* The word may be either farhakht4ké, ‘ preparing, educating,’ or firistak6, ‘sending, deputing,’ and must be uséd as a sub- stantive.
* Reading abaris (compare Pers. barz, ‘ splendour’), or it may be abarakh, ‘sparkless,’ if barkh, ‘a spark,’ be a pure Persian word, which is doubtful.
A__a
52 DADISTAN-1 DINIK.
and when it does not obtain new inflammable matze-
rial, or extinguishing matter (nizdyisnik) comes
upon 2, its redness avd heat then depart from it’;
the life, too, on the departure of the breath (vad5
vasakih), does not stay in the body, du¢ zm like
manner departs.
3. Zo alike purport the high-priests of the religion
have also said this, that mortals azd men by listening?
perceive the time when the spirits shall put a noose
(band) on the neck#; when his time as fully come
one then conducts him with a companion (pavan
ham-bar)‘, and at his falling are the place of
death® and cause of death ; and aveng mace lethargy
(bishdsp) deliver him up, and terrified his fever
(tapd), death (adsh) seizes decrepitude (zarman)
away from him *.
4. The strength in those intrusted wzth him, and
the good proceedings azd pursuit of means which
remain behind’, giving them strength, are the deter-
1 Mr4q and J omit the remainder of the sentence.
2 Reading sinvisn6, but by omitting a stroke we should have danisn0, ‘knowledge.’
* Of a person at the point of death. The demon of death, Asté- vidad, is supposed to cast a noose around the necks of the dead to drag them to hell, which only the righteous can throw off (see Bd. III, 21, 22).
* That is, the dying man must be conveyed by more than one person, for fear of such contamination by the demon of corrup- tion (at the time of death) as would require the tedious Bareshnfim ceremonial of purification (see Sls. II, 1, 6-8).
® And, therefore, the place where his body will rise again at the resurrection (see Sls. XVII, 11-14).
®° Lethargy, fever, and decrepitude are considered as fiends, but are dispossessed by the mightier demon of death. M14 and J mention ‘lethargy,’ but omit the after part of the sentence.
" Alluding probably to the ceremonies to be ordered and per- formed by the survivors (see Chap. XXVIII, 6, Sls. XVII, 2-6),
Chapter Xxiii, 3—Xxiv, 2. 53
mination (vif#ir) which is their own inward physician.
5. And should it be a passing away (vidarg) which
obtains no light, and on account of their disquietudes
they have gone to the understanders of remedies for
strength for the remedial duties, and the way is
closed, he proceeds with insufficiency of means!.
6. And the soul of the body, which is the master
of z#s house (kadak kh&dai), along with the ani-
mating life, goes out of the impotent body to the
immortal souls?, as a wise master of a house goes
out of a foreign (aniran6) house to a residence of
the good worship.
7. [¢ was also told to the ancient learned that life
(khay4) is where there is a living spirit within the
soul's body, which is connected with the soul®, as
much as a development (sarittmtan6) of the body,
and is the life (zivandakih) of the soul of a body
of oe passed away.
CHAPTER XXIV.
1. The twenty-third question is that which you
ask thus: When he who is righteous passes away,
where is the place the soul sits the first night, the
second, and the third; and what does it do?
2. The reply is this, that thus it is said, that the
1 That is, when there are doubts about the fate of the soul, and the survivors can obtain no satisfactory assurances from the priest- hood, the soul has to proceed to the other world without suitable provision for its happiness.
* The MSS. have ‘ soul.’
* Mr4 and J have ‘which is the soul, and omit the remainder of the sentence.
54 DApISTAN-f DINIK.
soul of man, itself the spirit of the body’, after
passing away, is three nights upon earth, doubtful
about its own position (gds)?, and in fear of the
account; and it experiences terror, distress (dah-
yakS), and fear through anxiety about the Kinvad
bridge ?; and as it sits it notices about its own good
works and sin. 3. And the soul, which in a manner
belongs to that same spirit of the body which is alike
experiencing and alike touching it, becomes ac-
quainted by sight with the sin which it as com-
mitted, and the good works which it as scantily
done.
1 The ‘spirit of the body’ which is to some extent distinguished from the ‘soul,’ both in this chapter and the next, is probably the life, as described in Chap. XXIII, 7.
2 That is, its future position, or ‘ destination.’
3 See Chap. XXI, 2-7.
* Fully described in Hn. II, 22-32, AV. IV, 18-35, Mkh. II, 125-1309.
® The author is more practical than most other writers on the same subject, as he assumes that the righteous soul is not abso- lutely righteous, nor the wicked soul absolutely wicked.
Chapter Xxiv, 3—Xxv, 4. 55
6. For the remaining (ketrdnd) sin it undergoes
punishment a# the bridge, and the evil thoughts, evil
words, and evil deeds are atoned for; and with the
good thoughts, good words, and good deeds of its
own commendable and pleasing spirit it steps for-
ward unto the supreme heaven (garéd¢@m4n46)}, or to
heaven (vahist6), or to the ever-stationary (hami-
stanagdnd) of the righteous?, there where there is
a place for it in righteousness.
CHAPTER XXV.
1. The twenty-fourth question is that which you
ask thus: When he who is wicked shall die, where
is the place the soul sits the first night, the second,
and the third; and what does it say and do?
2. The reply is this, that those three nights the
soul is upon earth, azd notices about the thoughts,
words, and deeds of its own body; z¢ is doubtful
about its own position, and experiences grievous fear
of the account, great terror of the bridge, and per-
plexing fear on account of hell. 3. Thought is
oppressive as an indicator of fear, and the soul, in a
manner the spirit of the body, is a computer * and
acquirer of acquaintance by sight about the good
works which it as not done, and the sin which it
has committed.
4. And the first night z¢ is hastening away from
1 See Chap. XX, 3.
* There is another place for the ever-stationary of the wicked (see Chap. XXXIII, 2).
* Assuming that angr4id4r stands for ang 4aridar.
56 DApISTAN-{ DINIK.
its own evil thoughts, the second night from its own
evil words, and the third night from its own evil
deeds; but, owing to the good works which it has
done in the world, the first night the spirit of zés
good thoughts, the second night the spirit of z¢s
good words, and the third night the spirit of z#s good
deeds, come unto the soul, and become pleasing and
commendable to it.
5- And the third night, on the fresh arrival of a
dawn, its sin, in the frightful, polluted shape of a
maiden (£aratik) who is an injurer, comes to meet
2¢ with the store of its sin; and a stinking northerly!
wind comes out to meet z¢, and it comes on shud-
deringly, quiveringly ?, and unwillingly running to
the account. 6. And through being deceived and
deceiving, heresy (avartin-dindth), unrelenting and
false® accusation of constant companions, and the
wide-spread sinfulness of a fiend-like existence
(drig-stihih) it is ruined, falls from the bridge,
and is precipitated to hell.
CHAPTER XXVI.,
1. The twenty-fifth question is that which you
ask thus: How are the nature of heaven (vahist6),
and the comfort and pleasure which are in heaven ?
2. The reply is this, that z¢ zs lofty, exalted, and
* The demons are supposed to come from the north, where the gates of hell are situated (see Sls. X, 7).
* Reading asté-ststiha naf6-gumdaniha, which may be,
literally, ‘with bones started avd with shaking navel;’ but the
reading is doubtful.
* Literally ‘not allowing to hear and false-speaking.’
CHAPTER XXV, 5—XXVII, 2. ee
supreme, most brilliant, most fragrant, and most
pure, most supphed with beautiful existences, most
desirable, and most good, and the place azd abode
of the sacred beings (yazd@4n6). 3. And in it are
all comfort, pleasure, joy, happiness (vasidagih),
and welfare, more avd better even than the greatest
and supremest welfare azd pleasure in the world;
and there is no want, pain, distress, ov discomfort
whatever zz it; and its pleasantness and the welfare
of the angels are from that constantly-beneficial place
(gas), the full azd undiminishable space (giing)',
the good and boundless world.
4. And the freedom of the heavenly from danger
from evil in heaven is like unto ¢hecr freedom from
disturbance, and the coming of the good angels is
like unto the heavenly ones’ own good works pro-
vided. 5. This prosperity (freh-hast6) and welfare
of the spiritual exzstence is more than that of the
world, as much as that which is unlimited azd ever-
lasting is more than that which is limited and
demoniacal (séd4nik6).
CHAPTER XXVIII.
1. The twenty-sixth question is that which you
ask thus: How are the nature of hell, avd the pain,
discomfort’, punishment, and stench of hell ?
2. The reply is this, that z¢ zs sunken, deep, and
descending, most dark, most stinking, and most
terrible, most supplied with wretched existences
(anazidanttiim), and most bad, the place and cave
* See Chap. XXXI, 24. ? Or ‘ingloriousness,’
58 pApisTAN-f DintK.
5. And so much more grievous is the evil in hell
than even the most grievous evil on earth, as the
greatness of the spiritual exestence is more than that
of the world; and more grievous is the terror of the
punishment on the soul than that of the vileness of
the demons on the body. 6. And the punishment
on the soul is from those whose abode z¢ has be-
come?, from the demons and darkness—a likeness
of that evil to hell—the head (kamarak5) of whom
is Aharman the deadly.
7. And the words of the expressive utterance of
the high-priests are these, that where /Zere is a fear
of every other thing z¢ is more than the thing itself,
éut hell is a thing worse than the fear of 7v.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
1. The twenty-seventh question is that which you ask thus: Why and what is ¢he ceremony of
' Meaning, probably, that the mixture of good and evil in the world is as far removed from heaven as it is from hell. But the words aé-numai and gumisn6 are doubtful both in reading and meaning.
* That is, hell has become; reading man gastd.
Chapter Xxvii, 3—Xxviii, 5. 59
the three mzghts (sathith), when during three days
they order and perform the sacred-cake ceremony
(yazisn6 dréné6) of Srésh??
2. The reply is this, that the life and soul, when
from the realm of the spirit of air? they attain unto
worldly attire, and have passed into its pain and
misfortune, are more sensitive (naziktar); owing
to their nurture, birth, azd mission, protection and
defence are more desirable and more suitable for
the discreet (hd-#iraganiktar); and milk food,
and renewed (navagtinak) and constant attention
to the fire are requisite®. 3. So also when they
are oustea from bodily existence, and pain and the
eradication of life have come upon them, ¢hey are
zw like manner more sensitive, and sending them
protection and defence from spirits azd worldly
existences is more desirable. 4. And on account
of their spiritual character the offering (firistisnd)
of gifts for the angels, fit for the ritual of a spirit
(maindk nirangik), is more presentable; and also
a fire newly tended (négénd) is that which is more
the custom in the sacred ceremony (yazisn6).
5. or the same reason zz the three days when
in connection with the soul the sacred ceremony,
the burning of fire, z¢s cleanly clearance (gdndisn6),
* See Chap. XIV, 4.
? Reading min main6k vayih, and assuming that ‘the good Vaé’ (the Vay6 of the Ram Yt.), who is often called the angel Ram, is alluded to (see Chap. XXX, 4, Sls. XI, 4, XVII, 4). -The life and soul are treated as one being in this chapter, as all the verbs and pronouns referring to them are in the singular number in the Pahlavi text.
* Referring to the proper care of new-born infants, for whose protection from the demons a bright fire is to be kept constantly burning for three days (see Sls. XII, 11, 12),
60 DADISTAN-1 DINIK.
and other religious avd ritualistic defence, feeding
on milk and eating with a spoon? are ordered,
because—as the sacred ceremony, the defence and
protection of the worldly existences, is, by order of
the creator, the business of Srdésh the righteous’,
and he is also one of ¢hose taking the account in the
three zzghts*—Srésh the righteous gives the soul,
for three days and nights, the place of the spirit of
air in the world, and protection. 6. And because
of the protectiveness of Srdsh, and ¢hat one is
assisted likewise by Srdésh’s taking the account, and
for that purpose, are the manifest reasons for per-
forming azd ordering the ceremony of Srésh /for
three days and nights +
7. And the fourth day the ordering and perform-
ing the ceremony of the righteous guardian spirit
(ardai fravard6)°® are for the same soul and the
remaining righteous guardian spirits of those who
are and were and will be, from Gayémard the
propitious to Séshans the triumphant °.
