' The primate and prime minister of Shapfr II (a.p. 309-379), who is said to have undergone the ordeal of having melted metal poured upon his chest, in order to prove the truth of the Mazda- yasnian religion. ‘The metal used is generally called riff, ‘ brass,’ but here it is afyén, ‘iron,’ though a more fusible metal than either was, no doubt, used.
* Reading amat, ‘though,’ instead of mfin, ‘which’ (see Bund.
Chapter Xv, 16-25. 377
living upon 2¢ at every place and time’. 22. On
account of the lodgment of Spendarmad in the earth,
when a robber, violent and worthy of death, and
wives who are disrespectful to ¢Ae?r husbands walk
about in sinfulness in the world, and their husbands
are active and virtuous, it becomes much distressed
(zandik), 23. This, too, is declared, that, whenever
this ear‘ becomes distressed (zanik), it is most so
at the time when sinners worthy of death are most;
for 2¢ is declared, when sinners worthy of death walk
upon ?zé, z/s pain and uneasiness become as dis-
tressing (ddskhvar) to it as the dead son on er
bosom Zo a mother; avd the lodgment of Spend-
armad in the earth is little zz that place whereon
sinners worthy of death walk. 24. And her?* happi-
ness arises from that place when they shall perform
tillage and cultivation on it, and a virtuous son is
born upon it, and they rear cattle upon it; and it
is so one’s fame subsists in the world, and the
splendour of Atharmazd becomes one’s own 7x
heaven.
25. ‘ Whoever wishes to propitiate Horvadad and
Amerdédad in the world, whereas that is necessary
which promotes their things, whoever he be it is
necessary ¢Aat he should propitiate, at every place
and time, the water ‘and vegetation of Horvadad
and Amerdédad, in whatever has happened and in
1 Meaning that the earth must be tilled in order to support its inhabitants, but there is some doubt as to the exact wording of the translation,
® Spendarmad is a female archangel; perhaps, however, the earth is meant here, as it is said to be most pleased by the exist- ence of fire-temples, dwellings of righteous people, cultivation, stables, and pastures (see Vend. III, 1-20).
378 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
whatever occurs, avd should seize upon those who
consume azd steal water and vegetation!. 26. And
he should not act oppressively, he should not walk
the world in sinfulness, and should not bring bodily
refuse (hikhar), dead matter (nas4i)’, or any other
pollution to water; he should not destroy vegetation
unlawfully, and should not give fruit to the idle and
vile. 27. For when he commits sin against water
and vegetation, even when it is committed against
merely a single twig of it, and he has not atoned for
it, when® he departs from the world the spirits of all
the plants in the world stand up high in front of that
man, and do not let him go to heaven. 28. And
when he has committed sin against water, even
when it is committed against a single drop of it, and
he has not atoned for z/, that also stands up as high
as the plants stood, and does not let him go to
heaven. 29. Since they are counterparts of Hor-
vadad and Amerddad themselves, the water and
vegetation, whoever propitiates those which be water
and vegetation, his fame subsists in the world, and a
share of the splendour of Atharmazd becomes his
7m heaven,’
30. Adharmazd said this also to Zarattst, namely:
' Reading miin, ‘ who,’ instead of amat, ‘ when,’ and digend, ‘they steal,’ instead of dQgd (perhaps for dfigak, ‘ thievish’); and supposing the verb to be vakhdfinéd, ‘takes, seizes,’ and not vadfinéd, ‘ makes, acts. If the reverse be assumed, the transla- tion would be thus: ‘should act for their Aappiness. When they consume water and vegetation he should not act thievishly and oppressively,’
* For the meaning of hikhar and nas4f, see note on Chap. II, 30.
* Reading amat, ‘when,’ instead of m(in, ‘who’ (see Bund. I, 7, note),
CHAPTER XV, 26—xXVI, 2. 379
Se
‘My will amd pleasure is ¢hat the observance and
propitiation of these seven archangels shall be as /
have told thee; and do thou, too, speak thus unto
men, so that they may commit no sin and may not
become wicked, and the splendour of Adharmazd
may become their own 7” heaven.’
31. Completed in peace, pleasure, azd joy’.
CHAPTER XVI.
o. In the name of God (yazdan) I write a para-
graph (baba) where the sins which are as it were
small are mentioned one dy one.
1. The least sin is a Farman; avd a Farman is
three coins of five annas’*, some say three coins. 2.
An Agerept is, as regards whatever weapon (snés)
men strike with in the world, whenever the weapon
is taken in hand; and taken up by axy one four
finger-dreadths from the ground 7¢ zs the root® of an
1 This is the most usual concluding phrase of short Pahlavi texts, and indicates that this account of the best mode of propiti- ating the archangels is to be considered as a separate text. It is followed in M6 by the paragraphs which constitute the next two chapters.
* Reading 3 nfim4i-i 5 Anak, but this is uncertain, and if correct must have been written in India, as the anna is an Indian coin worth nearly three halfpence. The coin of five annas was probably a dirham, as the dirham being about fifty grains of silver (see note on gfigan in Chap. I, 2), and the rip? having formerly been less than 180 grains in Gugarat, the former would be nearly five-sixteenths of the latter, that is, five annas. It may, therefore, be assumed that the amount of the Farman is here taken at three dirhams, as in Chap. XI, 2; but in § 5 it appears to be 34 dirhams, and in Chap. I, 2 as much as sixteen dirhams.
$ See Chap. II, 69, note.
380 sHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
Agerept for him; and the retribution and punish-
ment for an Agerept should be fifty-three dirhams
(gtigan)}, 3. When the weapon turns downwards
zt zs the root of an Avédirist for him, and his sen-
tence (dina) is to be changed; his retribution and
punishment should be seventy-three dirhams’, which
is when anything further occurs. 4. When he shall
lay the weapon on amy one z zs the root of an
Arediss for 47m, and his retribution azd punishment
are thirty stirs; if the wound thereby made by him
be one-fifth of a span (dist)* z¢ zs no root of an
Aredts for him, and his retribution azd punishment
are the same thirty stirs.
5. I write the degrees of sin:—A Sréshé-4aranam*
is three coins and a half, a Farman is a Sréshé-
karandm, an Agerept is sixteen stirs, an Avdirist is
twenty-five stirs, an Aredds is thirty, a Khér is
sixty, a Bazdi is ninety, a Yat is a hundred and
eighty, avd a Tandpthar is three hundred’.
6. The good works which are in the ceremonial
* § 5 says sixteen stirs, which, if equivalent to these fifty-three dirhams, would imply 3,‘ dirhams to the stir, instead of four as usually stated (see Chap. I, 2). The amounts mentioned in Chaps. I, 2, XI, 2 are very different.
* § 5 says twenty-five stirs, which, at 3,5, dirhams to the stfr (as in the case of Agerept), would be very nearly eighty-three dirhams, which is probably the number we ought to read in the text, and also, possibly, in Chap. XI, 2.
* The dist is a span of ten finger-breadths (about 7} inches) between the thumb and middle finger (see Bund. XXVI, 3, note).
* See Chap. IV, 14, note. Comparing the amount here men- tioned with that of the Farman in § 1, the Sréshé6-4arandm, which is here made equal to the Farman, appears to amount to 34 dir- hams, which agrees very nearly with the statement in Chap. X, 24, but differs from that in Chap. XI, 2.
° For similar scales of degrees, see Chaps. I, 2, XI, 2.
Chapter Xvi, 3-6. 381
worship of the sacred beings (yazisn-i yazdan):—
Consecrating a sacred cake (drén)' is a good work
of one Tandpdhar ?; a form of worship (yast)* is a
hundred Tandpthars; a Visparad* is a thousand
Tanapthars; a Dé-hdmast® is ten thousand; a
Dvazdah-hémast is a hundred thousand, and the
merit (kirfak) of every one which is performed with
holy-water is said ¢o de a hundred to one; a Had-
dkht® is two thousand Tandpthars, axzd with holy-
water it becomes a hundred to one’.
+ See Chap. III, 32. The Persian Rivfyats explain that this is when the proper ritual is merely recited, without using the sacred twigs and other ceremonial apparatus; when the twigs are used the merit is ten times as great.
* That is, sufficient to counterbalance a Tanfpfhar sin (see Chap. I, 1, 2).
* A Yast is a formula of praise in honour of some particular angel; when recited with all the accessories of sacred twigs and other ceremonial apparatus, the merit is ten times as great as is mentioned in the text.
* The Visparad service includes the Yasna, and when performed with the use of the sacred twigs, holy-water, and other ceremonial apparatus the merit is ten times as great as here stated; some authorities say it is a hundred times as great.
5 This kind of Hémast is not mentioned in Dastir JamAspji’s explafation of this species of religious service (see B. Yt. II, 59, note); it occurs, however, in the Nfrangistan as a distinct kind, though called merely HémAst in the Persian Rivayats.
* See B. Yt. IM, 25.
7 The merits of other prayers and ceremonies are detailed in the Persian Rivdyats; thus, that of the ordinary recital of a Vendidad (which includes both Yasna and Visparad) is sixty thousand Tana- pfhars, and when with sacred twigs and holy-water it is a hundred thousand ; that of the recital of any Nydyis (see Chap. VII, 4), or of taking and retaining a prayer (vag, see Chap. III, 6) inwardly, is one Tanapfibar.
382 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
CuapTeR XVII.
1. This, too, Zaratfist asked of Aftharmazd, that
is: ‘Which is the time when oe must not eat
meat ?’
2. Atharmazd gave a reply thus: ‘In a house
when a person shall die, until three nights are com-
pleted, nothing whatever of meat is to be placed on
a sacred cake (drén) therein and in 2¢s vicinity’ ;
but these, such as milk, cheese, fruit, eggs, and pre-
serves, are to be placed; aud nothing whatever of
meat is to be eaten dy his relations*. 3. In all the
three days it is necessary to perform the ceremonial
(yazisn) of Srésh for this veason, because Srésh will
be able to save his soul from the hands of the
demons for the three days*; and when one con-
? Reading va hamgédshak, the latter word being apparently used in a parallel passage in Pahl. Vend. VIII, 64 in old MSS.; this reading is, however, somewhat doubtful here, and perhaps we ought to read ‘on a sacred cake in that roofed place (pavan zak vamkinfh) ;’ the last word being a possible term for ‘roofing’ as it stands, though it may be a miswriting of vampés (Pers. bampds, ‘ roofing ’).
* The Parsis, nowadays (Dastfir Hoshangji says), do not cook for three days under a roof where a death has occurred, but obtain food from their neighbours and friends; but if the cookroom be under a separate roof, as often happens in India, they have no objection to cooking there.
* The soul is supposed to hover about the body for the first three nights after death, during which time it has to rely upon the angel Srésh (see Bund, XXX, 29) for protection from the demons, which the angel, it is presumed, will afford more efficiently if properly propitiated by the surviving relatives. At the third dawn after death (that is, the dawn of the fourth day inclusive of the day of death) the soul is supposed to depart finally for the other world (see AV. IV, 8-36, XVII, 5-27).
Chapter Xvi, I-6. 383
Ne nt ne
stantly performs a ceremonial af every period
(gas)’ in the three days 7¢ is as good as though
they should celebrate the whole religious ritual
(hamak din6) at one time. 4. And after the third
night, a¢ dawn, one is to consecrate three sacred
cakes (drén), one for Rashnt and Astdd, the second
for Vaé the good’, and the third for the righteous
guardian spirit (ardai fravard); and clothing®
to be placed upon the sacred cake of the righteous
guardian spirit. 5. For the fourth day it is allow-
able to slaughter a sheep‘, avd the fourth day the
ceremonial (yazisn) of the righteous guardian spirit
is to be performed; and afterwards are the tenth-
day, the ‘monthly, and, then, the annual ceremontes ;
and the first monthly is exactly on the thirtieth day,
and the annual on the particular day. 6. When he
