1 The argument is that even heterodoxy, ‘the most mischievous weapon’ of the fiend (see § 87), must fail in the end, because, like other revolutions, it relies on constant change, which implies want of permanency.
* Malkésané6, ‘of Malkés,’ is a denominative adjective derived from Chald. wipe ‘autumnal rain.’ The deluging rain of Malkdés is supposed to usher in the dreadful winter foretold to Yima in Vend. Il, 46-56, when all, or nearly all, living creatures were to perish, a truly glacial epoch. In a Persian paraphrase of the Bahman Yast (see Byt. Introd. p. lix) this period of Malkés is described as follows:—‘As three hundred years have elapsed from the time of Hfishédar (Byt. III, 44-49), the period of Malkdés comes on; and the winter of Malkdés is such that, owing to the cold and snow which occur, out of a myriad of men in the world only one will remain, and the trees and shrubs all become withered, and the quadrupeds, whether carrying, walking, leaping, or grazing, will all utterly die. Then, by command of God, they will come from the enclosure formed by Yim, and the men and quadrupeds from that place spread over Iran, and make the world populous a second time, and it is the beginning of the millennium of Hfishédar(-m4h).’
* The formation of the enclosure was ordered, as a precaution, by AGharmazd (see Vend. II, 61-92).
1IO DADISTAN-1 DINIK.
Yim!, through which, by orders issued by Yim the
splendid and rich in flocks, the son of Vivangha’,
the world is again filled—men of the best races,
animals of good breeds, the loftiest trees, awd most
savoury (kharegistan6) foods, zz that manner
came back miraculously for the restoration of the
world; which new men are swdstztuted for the former
created beings, which is an upraising of the dead*.
96. Likewise from that miracle is manifesved the non-
attainment of the evil spirit to the universal control
of the glory of the creator for every purpose.
97. One is this, that—when the heterodox (dis-
diné) Dahak*, on whom most powerful demons and
fiends in the shape of serpents are winged’®, escapes
from the fetters of Frédfin, and, through witch-
craft, remains a demon even to the demons® azd
1 Reading Yim-kavd var, but these words are corrupted in three different ways in the three MSS. consulted. This enclosure is said to have been in the middle of Pars in Bd. XXIX, 14.
2 Av. Vivanghau (see Bd. XXXI, 2).
> That is, a type of the resurrection.
* The Av. Azi Dah&ka, ‘destructive serpent,’ slain by Thraé- taona. In later times he was converted into a usurping king, or dynasty, the Dha‘h‘hak of the Shahnamah, who conquered Yim (Jamshéd) and, after a reign of a thousand years, was defeated by Frédin (Thraétaona) and fettered under Mount Dimavand ; whence he is to escape during the millennium of Hfishédar-m4h to devas- tate the world, till he is finally slain by the hero Keresasp, who is revived for the purpose (see Bd. XXIX, 8, 9, XXXI, 6, Byt. III, 56-61).
° That is, attached to the shoulders like wings; referring to the serpents said to have grown from the shoulders of Dahak.
° Mrq alters shédan, ‘demons,’ into géh4n, ‘ world,’ so as to read ‘through the demon of witchcraft remains a destroyer unto the world.’ The alteration in the Pahlavi text is small, but seems unnecessary.
Chapter Xxxvii, 96-100. Iii
a destroyer—a mighty man who is roused! up
beforehand from the dead, azd is called Keresdsp
the Sdman?, crushes that fiendishness with a club
consisting of a cypress tree, and brings that Dahak
through wholesome fear to the just law of the sacred
beings’®,
98. One is this, that these, which are azstzenct
from those born azd the men who have laboured
together, Astd-vidad* “as not obtained, nor even
well obtain, for death; and through the power of
immortals, and the action of the good discourses °
(hi-sakhunagdnih) 5, they urge on to the sacred
beings ¢hose who are inquiring (kav-hémand),
even to the immortality which is the renovation
of the other creatures. 99. One, whzch zs where
the mingled conflict of the meeting of good and
evil occurs®, is the glorious good-yielding ove of
the creator which is guarded by purity, so that.
the fiend as not attained to injuring 2¢, since
it is pronounced Zo de the uninjured ox which is
called Hadhay&s?. 100. Also the long life which
’ Reading angéz6i-ait6, instead of the unintelligible angidi- aitd.
* See Chap. XVII, 6.
* Dahak and all other heinous offenders are said to undergo a special punishment for three nights at the resurrection, and are then finally purified by passing through molten metal like the rest of mankind (see Bd. XXX, 16, 20).
* See § 44.
5 Perhaps referring to the liturgical recitations.
® In the atmosphere apparently (see Bd. I, 4).
7 Written Hadhayaim here, but Hadhayas in § 119, Chaps. XLVIII, 34, XC, 4, and Hadhayds or Hadhay4vs in Bd. XIX, 13, XXX, 25, though always in Pazand. It is also called Sar- gaok, or Srisaok, in Bd. XV, 27, XVII, 4, XIX, 13, always in Pazand, and this name is converted into Pahl. Srfivd in Zs, NI, ro.
112 DADISTAN-f DINiK.
is thrcugh its all-controlling power? until they cause
the end to occur, and the devourers of fires are
subdued by it— deszdes the whole strength of the
unboasting (afim) creatures of the beneficent
spirit, after they live even without eating?—Jis
because of the Hém that is white® and the pro-
moter (frashm) of perfect glory, which possesses
the wholesomeness of the elixir of immortality, and
through it the living become ever-living. tor. And
also as many more specially pure glorious oxes whose
enumeration would be tedious *.
102. One is this, that the struggle of the evil
one and the demons wth the creatures is not pre-
cisely the existence of varzous kinds of contest, but
It is said to be an ox which never dies till it is slaughtered at the resurrection, so that its fat may form one of the ingredients of the elixir of immortality which all men have then to taste; it is also said that mankind, in ancient times, crossed the ocean on its back, when going to settle in the other regions of the earth. From what is stated in the text it may be supposed to be some form of cloud myth, but it is not mentioned in the extant portion of the Avesta, unless ‘the ox Hadhaydés’ be taken as a corruption of gaus hudhau, ‘the well-yielding ox,’ and Sarsaok as connected with Pers. srisk,‘a drop,’ and referring to showers of rain; but this is very uncertain.
1 The power of the white H6m mentioned below.
? As, it is said, they will do for ten years before Sdshans, the last apostle, appears to prepare for the resurrection (see Chap. XXXV, 3, Bd. XXX, 3).
® A tree said to grow in the ocean, the juice of which is the other ingredient of the elixir of immortality; it is also called Gokarn, or Gékard, Av. gaokerena, and is guarded by ten enormous fish (see Bd. XVIII, 1-3, XXVII, 4, XXX, 25).
* The existence of such immortal creatures, said to be intended for special use at the resurrection, is here taken as a proof of the reality of the resurrection itself, Whether the seven immortals described in Chap. XC are to be included among them is uncertain.
CHAPTER XXXVII, IOI-106. Oa
by natural operation and through desire of deceit}.
103. And the demon of slander (spazg), whose
nature it is to make the indignation (zéhar) of the
creatures pour out, one upon the other, about
nothing, as he does not succeed in making z¢ pour
out among the righteous?, he makes the wicked
even pour z¢ out upon the wicked; azd as he does
not succeed even in making z¢ pour out among
the wicked, he makes a demon pour z¢ out upon
a demon. 104. The impetuous assailant, Wrath
(Aeshm), as he does not succeed in causing strife
among the righteous, flings discord azd strife amid
the wicked ; azd when he does not succeed as to the
strife even of the wicked, he makes the demons and
fiends fight together. 105. So also the demon of
greediness (426), when he does not attain, in
devouring, to that of the good, mounts® by his
own nature unto devouring that of the demons.
106. So also the deadly Asté-vidad* is ever an
antagonistic operator; when ¢eve is no righteous
one who is mortal, nor any creatures in the world,
the wicked dying ove (mirdk) rides to the fiends
through a death which is an antagonism of himself’.
1 That is, the demons do not come into personal conflict with material creatures, but are supposed to influence their evil passions and to pervert the original laws of nature.
2 M14 omits the passage from this word to the same word in § 104.
® The word sOb4réd6, ‘ rides, mounts,’ both here and in § 106, is possibly only a miswriting of the very similar word dfibarédo, ‘runs, rushes.’ Several words in this sentence are accidentally omitted in Mrq.
* See § 44.
* As it is uncertain whether the ‘ dying ove’ is a human being or the demon himself, it is doubtful which of them is here supposed to commit suicide. M14 and J have merely: ‘nor even among the
114 pApIsTAN-{f DINIK.
107. The means of the united forces’ are means
such as the wise and the high-priests ave pro-
claimed, that is, at the time of the renovation of
the universe® being nigh, when completion “as come
to generation—those who were provided dezng born
—and after they occasion freedom from generation
(azerkhtinisnith), they cause men azd animals to
exist, though passed away and dead. 108. All men,
righteous and wicked, who continue in the world
become immortal, the men are righteous whom Asto-
vidad does not obtain for death by evil noosing
(dais-vadisn6)? from behind, and who have com-
pletely attained to the rules of the sacred beings
(yang-i yazdan); and the soul of the wicked,
which is repentant of deceit, turns back upon the
demons and fiends themselves all that previous
violence of destruction and perversion, contention
and blinding* which is natural to a demon, and
they fight, and strike, and tear, and cause to tear,
and destroy among themselves (benafsman va/Z
creatures of the sacred beings those which are an antagonism of himself ;’ apparently connecting this section with the next. This final argument is that, as the demons by their very nature must injure their friends if they fail with their enemies, they contain within themselves the source of their own final destruction. In other words: ‘if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end’ (Mark iii. 26).
* The army of angels of §§ 58, 64. The author, having exhausted his arguments in favour of the final triumph of the good creation, now returns to his description of the issue of the contest, which he was about to commence in § 64.
* Mr4 and J omit the following words as far as ‘ provided.’
> See Chap. XXIII, 3.
* Or, perhaps, ‘concealment,’ as there is some doubt whether attbénidarih means ‘making unseeing, or making unseen.’
Chapter Xxxvii, Io7—I12. Ats
benafsman) so long as they are in hell and numerous,
109. The wicked who are penitent become cou-
rageous anew as to the demon who perverts, the living
occasion strength’, avd the retribution of the hellish
existence of the wicked is completed, because the
increase of sins*?, owing to the sin which they com-
mitted, ceases. 110. They are let out from hell,
though thcir sins are thus accumulated by the de-
mons; they have also prepared® the spirit of sin
by the three days zz molten metal*, which drives
away tears, as its name is owing to the lessening
of tears®, which is all® in that which occurs when all
the doers of actions for the demon of falsehood’
pass through that preparation. 111. And 4e who,
for three days, thus bathes (vushakéd6) his sins
which are owing to the fiend, and /as destroyed the
filth (kakhd) of the accumulated sins, is like ¢hose
who have passed off avd turned over a burden.
112. And the impotence of sin is owing to the destroyer of the fiend by the perception of light,
1 That is, the wicked who are still living, being penitent, rein- force the host of the righteous.
® Referring probably to the ‘ growth of sin’ mentioned in Chaps. XI, 2, XII, 5.
* That is, ‘ purified.’
* All men are said to be purified, at the time of the resurrection, by passing through melted metal, which seems like warm milk to the righteous, but is a final torment to the wicked (see Chap. XXXII, 12,13, Bd. XXX, 19, 20).
* This would seem to allude to some Avesta name of this molten metal, which is no longer extant.
