* The delightfulness of rain after an eight-months’ drought can- not be adequately appreciated by a dweller in Europe.
2 ‘That is, bull’s urine.
® The reading of this name, as well as that of Adshnor, is doubtful; but if these names occur at all in the extant Avesta, they may perhaps be found in the Aoshnara pouru-gtra of Fravardin Yt. 131, Af. Zarat. 2; the epithet pouru-gira, when it occurs after the name, would naturally be considered a patronymic, whence a father or grandfather could be easily created, if he did not exist already in legendary history.
* This name is written in Pazand, and is evidently meant for the same person as the Paz. Vidharg-afrastaka of Bd. XXXI, 31, where Farhank is said to have been the mother of Kai-Apivéh and, therefore, the wife of Kai-Kavad.
* M14 has ‘from him she came unto Kai-Kavad, which would tally better with the statements in Bd. XXXI, 25, 31.
® Literally ‘the fire of Varahrén (Bahram),’
’ See Chap, XXXVII, go.
t72 pDApISTAN-I DINIK.
mingled with the fire of men’s bodies’, and they,
therefore, become perfect and immortal through it—
and there are also other ¢Azmgs. 35. There are also
in the ceremonial many tokens avd signs of spiritual
mysteries, glorious matters, and habitual practices of
which statements would be very tedious.
36. And if the wish (ayipS) should be this, that
they should be exgaged in a single ceremony of the
length of a day,a man who is righteous in purification,
inside and outside the body, should stay away from all
his relations and the worldly transaction of business,
from malicious actions azd covetous practices, sepa-
rated from all lying azd falsehood of relatives; and
fis words are to be all those which are serving the
angels, glorifying, axd begging favours. 37. Then,
indeed, the way of the spirit and the harmoniousness ?
of the sacred beings are manifest therefrom; azd
those which are as much the means due to the
primitive good creations as is more purely possible
are strengthening as regards the utility (bitin) for
offering, encouraging for purity, confounding for the
confusers (gimégakAn), terrifying for the fiends, and
propitiating for the sacred beings.
38. The ceremonial which is good is when they
shall perform z¢ for a pure disposition and assured
wisdom, a minder of the religion of the sacred beings
of the spheres, and w¢h pure thoughts, just thoughts’,
wise deeds, a purified body, a tongue worthy of good
* The vital heat or Vohu-fryan fire (see Bd. XVII, 1, 2).
* So in the MSS., but it was probably ‘true words’ originally, so as to complete the triad of thought, word, and deed.
Chapter Xlviii, 35-41. 173
(véh-sazak), a scripture (nask) made easy',a true
text (avistak), ablutions performed, proper rites,
undivided, and faultless. 39. Near which fashion,
with like abilities, azd innumerable times, it is very
purely solemnized in the abode of the ever-growing
fire, then in the abode of the other sacred fires 2,
then in the abodes of Mazda-worshippers azd other
good people, and then zz other places pronounced
clean. 40. That of the three days? is in the abode
of the fire-place which is nearest to that of the de-
parted; the ceremony of the guardian spirits of the
righteous* is solemnized in purity there where the
dwelling is which is nearest that of the departed
whose soul is honoured. 41. And that for victories
in war is then a¢ its times of battle, the husbandry
of SAm® and other offenders (vindsag4n) who were
for keeping away husbandry, the household attend-
ant’s place for a warrior of another rank, the occasion
of the outcry of those not possessing (adarigdn) a
lodging, unto the rest of the same temperament
(miin6k6), expressly to produce avd maintain a pro-
portional resemblance *.
1 That is, learnt by heart.
2 Literally ‘fires of Varahran.’
® The three days after a death, during which ceremonies are performed in honour of the angel Srésh, who is supposed to protect the departed soul from the demons during that period, while it is still hovering about the body (see Chap. XXVIII, 6).
* On the fourth day after a death (see Chap. XXVIII, 7).
® That is, Keresasp the SAman (see Chap. XVII, 6); having been a famous warrior his husbandry is said to be battle, the destruction of all ordinary husbandry.
* That is, the ruin of people by war leads them to demand a share of the property of those more fortunate, so as to produce an equality. The whole section seems to be a bitter sarcasm upon the effects of war, representing the generals as cultivators of
174 DADISTAN-I DINIK.
CHAPTER XLIX.
1. As ¢o the forty-eighth question and reply, that
which you ask is thus: As ¢o them who shall buy
corn and keep z¢ in store until it shall become dear,
and shall then sell it at a high price (pavan gira-
ndih), what is the nature of the decision ?
2. The reply is this, that when there is nothing
therein on account of which I should so deem* z¢
otherwise than due to the eating of the requisite
amount (avayisn) of food for one’s self, that which
is his controlling impulse (sayd4rih), and not the
teachings of the worthy azd good, is the internal
instruction which a time of scarcity as taught by
means of the occurrences during that time?; but
clamorous worldly profit is want of diligence (akha-
parakanih), for they would buy to make people
distressed, and in order that they may sell again
dearer. 3. Moreover, the store ove keeps, and keeps
as closed even unto the good as unto the bad —and
though it be necessary for a man of the good and
worthy, and they beg for some of the food, they shall
not sell at the price it is worth at that time, on
account of z¢s becoming dearer—oxe keeps in store
unauthorisedly axzd grievously sinfully, azd every
calamity of those good people they shall suffer who
would not sell it at the price they beg.
slaughter and rapine, with the soldiers as their domestic servants, driving the people into social democracy.
* K35 has a blank space for this word, but it is given in Mrg4, and also occurs in a similar phrase in Chap. LIV, 6.
* That is, so long as one does not lay in a store more than
sufficient for one’s own requirements, it is only an act of prudence taught by former experience.
Chapter Xlix, I-8. 175
6. But if it be necessary for their own people who
are under their control, on account of the fear of
a time of scarcity, they should buy at their own
suitable time, and should afford protection. 7. Or,
because of the teachings of the good and worthy,
they should buy corn at a cheap price from a place
where the corfi is more than the requirements of the
eaters, azd@ they should bring z¢ unto there where
corn is scarce, provided (va hatd) the good and those
requiring corn are sufficient (vasan). 8. So that,
while their information of a scarcity of corn is even
* That is, corn is not to be sold to a man who keeps it in store for the purpose of raising the price, nor to his people, nor is it even to be given to the poor whom he relieves, so that he may be com- pelled to support them out of his own stores, as a penalty.
* Reading tapahi-ait, as in Mr4.
* Literally ‘destroying the consciousness, or ‘injuring the exist- ence. Bdédy6zéd is a technical name for sins whereby animals are ill-treated, or useful property injured (see Sls. II, 39).
176 DADISTAN-? DIN?K.
from him himself to whom the price would becore
profit !, or zs the persistence of ¢hese same teachings
of the good—so that it may becomé more abundant
unto them than unto the bad, even in the time of
scarcity when it is very much raised in price ?—they
should buy corn a¢ a cheap price during an excess
of corn, so that oze may keep z¢ until the time of
a period of. scarcity. 9. When /¢here occurs a
necessity for it among the good he sells z¢ at such
price as ove buys it at that time, that is, the market
price (arg-i shatvdéik)*; by that means, in a season
of scarcity, much more is obtained in price, avd it
becomes more plentiful among the good; then a
more invigorating (padikhdinagtar) praise of him
is commendable.
1o. And, yet, as regards that which is suitable
profit—and also apart from the eating of corn, from
anything eatable for the maintenance of life, from
medicine and remedies for the healthfulness of life,
and from whatever. is for the preservation of life—it
is allowable ¢ha¢ they shall buy azd shall sell dear ‘.
CHAPTER L.
1. The forty-ninth question is that you ask thus:
If they should sell wine unto foreigners and infidels
what is then the decision adout it ?
? And, therefore, likely to be correct, as it is given in opposition to his own interest.
* Mrg4 has ‘ begged at a price,’ by inserting a stroke.
* Without holding it back for an exorbitant rise in prices.
* That is, there is no harm in speculating upon prices, except in the case of necessaries of life.
Chapter Xlix, 9-L, 4. 177
2. The reply is this, that ¢here is very vehement
danger of grievous sin, and it would be an evil
occupation. 3. But if through the operation of that
wine-selling of theirs the wine is kept more away
from those who become worse through immoderate
drinking of wine, azd comes to those who drink wine
in moderation '!—whom they cause to become better
through drinking the wine—more than when they
shall not practise that selling of the wine, then through
that selling of theirs the power which is in the
wealth *, by their keeping away of which a man is |
confirmed (padayinidd) in the good religion and
diverted from going into infidelity, the progress of
sin is impeded aud good works are promoted, be-
comes the assistance of the good and protection of
religion, the hindrance of sin and aid of good works,
which, when they shall not practise that wine-selling,
do not arise, azd which are much more promoted
than the various sins that might have arisen from
the unlawfully drinking of wine. 4. Or, otherwise,
the greater decision—and great are the good works
which are assured therein—is thus: ‘They who
shall sell wine*® to foreigners, infidels, and others
from whom unlawful conduct arises through drunken-
ness, act very sinfully and not authorisedly.’
* That is, when the supply of wine is so limited that by selling it to moderate drinkers they keep it away from drunkards.
* The wealth they acquire by selling wine, which would have produced evil in the hands of the buyers, and ought to produce good in their own.
178 pApISTAN-! DINIK.
Sc cect a ea cre te a et eee
CrarrEer Ll:
1. The fiftieth question is that which you ask
thus: As 40 one of the good religion who drinks wine
immoderately, and loss and injury happen to him
owing to that immoderate drinking, what is then the
decision about him? 2. And how is the measure
of wine-drinking wich when they drink is then
authorised for them ? |
3. The reply is this, that whoever through the
influence of opportunity drinks wine immoderately,
and is adult and intelligent, through every loss and
injury which thereupon come to him from that im-
moderate drinking, or wzchk occasion anything unto
any one, is then his causing such pollution to the
creatures, in his own pleasurably! varied modes, that
the shame owing to it is a help (dastakih) out of
that affliction. 4. And even e who gives wine
authorisedly ? unto any one, and he is thereby in-
toxicated by it, is equally guilty of every sin which
that drunkard commits owing to that drunkenness.
5. And concerning that drunkenness, what is said
is that that is to be eaten through which, when one
eats z¢, one thinks better, speaks better, and acts
* Mrq has ‘unauthorisedly,’ a very natural emendation of the text as it stands in K35, but it does not appear that the author intended to limit the responsibility of the person giving the wine
merely to those cases in which his action would be quite unjustifi- able.
Chapter Li, I-9. 179
better; and such even is the food éy which, through
having drunk wine, oze becomes more virtuous, or
does not become more vicious, in thought, word, and
deed. 6. When an experiment as regards its demg
good is tried, so that Zaveng drunk it in that propor-
tion oze becomes better, or does not become worse,
then it is allowable to drink zz.
7. When an untried person, for the sake of being
tried, Aas drunk a mingled portion, first of one drink-
ing-cup?, secondly of two drinking-cups, azd thirdly
of three drinking-cups, azd through drinking z¢ he
becomes more virtuous, or does not become more
vicious, in thought ?, word, ov deed, Ze is to increase
the drinking-cups, and the experiment is allowable
unto those tested just so far as the proportion is such
that he becomes better, or does not become worse.
8. To those tested z¢ is authorisedly gzven to that
amount through which the experimenting that is
mentioned /as extended ; and to 42m who z¢ is proved
will become worse through the drinking of wine, that
amount, through the drinking of which, when given
in the experiment, z¢ was seen that he became worse,
is not authorisedly given.
9. Ina case of doubt ove is to consider hzm who
7s orthodox (hdi-dind), who Aas chanted the sacred
hymns, and zs of good repute, whose drunkenness
