’s Essays, p. 127. In the Dinkard, besides a very brief account of it, in the eighth book, which states that it was a treatise on the recitation of the revealed texts, there is, in the ninth book, a long description of the contents of each of its twenty-two fargards, occupying fifty quarto pages in the MSS. of the Dinkard. From this it appears that the passage quoted in our text probably occurred in the first
328 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
thus: ‘Whoever shall mutter, O Zaratdst! my allot-
ment of the Ahunavar '—that is, shall softly take 2¢
inwardly—and shall let 7¢ escape* again—that is,
shall utter 2¢ aloud—so much as a half, or one-third,
or one-fourth, or one-fifth, his soul will I shield,
I who am Atharmazd, from the best existence—
that is, I w2// keep it away—by so much of an
interval as the width of this earth.’
27. The rule is this, that oxe is to proceed with
great deliberation when he does not know whether
it be a sin or a good work, that is, it is not to be
done.
28. The rule is this, that an opinion (andazak) of anything is to be formed through consultation
- fargard. It also occurs, in nearly the same words, in Pahl. Yas. XIX, 12-15, and as Yas. XIX is called ‘the beginning of the Bakan’ in some MSS., it is possible that the three Has (Yas. XIX-XXI) which relate to the three short Avesta formulas are really the first three fargards of the Bagh Nask, which are said to have treated of the same subjects.
? The text is corrupted into min zak-i li, Zaratfist! béstarth-i min Ahunavar dragist, which might be translated, in connection with the following phrase, thus : ‘Of my vexation, O Zaratfst! from the Ahunavar, the most fiendish is that ove shall softly take 77,’ &c. But very slight alterations of the Pahlavi letters (in accordance with Pahl. Yas. XIX, 12) convert min into mfin, béstArth into bakh- tarih, and drfgist into drengdd. Instead of ‘allotment of the Ahunavar’ we might read ‘ predestination, or providence, from the Ahunavar;’ because the Pahlavi translator, by using the word bakhtarih or bakht4rth, appears to have understood the Av. bagha in its sense of ‘ divinity, providence,’ rather than in that of ‘ part, portion,’
* Reading raninéd or rahédinéd. The Pahlavi translator seems to think the sin consists in breaking the spell of the v4g or inward prayer (see Chap. III, 6) by speaking part of it aloud; but the original Avesta of this passage attributes the sin to obscuring the meaning by imperfect recitation.
Chapter X, 27, 28. 329
with the good; even so it is revealed in the Aidrast
Nask* that Spendarmad spoke to Mandsfihar thus :
‘Even the swiftest horse requires the whip (taza-
? This was the twelfth nask or ‘book’ of the complete Maz- dayasnian literature, according to the Dinkard, which calls it Kidrast6 or Xidrést6; but according to the Dint-vagarkard and the Rivayats it was the fourteenth nask called Girast. For its contents, as given by the Dini-vagarkard, see Haug’s Essays, p. 131. The following is a summary of the short account of it given in the eighth book of the Dinkard :—
As Manisdihar is several times mentioned there are several places in this Nask where the statement, quoted in the text as a saying of Spendarmad, the female archangel who has special charge of the earth (see Chap. XV, 5, 20-24, and Bund. I, 26), may have occurred.
330 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
nak), the sharpest steel knife requires the whetstone
(afsdn), and the wisest man requires counsel (ham-
pirsth).’
29. The rule is this, that when oze laughs outright
(bara khandéd) the Avesta and Zand are not to
be mumbled, for the wisdom of Afiharmazd is omni-
scient, azd good works are a great exercise of
liberality, but an extreme abstinence from producing
irritation (hangtdar-dahisnih); because in the Ra-
tistaitth Mask! many harsh things are said about
the severe punishment of producers of irritation, in
the spiritual erzstence.
30. The rule is this, that as there may be some
even of those of the good religion who, through
unacquaintance with the religion, when a female
fowl crows in the manner of a cock, will kill the
‘ This was the seventh nask or ‘book’ of the complete Maz- dayasnian literature, according to the Dinkard, which calls it Rattistaiti ; but according to the Dini-vagarkard and the Rivdyats it was the eighth nask called Ratustat. For its contents, as given by the Dint-vagarkard, see Haug’s Essays, p. 129. The following is a summary of the short account of it given in the eighth book of the Dinkard:—
The Ratfstait? is a treatise on indispensable religious practices, the reason of the worthiness and superexcellence in a purifying priest, and how to distinguish worthiness and superexcellence from unworthiness, in the priesthood of each of the seven regions of the earth; on the indication and manifestation of an assemblage of the archangels, the formulas and means to be employed in reverencing the angels, the position and duties of the two officiating priests in the ceremonies, and all the business of the orderers of ceremonies, with their various duties; on the greatness and voluntariness of good works, the kinds of voluntariness, and the proximity of Aftharmazd to the thoughts, words, and deeds of the material world.
It is uncertain under which of these heads the passage mentioned in the text may have occurred.
Chapter X, 29—32. 331
fowl, so those of the primitive faith’ ave said that
there may be mischief (vindstarth) from wizards in
that dwelling, whzch the cock is incapable of keeping
away, and the female fow/ makes that noise for the
assistance of the cock *, especially when the bringing
of another cock into that dwelling is necessary.
31. The rule is this, that when ove sees a hedge-
hog, then a/ong with it* a place in the plain, free
from danger, is to be preserved; for in the Ven-
didad * the high-priests ave taught that it is when
the hedgehog every day voids urine into an ant's
nest that a thousand ants will die.
32. The rule is this, that in the Vendidad® seven
kinds of things are mentioned, amd when they are
the cause of a man’s death, until the forthcoming
period of the day (gas-i levin) comes on, contami-
? See Chap. I, 3.
* The cock is considered to be an opponent of demons and wizards (see Bund. XIX, 33), and to warn men against the seduc- tions of the demoness of lethargy (see Vend. XVIII, 33-42, 52).
* Assuming that levatman val means levatman valman, but the reading ‘he takes 7# back to (lakhvar val) the plain,’ which occurs in the repetition of this section in Chap. XII, 20, seems preferable.
* The details which follow are to be found in Bund. XIX, 28, but they appear to be no longer extant in the Pahlavi Vendidad ; though the hedgehog is called ‘ the slayer of the thousands of the evil spirit,’ in Vend. XIII, 5, of which passage the statement in our text seems to be an illustration. The ant is considered noxious.
* Vend.VII, 5, 6, where, however, eight modes of death are mentioned, which delay the arrival of the Nasts, or fiend of corrup- tion, till the next period of the day; these are when the person has been killed by a dog, a wolf, a wizard, anxiety, falling into a pit, the hand of man as sentenced by law, illegal violence, or strangulation. In all other cases it is supposed that the fiend of corruption enters the corpse immediately after death (see Vend. VII, 2-4).
332 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
ie ee ce nD
nation (nisrist)! does not rush upon him; and for
this reason, this, too, is well for the good, that is, to
show a dog rightly again a previous corpse in the
forthcoming period of the day’.
33. The rule is this, that by those who attend to
a corpse among the pure 7¢ is then to be shown fo a
dog very observant of the corpse; for when even a
thousand persons shall carry away a corpse which
a dog Aas not seen, they are all polluted *.
34. The rule is this, that meat, when there is
stench or decomposition not even originating with
?t, is not to be prayed over *; and the sacred cake
(drén)’and butter (g4fs-dak) which are hairy are
also not to be prayed over ®.
35. A woman is fit for priestly duty (zétih) among women °, and when she is consecrating’ the sacred
' See Bund. XXVIII, 29.
* In order that there may be no risk of the fiend of corruption having entered the corpse after it was first exhibited to a dog.
* This statement has been already made in Chap. II, 65.
* That is, it is not to be used in any religious ceremony. Small pieces of meat are consecrated, along with the sacred cakes, in the Dron and Afringén ceremonies at certain festivals.
* But only for some of the minor priestly offices, such as conse- crating the sacred cake. According to Avesta passages, quoted in the Nirangistéan, any man who is not a Tandpdhar sinner can per- form certain priestly duties for virtuous men, and any woman who is not feeble-minded (kasu-khrathwa) can perform them for children,
* M6 has, ‘when she does not consecrate.’
Chapter X, 33-40. 333
oe
cake (dr6én), and one Ashem-voht! is uttered by
her, she puts the sacred twigs (baresém) back on
the twig-stand, brings ‘Hem away, and the utterance
of another one is good; when she says it is not
expedient to do z¢ with attention before a meal, it
is proper. 36. The sacred cake of a disreputable
woman is not to be consecrated, but is to be ren-
dered ineligible (aviginak®). ’
37. When one places a thing before the fire ob-
servantly, and does not see the splendour itself,
‘tava athr6®’ is not to be said.
38. At night, when® ove lies down, the hands are
to be thoroughly washed. 39. That which comes
from a menstruous woman to any one, or to any-
thing, is all to be thoroughly washed with bull's
urine (gOméz) and water‘.
[40. The rule is this, as Ataré-pad son of Mara-
spend® said when every one passed away:—‘ The
mouth-veil® and also the clothing are to be well
1 See Bund. XX, 2; it is rather doubtful whether we should read ‘ one’ or ‘two,’
* These Avesta words, meaning ‘for thee, the fire,’ are used when presenting anything to the fire, such as firewood and incense (see Yas. VII, 3, XXII, ro, 22, &c.)
® Reading amat, ‘when,’ instead of mfin, ‘who’ (see Bund.
5 See Bund. XXXIII, 3.
® The paddm (Av. paitidana, Paz. penédm) ‘ consists of two
334 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
set apart from the gifts (dasaran), so that his
soul may become easier.’ Completed in peace and
pleasure. |
Part I].—A Supplementary Treatzse’.
1. The degrees of sin are these ?, such as a Far-
man, Srdédshé-4arandm, Agerept, Aivirist, Aredts,
Khor, Bazai, Yat, and Tanapfhar, and I wz// men-
tion each of them a second time. 2. A Farman is
the weight of three dirhams of four mads*; a
