® Standing for anbanak-aé, which is corrupted in the Vendidad MSS, into the unintelligible form andanak6-1, so that this old quotation throws a rather unexpected light upon a passage in the Vendidad which translators would be almost certain to misunder- stand. The allusion is to the bags used by a menstruous woman, when eating, to prevent contamination of the food. The Persian Riviyats state that three bags (kisah) are made of two thicknesses of strong linen, one bag to wear on each hand, and the third, which is larger, to hold the metal food-bowl and water-goblet. After thoroughly washing her hands and face, she puts the two bags on her hands, taking care that they do not touch her food, or clothes, or any other part of her body. She then feeds herself with a metal spoon, which must not touch her nose; and when the meal
CHAPTER XII, 4, 5. 341
pohar szz* at root, which is hell; avd in the Vendi-
dad? it says that the clothing of the charitable
(dahisn-hémand) soul, and even the clothing
which they will give 7, are out of almsgivings
(dasaran) *,
5. The rule is this, that when any one passes
away, after keeping fasting the three migh¢s*, still
the presentation of holy-water (z6har) to the fire is
to be performed, which is the presenting of the
holy-water to the nearest fire; for in the Damdad
Nask*® it is revealed that when they sever (te-
brfiind) the consciousness of men it goes out to the
nearest fire, then out to the stars, then out to the
is finished the food-bowl and water-goblet are placed on the large bag, and the two smaller bags inside it, till wanted again.
1 See Chap. I, 1, 2.
* This passage does not appear to be now extant in the Vendidad, and it is possible to read Nask Dad instead of Vadikdad. The Dadi or Dédak Nask was the eleventh nask or ‘book’ of the complete Mazdayasnian literature, according to the Dinkard, which merely says that its ‘ Avesta and Zand are not communicated to us by the high-priest.’ According to the Dini-vagarkard, which calls it Khfist6, and the Rivayats, which call it Khast, it was the twelfth Nask, and they give its contents in more detail than usual (see Haug’s Essays, pp. 130, 131).
$ Meaning that the dead require no clothing, as their eee bodies will be clothed out of the garments they have given away in charity. The resemblance of this statement to that contained in Bund. XXX, 28, which must have been abridged from the Damdad Nask (see SZS. IX, 1), renders it possible that it may have been taken from that Nask.
* No fresh meat is to be cooked or eaten for the first three days after a death in the house, according to the Sad-dar Bundahis, LXXVIII (compare Chap. XVII, 1-3).
5 See SZS. IX, 1. The passage here quoted may perhaps be
found in the complete text of the Bundahis, as given in TD (Chap.
37; see Introduction, p. xxxvii).
af?
342 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
moon, and then out to the sun!; and z¢ is needful
that the nearest fire, which is that to which it has
come out, should become stronger (z6r-hémand-
tar)?
6. The rule is this, that they should not leave a
nail-Aaring unprayed over (anafstidak), for if it be
not prayed over (afsand)* it turns into the arms
and equipments of the Mazanan demons‘; ¢fzs is
explicitly shown in the Vendidad *.
7. The rule is this, that the labour of child-birth °
is not to be accomplished at night, except while
with the light of a fire, or the stars and moon, upon
7¢; for great opposition is connected with it, and in
the twentieth of the Haspéram Vash? it is shown
that over the soul of him who works in the dark
there is more predominance of the evil spirit.
8. The rule is this, that they should allow the egg and other food® for those gifts azd favours of the
1 A righteous soul is supposed to step out first to the star station, then to the moon station, and then to the sun station, on its way to GarédmAn, the highest heaven; but if its righteousness is imperfect it has to stop at one of these three stations, which are the three lower grades of heaven (see note on p&ahifim ahvan, Chap. VI, 3).
* Or, perhaps, ‘if they shall not pray over 77.’
* See Bund. III, 20, XIX, 19, 20. ®* Vend. XVII, 29.
Barman-zerkhfinisnih may also mean ‘ begetting a son.’
See Chap. X, 21. The word ‘twentieth’ appears to refer to the second group of twenty sections, one of which treated of the begetting, birth, and treatment of children.
* Referring to the egg, dréns, frasasts, and gdus hudhau or ‘meat-offering’ (which may be either butter or meat, see Chap. XI, 4) that are used in the drén ceremony, or consecration of the sacred cakes (see note on drén, Chap. III, 32). The object of
Chapter Xii, 6—I1. 343
11. The rule is this, that when a woman becomes pregnant, as long as it is possible, a fire ove cares for well is to be maintained in the house, because it is revealed? in the Spend Nask that fo Diakdav®, the mother of Zaratist, when she was pregnant with Zaratist, for three nights, every night a leader (shah)* with a hundred and fifty demons came for the destruction of Zarattst, and yet, owing to the existence of the fire in the dwelling, they knew no means for 2t. this paragraph is, evidently, to reprove niggardliness in such offer- ings, and to prevent their being mere pretexts for feasting.
1 See Chap. X, 25. The passage alluded to here was probably in that section, of the last twenty-two, which treated of the spirits of the earthly existences, one portion of which was ‘ about prepar- ing offerings (atistdfrit6d) to the angels.’
2 M6 has ‘the fire of Adharmazd is to be fully maintained, and
it is revealed,’ &c. This section is a repetition of Chap. X, 4, with
a few variations. ’ Here written Daidkav. * Or it may be read séda, ‘a demon,’ meaning ‘an arch-fiend.’
344 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
12. The rule is this, where a child is born, durzng
three days, for protection from demons, wizards, and
witches, a fire is to be made at night until dayZgAz,
and is to be maintained there in the day, and pure
incense is to be put upon it, as is revealed in the
thirtieth of the Sakadim ask".
13. The rule is this’, that from a toothpick the
bark* is to be well cut off, for there are some of
those of the primitive faith* who ave said that,
when* they shall make it for the teeth cwz¢ the bark
on, and they throw z¢ away, a pregnant woman,
who puts a foot upon it, is doubtful about z¢s being
dead matter.
14. The rule is this, that z¢ is well zf any one of
those who have their handmaid (£akar) in coha-
bitation (zanth), and offspring is born of her, shall
accept all those who are male as sons; éu¢ those
who are female are‘no advantage, because an
adopted som (satér) is requisite, and in the four-
teenth of the Hispdram Nask® the high-priests
* That is, in the first thirty sections of the Nask (see Chap. X, 25); the passage alluded to must have been in that portion which treated of new-born infants and their proper treatment.
* §§ 13-16 are a repetition of Chap. X, 20-23, with a few varia- tions.
° Reading amat, ‘when,’ instead of mfin, ‘who’ (see Bund.
® See Chap. X, 21.
Chapter Xii, 12-7. 34
i wa
have taught thus: ‘ My son is suitable also as thy
son, éu¢ my daughter is not suitable also as thy
daughter;’ and ¢here are many who! do not appoint
an adopted son with this idea, that: ‘The child of
a handmaid may be accepted by us asa son.’
15. The rule is this, that ove zs to persevere much
in the begetting of offspring, since ¢¢ ¢s for the acqui-
sition ? of many good works at once; because in the
Spend * and Nihadim Nasks* the high-priests ave
taught that the duty and good works which a son
performs are as much the father’s as though they
had been done by his own hand; and in the
Damdad Nasé ® it is revealed thus: ‘ Likewise, too,
the good works, zz like manner, which come /o the
father as his own.’
16. The rule is this, that what they shall give to
the worthy is as much as is proper and beyond, for
eating ard accumulating; because in the Nihaddm
Nask* the high-priests Aave taught thus: ‘When a
man gives bread to a man, even though that man
has too much bread, all the good works, which he
shall perform through that superabundance, become
as much his who gave z¢ as though they had been
done by his own hand.’
17. The rule is this, that in the night water ts
' The writer of M6 evidently found his original illegible at this place, as he wrote . . . maman instead of min denman.
2 M6 has ‘performance,’ which is probably a misreading, due to the original of that MS. being partially illegible.
8 See Chap. X, 4. This Nask is not mentioned in Chap. X,
22, and the passage here alluded to is not to be traced in any of
the short accounts of its contents.
# See Chap. X, 3, 22.
5 See SZS. IX, 1, and Chap. X, 22.
6 See Chap. X, 3, 23.
346 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
not to be drawn! from a well, as in the Bag-yasné?
notice is given about the uncleanness (ayosdasarih)
of well-water at night.
18. The rule is this, that in the night anything
eatable is not to be cast away to the north, because
a fiend wz/d become pregnant; and when it is cast
away one Yathd-ahi-vairy6* is to be uttered. 19.
Those of the primitive faith* who wsed to act more
orthodoxically (hi-rastakihatar), when food was
eatem by them in the night, for the sake of preserva-
tion from sin owing to the coming of strainings axd
sprinklings oz to the ground, directed a man to chant
the Ahunavar® from the beginning of the feast
* K2o has ‘that water is not to be drawn on foot.’
* Probably the Bak&n-yast6 is meant, which was the fourteenth nask or ‘book’ of the complete Mazdayasnian literature, according to the Dinkard; but according to the Dinf-vagarkard and the Rivayats it was the fifteenth nask, called Baghan-yast. For its con- tents, as given by the Dini-vagarkard, see Haug’s Essays, p. 132. The following is the account of it given in the eighth book of the Dinkard :—
‘The Bak4&n-yast6 is a treatise, first, on the worship (yast6) of Aftharmazd, the most pre-eminent of divinities (bakan avartim), and, secondly, the worship of the angels of the other invisible and visible worldly existences, out of whom are even the names of the days, and the glory, power, triumph, and miraculousness of their life also is extreme; the angels who are invoked by name in their worship, and the attention and salutation due to them; the worthi- ness and dispensation of favour for worshippers, avd the business of their many separate recitations unto the angels; the business of unlimited acquaintance with knowledge about the promoters of the treasures of the period, unto whom the creator Aflharmazd zs to intrust them, avd they remain to cause industry. Perfect is the excellence of righteousness,’
* See Bund. I, 21. This section is a repetition of Chap. X, 7, with a few variations.
° That is, the Yatha-ahd-vairyd (see Bund. I, 21).
Chapter Xii, 18-22. 347
(myazd) unto the end, more especially at the feast
of the season-festivals; as it says in the HAadékht
Nask', that of the sayings which are spoken out the
Ahunavar is that wAzch 7s most triumphant.
20. The rule is this, that when one sees a hedge-
hog he takes z¢ back to the plain, and its own place
is to be preserved free from danger; for in the Ven-
didad the high-priests Aave taught, that every day,
when the hedgehog voids urine into an ant’s nest, a
thousand ants will die*.
21. The rule is this, that some who are of the
good religion say, where one is washing As face, one
Ashem-vohii® is always to be uttered, avd that
Ashem-vohti is to be uttered before the washing ;
for when he utters z¢ while washing Azs face, he is
doubtful (var-hémand) about the water coming to
fis mouth.
22. The rule is this, that they select from the
purifiers‘—when their business (mindavam) is as
important (raba) as purity and impurity—Azm with
whom the control® of ablution (padiyavih)*® and
non-ablution is connected ; they select Az especially
