4. The light is for existing things, and they cherish a faculty (nfydih) of motion also of two
Yakhmiaytisad in our text. Barazd is the Ibairaz of Bd. XXIX, 6, and, possibly, the Av. Berezyarsti of Fravardin Yt. rot.
1 The same notion as that indicated in Genesis by the word ‘ firmament.’
2 The rainbow.
* Probably meaning that the sky extends downwards, below the horizon, as far as the second grade of hell, that for ‘evil words,’ Diis-hakht (see Sls. VI, 3, note).
* The word divak, ‘ place’ (zivak in the Sasanian inscription of Naqs-i Rustam, but traditionally pronounced ginak), seems to be here taken in the etymological sense of zivak, that is, ‘a living- place.’ ‘The text refers to the period, in the beginning, when the sky was indefinite space unprepared for the residence of creatures and merely a region of light (see Bd. I, 2), the light mentioned in § 4. Its preparation is referred to in § 8, 9.
260 DADISTAN-1 DINIK.
kinds, that causing motion and that of movables? ;
as mobility is mentioned about thought? and immo-
bility about material things. 5. Immovables are
not moved, while movables are moved by their
power of movement; and those movables, that
way causing motion, are afterwards themselves a
moving secret cause of motion, and then a cause of
motion is not moving the movable, since z¢ is not
incapable of causing motion secretly by movement
of itself. 6. Just as the force (kdinisn6) of a move-
ment exists azd does not become a force; only then
it is declared by wisdom, that the causers of motion
have been the causing of motion by force before
movement, azd, bctzg unmoved, they are subse-
quently made to move by the force; later on, the
causers of motion ave to cause motion, by their
power of causing motion, zz the non-causers of
motion, from which it is certain though the force of
a movement exists it does not become a force; but,
finally, that whch zs prepared with a source of acti-
vity *, before force, becomes unmoved.
7. Natures without need of the trouble of a pre-
parer are distinguished from such ; where movement
occurs through every force, the championship of a
position (gah) not made to move—except, indeed,
of that whose force, when it is unmoved by other
force, is its own—is unmoving and thirstless*. 8. /¢
' Mr4 has ‘movables avd immovables’ instead of this clause.
° Perhaps we should read ‘the spirits,’ by inserting an addi- tional medial stroke in the Pahlavi word.
* Reading tikhshiniktha, instead of the unintelligible tikh- shtikiha. The author has so nearly lost sight of his argument in the mazes of his verbiage that there is some uncertainty about the translation of this paragraph.
* That is, the guardians of a place exposed to all attacks (as
Chapter Xci, 5—I0. 261
was restored immovably when ¢here was an approach
to the sky of that actual contender for the place, the
fiend, and the sky was shaken by him; for connected
with the sky were arranged so many possessors of
all resources, dignified (afrankid) by their own all-
powerful position and that well-operating, mighty,
undrawn bow}, righteous azd well-discoursing (hi-
fravakhsh), and many good spirits, gloriously co-
operating for the preparation of the sky. 9. For
that which was not even itself a place?, when 7¢ is.
thus henceforth really a place, is zz want of pre-
paring; avd, in the preparation of that visible ®
place, with the material of the sky is mingled that
triumphing, powerful spirit who made its existence
a seeking for principle avd seeking for intention,
drawing up from below azd drawing down from
above, so that through that seeking for principle it
becomes a concord, the resting-place of united cham-
pions, and unadmonishable through that power of
seeking for intention; such as this z¢ zs if, indeed,
2t be the will of him, the creator of all goodness.
10. And it is said summarily that the sky was
shaken in the Aerzod of disturbance and restored
with trouble; and, if the guardian spirits are in
freedom from disturbance through the glory of the
creator, when there is not even a place for it pre-
pared by themselves‘, and ¢/ezy nature and own
the sky is supposed to be), unless it is a stronghold in itself, must be always on the alert.
’ The rainbow ; reading atang dar fin.
2 That is, ‘a living-place’ (see § 3 n).
* Reading didé, ‘seen ;’ but it may be st6 for sti, ‘ material.’
* That is, while the sky was still indefinite space, the region of light, but no dwelling-place; although the guardian spirits had
262 DADISTAN-? DINIK.
en ee DT TASTER EET RINT NE NT
strength are approving the trouble of preparation, it
is not moved}, except by the creatures of “zs will,
a will which is subduing.
CuaPpter XCII.
1. As ¢o the ninety-first question azd reply, that
which you ask is thus: Of waters and rivers, and
whatever water is good, is Arekdvistir? the greatest
(mas), or some other water or good river; and,
again, where is the place of Arekdvisitr ?
2. The reply is. this, that z¢ zs the water of Arek-
dvistir; and what has gushed from Arekdvistr is as
large a mass as all the water in the world * except
the Arvand‘; within the wide-formed ocean ® 2z¢ is
dominant over the thousand cascades (pashan) aud
thousand lakes * of the waters, and its place is most
venowned throughout the spheres. 3. There flows
the water of Arekdvistr in a forest, the source of
all seeds, whereby the species whzch plants possess
are assimilated (aédinagidd) by it, avd healing
existences of all kinds are mingled wth z¢ from
medicinal plants. 4. The abundant power of the
been created as representatives of the creatures, both spiritual and material, which were to be afterwards produced (see Bd. I, 8).
* That is, when afterwards prepared as a dwelling-place the sky remains unmoved by evil beings.
2 See Chap. XXXVII, 118.
3 Compare Yas. LXIV, 12, Aban Yt. 2.
* A name of the river Tigris (see Zs. VI, 20).
° As this ocean is supposed to encircle the world, the whole earth is within it.
® Compare Yas. LXIV, 17, Aban Yt. 4, ror.
CHAPTER XCII, I-6. 263
coming of healing to the purifying water is like
the nature of the existences which it acquires, axd
then the nature which it thus acquires for its own
the water draws up by the power which is drawing
water to itself. |
5. The water of Arekdvisdir is on Albfirz', and
flows even to the summit of the star station during
the coming of the healing of purification, even unto
Hiukhir the lofty ?, all-gorgeous azd brilliant ; thence
zts flowing is effected? into the lake of a summit to
Albtrz, Mount Ats,hindtim ‘4, which is in the middle
of the wide-formed ocean. 6. And from that flowing
of waters that destined river, the utter destruction of
every night, comes on in the light of a dawn; by
the sprinkling of spray (pash-pashan®) it extends
through the seven regions of ¢he earth, and from it
arise the growth of their plants azd the coming of
the healing of purification; that which is called a
drop (srisk) of the primeval creatures deczg a particle
(aham) of water of the bulk of a horse ®.
* The chain of mountains supposed to surround the world and reach to heaven (see Chap. XX, 3, Bd. XII, 1, 3); owing to its height any water from its summit must flow downwards to reach the lowermost grade of heaven, called the star station.
? Av. Hukairya berezé6, the Higar of Bd. XII, 5, XXIV, 17, probably a western summit of the mythic Albfirz.
* Mrq4 and J have nikfini-aito, ‘is precipitated,’ instead of kfint-ait.
4 The Av. us Hindvad,‘up the Hindva,’ of Tistar Yt. 32, a mountain summit where the clouds gather; it is the Afisinddm mountain of Bd. XII, 6, XIII, 5, said to be of the ruby material of the sky. In Bd. XIII, 4 the lake is said to be on the summit of Hfigar.
* Referring to the term asp6-kehrpa applied to waters in Haftan Yt. 13, Tistar Yt. 8, 46.
264 pApISTAN-? DINIK.
CuHaPpTeR XCIII.
1. As fo the ninety-second qyestion and reply,
that which you ask is thus: From what place should
Tistar! seize the water? How does it pass into a
cloud, and how does he make the cloud move on?
How does it rain upon the world? How can he
carry on a struggle with demons, and with which
demon can he carry 74 on? How does this always
happen with the hail and snow, whenever hail and
snow occur? And who can force away that hail
and snow?
2. The reply is this, that the high-priests have
thus said, that Tistar seizes a place whzch is called
‘abysmal’ (v4rdinak)?*, that is the last place of filtra-
tion in the ocean, azd there are no removal of azy
kind and causing rain from any other place. 3. And
the cause of its (the rain’s) establishment is spirit-
ually active, more particularly, however, through
two kinds of material agency: one is that which is
the rule (mang) in the atmosphere of the earth,
whereby it is drawn up in atoms similarly to smoke,
and in larger masses, well-soaring from the rivers ;
and one is that whzchk blows with the power of the
well-operating wind, and the blowing of the great
united breath (ham-vaé) and strength of the com-
* The angel who is supposed to produce rain, being a personifi- cation of the star Tistar or Sirius. His production of rain and conflict with the demons of drought and thunder are detailed in Bd. VII, 1-13.
* Assuming that the word is meant as a translation of Av. vairya, a term which is applied to the depths or depressed basins of the ocean in Yas. LXIV, 17, 18, Aban Yt. 101, Zamyad Yt. 51.
Chapter Xciii, 1-7. 265
munity (£andig4nd6ih) of spirits!, from the fully
perfect distillation (p dr-hfd-zfithigih) of the mighty
ocean to the upper regzons, and thereby the clouds
are blown.
4. Afterwards, it (the rain) speeds in the cloud,
through the great strength of the mighty wind, to
where ¢here is a necessity for zt, to divert 2¢ from
where ¢here is no necessity ; and so long as ¢here isa
necessity for z¢ it (the cloud) discharges. 5. And
when Z#ere is a necessity and it causes rain, and the
necessity is for no more acquisitions of water, and
the advantage is the effect of water upon the place,
and it distributes z¢ to the existing rivers for the use
of the sea, and it causes rain agazn, it thereby pro-
duces even new water, new flowing, new coming of
healing to plants, new growth, new golden colouring
to lands, new purification to animals, new procre-
ation, new proper breathings for other creatures,
new dawn, and new (/hings of that description.
6. The thriving of the world makes the advantage
and perfection of the good creation increase ; and,
apart from a great craving for the effect of the glory
of the spirits in the operations of cultivation and the
performance of spiritual mysteries, z¢ is said labours
are aided even for one gloriously destined.
7. And Tistar in seizing the water should seize
upon the great strength of the wind of whirlwinds
(gardinak4n), which is figuratively (minisnik) the
dragging and blowing that follow the whirling; and
the purified water is expanded avd carried up aloft
to the higher vegzous of the atmosphere, just as that
* Altering minisné, ‘thought,’ into ‘spirits’ by inserting an extra medial stroke, as in Mr4 and J.
266 DADISTAN-f DINiK.
which is seen where it reaches up with the heavi-
ness and weight of earth, and then is discerned in
the plain! accompanied by the dragging of the
whirling wind whch would carry z¢ afar to settle
like zat which is owing to dust ; it (the atmosphere)
is called Andarvaé (‘the intermediate air’), and the
wind isa whirlwind. 8. As the water is lighter, and
owing to the more strongly dragging wind on the
ocean than that which exists on the plain, so, also,
the water from the ocean is much more in proportion,
and transportable farther up than the dust ? from the
plain. 9. And as in the midst of a plain a medium
whirlwind of wind is expanded into the wide plain
by a medium’ dragging of the wind, and plenty of
much buffeting is the violence of the dragging of
winds, a whirlwind of wind which is seen very lofty
and large is unknown; so, also, oe is ignorant of
what is spreading among the movements of the sea.
10. The water of that full and abundant flowing—
which is through the power and glory of the heavenly
angels and Tistar’s control of the work—is blown
up, both by the well-characterised water-drawing
power, and also by the force of varzous kinds, the
dragging, and upward blowing of the winds, into the
atmosphere; and thence it rains the complete rain,
as they ave recounted from observation and much
full evidence.
11. Ihe demon who resists the dozugs of Tistar—
and the glorious Tistar, meeting him, properly
drives back such improper resistance of his—is
