® Reading li mfin, instead of lanman, ‘ we.’
Chapter Lxvi, 4—I0. 203
tion of stipend is more necessary to arise wz/ me
than! other men, owing to the position of religion,
not the other portion (s4n6) of all religious rites ;
therefore, it is more authorisedly received and con-
ducted by me when I accept readily and again intrust
the work ; but I direct so that they pray thoroughly,
and it brings on much business to its c/osezg point ;
moreover, zf I seize upon it, even then I should be
authorised, for this is the stipend of religion.’
7. Should they seize this that is authorisedly
theirs, or not? Axd is z¢ the custom of a man who
is frequently ordering all the religious rites to reduce
his gift for the ceremonial, or not?
8. Order some one to decide for us clearly, when
they do not dispute the gift for the ceremonial, or
when they do dispute z/, how is then its great ad-
vantage; and the harmfulness that exists therein,
in many ways azd many modes, when they give an
insufficient gift for the ceremonial. 9. Is the pro-
perty which is given up as a gift for the ceremonial—
so long as it thus becomes the remuneration which
one gives to a receiver of remuneration (mozd6-
bar)—that property which they can seize? 10. And
is the work which is done, ov deputed, and its great
advantage, more than they would perform when, in
the period of the evil millenniums ”, they diminish the
gift for the ceremonial; avd in how many modes
* Reading li min, instead of the imperfect word lanm.
2 Of the twelve millenniums of time,mentioned in Chap. XXXVII, 11 n, the most evil one is said to have been that in which the author lived, the millennium of Hiishédar (about a.p. 600-1600 according to the chronology of Bund. and Byt.), for ‘mankind become most perplexed in that perplexing time’ (see Byt. II, 62, 63), a period of great tribulation for the religion of the Mazda-worshippers.
204 pApISTAN-I DINIK.
does its harm then proceed therefrom? 11. Of
whom are all the religious rites always more autho-
risedly ordered, of that priestly man, or. of that dis-
ciple? 12. For what reason, also, is it proper to
diminish the gift for all the religious rites of him
who is a priestly man, or to give z¢ in excess? 13.
When they do not diminish the gift for the cere-
monial, and z¢ is given in excess, in what manner
does its great advantage then arise therefrom; and
why and through what source (békh) is it possible
for advantage to arise therefrom? 14. When they
diminish the gift what harm to it (the ceremonial) is
then possible to arise therefrom, avd how is z¢ better
when they give the gift for the ceremonial ?
15. For when the family householders, with those
of the good religion of Iran, are early (pés) wth
every single celebration of all the religious rites with
holy-water, in the land of Pars, unless they are in
distress, their gift is then 400 dirhams!; and we
have given more than this, evex 450 dirhams 2, for it.
16. And now should it be needful, when we diminish
anything from the 400 dirhams, or from the 450° dir-
hams, of their gift, they would then not accept z¢
from us, avd they speak thus: ‘For 400 dirhams,
or a¢ least for 350 dirhams‘; nothing less do we
7 About 140 rfipts (see Chap. LII, 1 n). Mr4 has 300 dirhams.
2 About 1574 rfipis. Mr4q4 has 350 dirhams. The actual value of all these sums depends upon the cost of the necessaries of life in Pars in the ninth century.
5 Mrq has ‘350,’
* About 1224 rfipts. K35 has 4ngfin, ‘so,’ instead of gfigand, ‘dirham’ (the two words being nearly alike in Pahl. letters) ; this would alter the phrase as follows :—‘ or less; as to 350, so paltry a thing we do not accept,’
Chapter Lxvi, 11-20. 205
accept. 17. But there are needy men! who always
come to us avd speak thus: ‘For 350 dirhams we
will twice conduct all the religious rites with holy-
water”, as you have always ordered us before for
400 dirhams; order z¢ only of us, for shouldst thou
have z¢ managed by priestly men, they always say
that they should always perform a curtailment (kas-
tarih) of the religious rites and ceremonies of the
sacred beings, azd that all the religious rites are not
authorisedly ordered except of them.’
18. Although a priest (aérpatd6) who becomes a
ruler of the .ceremonial should be doubly a decider,
yet order some one to explain to us clearly concerning
these questions, as asked by us.
19. The reply is this, that the max of the good
religion who intended to order all the religious rites
is he whose desire is goodness, and he should be
a decider of questions about it.
20. As to the priest who spoke thus :—‘ Thou
shouldst order z¢ of me for 350° dirhams, as you have
always given before your business was arranged ;
and it becomes your own non-religious share of the
duty, to be authorisedly given, because you have pro-
ceeded with the alleged demeanour of the country
and for the purpose of intercession; and all the
* The disciples, who are represented as applicants for employ- ment.
2 That is, in the most solemn manner, and with all appliances. It appears from Chap. LXXXVIII, 9, that the religious rites without holy-water were then performed for 120 to 150 dirhams, or little more than one-third the fee demanded for those with holy-water ; whereas the merit of some rites with holy-water is said to be a hundred times as great as that of the same rites without holy-water (see Sls. XVI, 6).
* M14 has ‘400’ here, but see § 2.
206 DADISTAN-1 DINIK.
religious rites with holy-water are such as they
solemnize repeatedly (pavan dér), among which
there are many in which! I act and am very well
performing ’—the gift of 350 dirhams is then not
excessive remuneration for him.
21. As to the disciple who spoke thus :—‘ For
350 dirhams I will ¢ev¢ce? conduct all the religious
rites in the land* of Pars’—such of them as they
then conduct repeatedly are not many in the aggre-
gate (kinak6), and they certainly damage his (the
man’s) property, and all the religious rites of fire,
through that deficiency. 22. And they would accept
it on this account, that through a love of righteous-
ness they might cause an advantage (khanginakS)
unto all those religious rites by their own inferior
eminence*, 23. And he extends azd impels the
ceremonial of the sacred beings into much progress
who promotes it through that eminence which is
owing to his own wealth, azd which is thus more
possessed of a share (b6én) of the ceremonial of the
sacred beings and of the good work of praise—except,
indeed, a like good work of praise of his—when they
shall cause that manifestation of eminence®. 24. So
that the orderer of the good work understands that
that which is diminished by him® is the eminence
* Reading min, ‘which,’ instead of amat, ‘when’ (see Chap. LXII, 4n).
ay hePcipier 2 §§ 3, 17.
* K35 has btin, instead of bfim (see § 3).
* Or, it may be ‘by the eminence of their own wealth,’ as afr, ‘inferior,’ and khél, ‘ wealth, property,’ are alike in Pahlavi; but neither reading is quite satisfactory here.
° By a proper disbursement of wealth.
° When he diminishes his payment.
is omitted in the Pahl. text here, but see
Chapter Lxvi, 21-27. 207
of the disciple, which his own wealth as to order
for those who are not able to give wealth which is
their own property for it; ad he makes no curtail-
ment (bangisn6) of those scanty remunerations.
27. And the proximity (nazdih) of a master of
the house? who keeps away from all the religious
rites requested and accepted—more particularly
when the accepter accepts all the religious rites of the
requester for that remuneration —is itself necessary ;
he may not be of a religious disposition, but it is
yet requisite for iim to be where this is requested
* M14 has ‘7/ is not eminence in wealth;’ but the meaning is evidently that there is no real saving when the expenditure is re- duced, because the good effect of the rites is also diminished when they are insufficiently paid for.
* Or, kh4n6pan6d may mean ‘a keeper of the sacred table,’ or low stone platform on which the ceremonial vessels are placed, which is often called khan. In either case the orderer of the ceremony is meant, and the author evidently contemplates the probability of the order being given as a mere formal matter of duty, without any really religious feeling.
208 DADISTAN-1 DINIK.
and accepted for that scanty remuneration of his,
owing to the extent and impetus of zs share of
the duty.
28. Moreover, it is perceived by us in Pars ¢hat
they who would accept the work for half the remu-
neration which was requisite as profit for it formerly
would seize the remuneration. 29. And the reason
of it is this :—The peasants relied upon the corn of
the field (kh4n6) which has not come, and they said :
‘We are hurried; we never obtain anything even on
a single one of various debts, and by this payment
we shall save our lives for the time; so we calculate
that whatever we seize in the manner of a debt or
two, when the corn arrives and we sell the corn, we
shall make as profit on that business!;’—and it
seemed to me very desirable for such a man.
30. If, also, they should approve that scanty re-
muneration of that disciple, it is an injury of all the
religious rites, of which the forgivers? ave to cast
the consideration of the unequally-shared advantage
out of the body*. 31. All the religious rites ordered
of him who is a better performer, owing to not di-
minishing the proper remuneration, Aaving proceeded
unaltered, the remuneration of righteousness oe
does not approve is important as regards such as
they solemnize and conduct in the period *.
1 This parable justifies the taking of religious stipends by force, in cases of necessity, by a practical appeal to the sympathies of the enquirers ; but it really evades the question proposed in § 7, which refers to seizures not justified by necessity.
* Probably the priests who appoint atonements for sins con- fessed and renounced (see Sls. VIII, 1, 2, 5, 6).
* Of those who have obtained a disproportionate share of the profit of the good works by not paying properly for them.
* There are several doubtful points in the construction of this section,
Chapter Lxvi, 28-24. 209
32. Since, for the 350 dirhams, all the religious
rites which they conduct once with holy-water are,
it is affirmed, all the religious rites caused to be
conducted twice with holy-water in that same place
and with the same good effect, it is more important
to order of ¢hem who shall allow all the religious
rites twice; for, with as much wealth, as much eff-
ciency, and as much good effect, more ceremonial
is good.
33. The worthiness of the disciple, which is owing
to himself, is the preparation; azd the priest is
worthy, of whose performance in the religion you
have spoken’; therefore, supreme worthiness is un-
attainable by either of them; so it is more significant
when the disciple is the preparer, azd the priest, as
director, becomes a demander of good effect; both
strive for good progress, avd through many kinds of
participation they may be worthy. 34. And both
of them, praising together—whereby the participation
is brought 4o an end—may authorisedly seize”; but
that worthiness of theirs is owing to the duty and
the praise therein—this ove in preparing, axzd this
one in superintendence (avar-madih) of the recital—
and the after discourse and petitioning, azd other
good done.
See § 1.
2 Probably the remuneration, if it be withheld; provided always they do their duty thoroughly, as mentioned in the concluding clause.
210 DADISTAN-1 DINiK.
CuHaPTer LXVII.
1. As to the sixty-sixth question avd reply, that
which you ask is thus: What is this appearance’
which is girded on the sky?
CuarpTerR LXVIII.
1. As to the sixty-seventh question azd reply,
that which you ask is thus: What is this which, when
the sun and moon ave both come up, is something *
1 Reading didandih; but the word can also be read sad-vanth, which might stand for sad-gfinth, ‘a hundred-coloured existence,’ a possible term for the rainbow, but the Persian dictionaries give no nearer term than sadkas, or sadkés.
* Mrq has ‘ that mingling of many portions and few portions.’
* Reading didan6ok6; but it can also be read sad-vanak6, a similar alternative to that in § 1.
