* The only probable reading for this word is mindavam, ‘a thing ;’ it occurs three times in this question, but is a very vague term for the phases of the moon, probably referring to a supposed body covering the dark part of the moon’s disc.
Chapter Lxvii, I-Lxviii, 6. 211
come, azd comes on as z¢ were anew when it (the
moon) becomes new, azd men want the thing to go
down from the place where z¢ is becoming apparent ?
2. When it as been several times, what is then
the thing whzch comes up azd exists, and how is its
motion by night and day?
3. The reply is this, that the sun and moon are
always seen! there where they stand, and they exist
for men and the creatures. 4. The sun is swifter-
moving? than the moon, azd every day becomes a
little in advance ; at the new moon the sun is shining,
and the moon owing to diminution backwards, on
account of the slenderness of the moon by much
travelling *, and on account of the brilliance of the
sun, is not apparent. 5. As the sun goes down a
light which is not very apparent is the moon, and
not having gone down the moon is seen‘; and each
day the moon increases, comes up more behind the
sun, axd goes down more behind, azd is, therefore,
more seen. 6. When increased to the utmost, which
is approaching a likeness of the sun, it comes spheri-
cal (aspiharak®S), and is seen the whole night; to
diminish anew it comes back to the companionship
of the sun, and goes into the splendour of the sun.
1 The MSS. have astf-hénd, ‘have remained,’ instead of
khaditunt-hénd, ‘are seen;’ but the difference between these
words in Pahlavi letters is merely a medial stroke.
2 Apparently so, as the moon rises and sets about 48 minutes later every day, on the average.
* A very anthropomorphic mode of accounting for the waning of the moon into a slender crescent.
* Most Orientals consider the day of the new moon to be that in the evening of which it is first possible to see the moon; this is usually the first, but sometimes the second, day after the actual change of the moon according to European ideas,
ry 2
212 DADISTAN-1 DINIK.
Crargpry ich
1. As to the sixty-eighth question and reply, that
which you ask is thus: When something takes hold
of the moon ov sun what is then its residence
(khan), azd whence does it always seize upon 2¢?
2. The reply is this, that two dark progeny of the
primeval ox! move and are made to revolve from
far below the sun and moon, and whenever, during
the revolution of the ce/estzal sphere, they make one
pass below the sun, or below the moon, it becomes
a covering which is spun (tad) over the sun, and it
is so when the sun or moon is not seen. 3. Of each
of those two progeny of the fJrzmeval ox—one of
which is called ‘the head, and one ‘the tail’—the
motion is specified among astronomers?; but 27 re-
maining upon those luminaries, and producing that
covering, they do not attain unto those luminaries
2 Mrq has ‘in the calculations of astronomers.’
Chapter Lxix, I-Lxx, 3. 213
within that covering. 4. Zhere occurs no difference
whatever of the descending vays! from those lumi-
naries into a place of purity and freedom from dis-
turbance far below those luminaries, except this, that
the light which they divert to the world, and their
activity as regards the celestzal spheres are not com-
plete for so much time, zor the coming? of the light
to the earth.
CHAPTER LXX.
1. As ¢o the sixty-ninth question azd reply, that
which you ask is thus: What are these river-beds?,
and what is the cause of them; whence do they
always arise, azd why is there not a river-bed every-
where aud zu every place where ¢here is no mountain?
2. The reply is this, that any place where a moun-
tain is not discernible and a river-bed exists z¢ is a
fissure (asktip6); and it is declared as clear that,
even before the growth of the mountains, when the
earth was all a plain, dy the shaking of the world
the whole world became rent (zandak6)*. 3. Even
* Literally ‘ fallers.’
? Assuming that madarith stands for madarth. The meaning
is that an eclipse produces no harm beyond a short interruption of
the descent of the sun’s or moon’s rays to the earth.
* There is some doubt as to whether the word should be read z6gak6 (comp. Pers. zégh, ‘a river’), or zandako (comp. Pers. zandah, ‘ fissured’), but the meaning is tolerably certain from the context.
* When the evil spirit rushed into the earth it is said to have shaken, and the mountains began to grow (see Bd. VIII, 1-5); and at the resurrection it is expected that the earth will recover its original perfect state of a level plain (see Bd. XXX, 33).
214 DADISTAN-1 DINIK.
Frastyav of Tar! was specially mighty by causing
the construction of channels (vidarg) there where zz
is mountainous, azd also zz low-lands?2, in which
there is no mountain, and the shaking in its crea-
tion was the formation of great sunken® springs and
river-beds. 4. And if it Zas been prepared zz, or if
zt 6e in a ravine (sikaft6) of, the mountains, the
cause, too, of the contraction, thundering, and tearing
of a river, if zs confinement de in the earth, is the
resistance which it mee¢s in seeking a passage; and
as it is a spring of the waters of the earth, so also it
is in the earth, whose contraction azd panting are
mighty avd full of strength. 5. And when z¢ zs a
time that they would make a constructed channel at
the outside of its ravine, as regards the contraction
which is within it, the resistance by which it is con-
tracted at the outside of the ravine is the ground ¢.
CHAPTER LX XI.
1. As ¢o the seventieth question and reply, that which you ask is thus: Is anything which happens
* Frangrasyan, the Tfryan, in the Avesta; called Afrasiy4b in the Shahnamah (see Bd. XXXI, 14). He is often mentioned ‘as constructing canals (see Bd. XX, 17, 34, XXI, 6), but being a foreign conqueror he was considered as specially wicked by the Iranians.
? Assuming that sitan is a miswriting of stpddn, occasioned by joining two of the letters, just as harvisp6, ‘all,’ is often written harvist.
* Or, perhaps, ‘ hidden,’
* That is, a watercourse which is confined by its natural rocky channel in the mountains, when carried across the plain in a canal, is confined only by softer soil.
Chapter Lxx, 4—Lxxi, 4. 215
unto men through fate or through action, is exertion
destiny ov without destiny, azd does anything devoid
of destiny happen unto men, or what way is it?
2. As to that which they say, that, when a man turns
unto sinfulness, they ordain anew a new death!;
as to that which they say, ¢#a¢ anything which hap-
pens unto men is a work of the moon, and every
benefit is connected with the moon, and the moon
bestows z¢ upon worldly beings; and as ¢o what way
the moon does this, and bestows all benefits, order
some one to decide the literal explanation of how and —
what way it is, by the will of the sacred beings.
3. The reply is this, that the high-priests*® have
said thus, that there are some things through destiny,
and there are some through action; and 2z¢ is thus
fully decided by them, that life, wife, and child,
authority and wealth are through destiny, and the
righteousness and wickedness of priesthood, war-
fare, and husbandry are through action. 4. And
this, too, is thus said by them, that that which is not
1 This reference is to a phrase in the Pahl. commentary on Vend. V, 33, which commentary contains a good many of the statements made in this chapter, excepting those relating to the moon. ‘The reading adsh, ‘death,’ given by K35, is probably more correct than afibas, ‘ for him,’ given by our modern MSS. of the Vendidad; but Mr4 has amended it, and states ‘then many new /hings are ordained by it for him,’
* It may be noted that most Pahlavi writers, when quoting the Pahlavi commentaries on the Vendidad (as the author is doing here) or any other Nask, speak of them merely as the utterances of the high-priests, and reserve the term din6, ‘revelation,’ for the Avesta itself; thus showing that belief in the inspiration of the Pahlavi translations of the Avesta is a very modern idea.
216 DADISTAN-? DINIK.
destined for a man in the world does not happen ;
and that which is destined, be it owing to exertion,
will come forward, be it through sinfulness oy sloth-
fulness he is injured by it. 5. That which will
come forward owing to exertion is such as zs who
goes to a meeting of happiness, or the sickness of
a mortal who, owing to sickness, dies early’; avd he
who through sinfulness and slothfulness is thereby
injured is such as 4e who would wed no wife, and is
certain that no child of his is born, ov such as he
who gives zs body unto slaughter, and life is injured
by his living.
CaApTiR IOAN Cl.
1. As to the seventy-first question azd reply, that
which you ask is thus: What are the heinous sins
of committing unnatural intercourse, is 1t proper to
order ov perform the sacred ceremony for him who
shall commit unnatural intercourse, azd is it then
proper to practise sitting together and eating together
with him who shall commit z/, and shall commit z¢
wth a longing for it, or not ?
2. The reply is this, that of the evil Mazda-
worshippers?—who were the seven evil-doers of sin
of a heinous kind*, whose practice of Aharman’s
will was as much as an approximation to that of
1 Mrq has ‘which comes forward owing to sickness.’
2 Mrq has ‘of a like evil practice, in inclination for sins, zwere the very heinous in the religion of the Mazda-worshippers.’
* Reading gira? van vin4s, and assuming that van is a mis- writing of gtin.
CHAPTER LXXI, 5—LXXIl, 6. 237
Aharman zmsel/f—two are those whom you have
mentioned, who are defiled with mutual sin. 3. For,
of those seven evil-doers, one was Az-i Dahak!, by
whom witchcraft was first glorified; he exercised
the sovereignty of misgovernment, and desired a
life of the unintellectual (ahangdan khay4) for the
world. 4. One was Azi Sruvar?, by whom infesting
the highway zz terrible modes, frightful watchful-
ness (vimag-bidarih)® of the road, and devouring
of horse azd man were perpetrated. 5. One was
Vadak* the mother of Dahak, by whom adultery
was first committed, and by it all lineage is dis-
turbed, control is put an end to, and without the
authority of the husband an intermingling of son
with son® occurs. 6. One was the Viptak® (‘pathic’)
1 See Chap. XXXVII, 97.
? A personification of Av. azi srvara, a serpent or dragon thus described in the Hém Yt. (Yas. IX, 34-39) :—‘ (Keresaspa) who slew the serpent Srvara which devoured horses and men, which was poisonous and yellow, over which yellow poison flowed a hand’s- breadth (spear’s-length?) high. On which Keresdspa cooked a beverage in a caldron at the mid-day hour, and the serpent scorched, hissed, sprang forth, away from the caldron, and upset the boiling water; Keresaspa Naremanau fled aside frightened’ (see Haug’s Essays, pp. 178,179). ‘The same account is given in Zamyad Yt. 40.
* Mrq has biminidarth, ‘terrifying.’
* See Chap. LXXVIII, 2. There is possibly some connection between this name and the Av. epithet, Vadhaghana, which is thus mentioned by the evil spirit, speaking to Zarattist, in Vend. XIX, 23 :—‘ Curse the good Mazda-worshipping religion! azd thou shalt obtain fortune such as the Vadhaghana sovereign obtained ;’ and Mkh. LVII, 25 calls him ‘the Vadagan sovereign Dahak.’ The Pahlavi writers seem to have taken this epithet as a matronymic, owing to its form, but whether the mother’s name be really tra- ditional, or merely manufactured from the epithet, is doubtful.
* Reading levatman barman barman, instead of levatman bim barman. M14 omits biim.
* Av. vipt6 (p. p. of vip, ‘to sow, to fecundate’), used in the
218 DADISTAN-1 DINK.
sense of ‘a pathic’ in Vend. VIII, 102. This name, as well as the next one, is used here more as representing a class than an individual.
' The p.p. of the causal form of viptand6, ‘to fecundate,’ used as an equivalent of the Av. vaépay6 of Vend. VIII, roz.
? Assuming that pavan pavan mifidrag4n6 stands for pavan
farmid rag4no6 ; but there is some doubt as to the correct reading
of several words in this section.
® Or ‘seed,’
